Breeding Better Dogs

TIME TO GET STARTED!

UP YOUR DOG

SHOW GAME

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BREEDING BETTER DOGS - STRUCTURE & MOVEMENT

‍ 10 Lessons from 45 Years as a Breeder

Advice from a long-time dog breeder.

‍ By Kathy Lorentzen

“Ask seasoned, successful breeders for advice. We want you to stay in our sport, not get frustrated and leave because your dogs don’t win. We want you to learn, have good dogs and develop into the next generation of knowledgeable dog breeders so that we can breathe easy when we hand the reins of our breed over to you.”

It’s What’s Up Front That Counts by Patricia Trotter

If we wish to achieve our goal of breeding quality dogs, we must set our sights on producing and rewarding dogs with correct front-end assemblies by concentrating on breeding correctly structured forequarters and valuing them more highly. Our expectations for most breeds should be to produce dogs with correctly sloping shoulders that are accompanied by equal length and angle of upper arm. READ MORE…

Putting Up A Better Front by Patricia Trotter

There are two reasons I place so much emphasis on judges whose opinions value correct front- end assembly. First, correct fronts are the hardest structural trait to keep in any family of dogs. Second, once correct fronts are lost from the gene pool, they are very difficult, if not impossible, to recover. To further complicate matters, there seems to be widespread misunderstanding about exactly what constitutes a good front. READ MORE…

If there is a universal fault apparent in the North American show dog it is, without a doubt, in the front end of the caboose. It is interesting, however, that when there's talk about building good fronts on our dogs the conversation is most often inclined to confine itself to layback or angulation of the shoulder. Correct respective shoulder angulation is certainly not easy to achieve, but the shoulder is not alone when it comes to achieving correct front construction. Not enough consideration is given to the return and lay of another very important bone in the front assembly--the upper arm.

The All Important

(and Neglected) Upper Arm

by Richard Beauchamp

“There is no more important ingredient in creating a breeding program than the bitch.

They are solid gold and without-a-doubt the keystone upon which the entire structure of what you will build must rest upon.”

By Richard Beauchamp

Invest in Gold!

Bottlenecks - Who’s To Blame?

by Theresa Mullen

Breeders talk about bottlenecks. A bottleneck is when a particular sire is used extensively, creating a more homogenized gene pool. This occurs when a sire emerges from the many, and breeders take note of and use him. It creates a population of half-brothers and half-sisters…

A sire should be a positive influence on a breed. However, issues often emerge regarding the health of the sire at a later age. So, how do we stop bottlenecks from occurring in the future?"

QUOTES

“I would say that in an ideal world, we would put less emphasis on breeding dogs to win and more emphasis on breeding correct dogs.

I think that is something that has gotten pushed into the background. “

-AKC Judge Richard Beauchamp

Author of the best selling book, Solving the Mysteries of Breed Type

Five Concepts Toward Successful Breeding

‍ by E.K. Mincey, Ph.D.

In order to establish some common ground for discussion it is necessary to define what one means by a successful breeding program. What follows are five concepts which I feel are the most important for new individuals who are interested in success in the dog breeding world, i.e, top winning show dogs.

An excellent article for breeders wanting to improve.

Are You A Breeder Or Do You Just Breed Dogs?

by Ms. Dany Canino

Anyone can breed dogs, but it takes someone very special to wear the badge of a breeder. Every year thousands of dogs end up in animal shelters all over the country. Where did these dogs come from? Can we honestly put the entire blame on the puppy mills or the casual backyard breeder? Or, could it possibly be that many of these unfortunate dogs are the result of progeny produced by "professional breeders?”

QUOTES

“If we don’t breed with integrity, responsibility and a true concern for the progeny we produce, we will eventually have no one to blame for the outcome of breeding,

than ourselves.”

-Dany Canino

From her article - Are You a Breeder Or Do You Just Breed Dogs?

Breeding for a Difference by Carmen Battaglia, PhD

The key to success is staying focused on the important issues. This means that choices have to be made. In this regard, one of the worst dilemmas will come when a breeder discovers that they do not know what problems exist in their breed. This is closely followed by not knowing what problems exist in their pedigrees. How much progress a breeder will make can be linked to the learning of skills. Three standout…

Selecting Conformation Puppies

By Theresa Mullens

Is there a method or a "secret" to picking puppies? I KNOW there is a secret to picking puppies---or should I say SEVERAL secrets. I'll try to outline all the things that I use when evaluating puppies. Don't start to evaluate the litter too soon. I think many breeders concentrate WAY TOO MUCH on what they see at 3, 4, 5 and even 6 weeks. It's good to watch and observe behavior and temperament…BUT, don't try to analyze and grade puppies too young. They ALL look good at 6 weeks, unless you are extremely experienced…

Subfertility in Stud Dogs

- Part 1

By Kara A. Kolster, DVM DACT

Subfertility can be defined as semen parameters that are significantly below expected normal levels or as sporadic success in a male’s ability to sire litters. Subfertility may be congenital or acquired. If a male is not tested until he misses breedings, we may not know whether he was born with or developed the problem later on. Evaluating subfertile dogs requires accurate semen analysis, including … READ MORE…

Subfertility in Stud Dogs

‍ - Part 2

By Kara A. Kolster, DVM DACT

The results of a thorough semen analysis as well as breeding history may help determine the cause of subfertility in a stud dog. However, in over 50% of cases the underlying cause may not be known. In these cases, management of living conditions, overall health, and diet should be optimized in attempt to improve semen quality. READ MORE…

For all our desire to understand dogs and how best to care for them, we as a dog culture are woefully undereducated about the basics of canine anatomy and construction, and how they translate to our dogs’ well-being. Perhaps the best way to learn about canine conformation and how it impacts structure is to seek out a mentor who can literally show you what it’s all about. Many breeders and performance enthusiasts with an understanding of structure are often surprisingly happy to share their knowledge…

Built to Last: The Basics of Canine Conformation & Anatomy by Denise Flaim

Temperament in Dogs - Nature vs Nurture

Understanding canine temperaments and personalities have come a long way in the last several decades. A dog's temperament can influence how they behave, especially as puppies. How a puppy is raised can undoubtedly influence their personality and behaviors.

Damn Good Advice

How Well Do You Know The Breed?

by D. McKenna

Nearly forty years ago, I learned a valuable lesson from an older, respected, and successful breeder. At that time, the world of dog shows was shiny, new, and very exciting to me. It was a lesson that I have never forgotten. It was a powerful piece of wisdom and insight that aided and helped shape my thinking and pushed me to improve …

NEVER STOP LEARNING

Watch for New Articles

QUOTES

“Evaluating angulation and balance involves an understanding of the front and rear assemblies. When the term angulation is used, it generally refers to the angles formed at the hip and shoulder joints, the stifle and the hock. A dog with good angulation tends to have a smoother stride than a less- angulated dog.”

-Carmen Battaglia Phd, researcher & author

See his article “More than Meets the Eye”

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What is a Stud Dog? by Richard Beauchamp

Few, if any, outside breeders would jeopardize his own carefully laid foundation by breeding to a dog that has few or no producing credentials. The clever breeder is just as selective in stud dogs as he should have been in assembling the best bitch line possible. This is where the reader should actually begin their breeding program - by purchasing the best possible bitch he can that comes from a line of quality producing bitches. And then their next project is to find, regardless of where in the world the dog resides, the right stud dog for her. I italicize the word stud dog because so few people really know the true meaning of the word…