Easy Keepers

[SkySoaringMagpie]

On a FB group I'm on, someone talked about only breeding from easy keepers. I gather it's a horse term, mostly about the horse doing well on standard feed without a heap of supplements and fussing about. Some people said they expand the concept to dogs that don't have nasty habits, are cheerful and confident, get on with other dogs etc etc

It sounds like a neat way to summarise an important set of considerations. So what do you consider in this area when deciding whether to breed with a particular dog or bitch?

[dog geek]

... I'll bite!

Easy keepers in dogs:

To me this means health tested and screened before breeding to (hopefully) produce puppies that need very little vet care for disorders or dysfunctions.

Essentially, dogs that very few vets have the experience of seeing them in consultation except for initial immunisations and annual health checks.

And I guess I include dogs that do not require constant interaction - I like dogs that are content to hang out in my house and yard without needing incessant attention/approval.

Oh - and dogs that are efficient converters of food, and do not require tinkering with diet to maintain them.

Like that, do you mean?

[WreckitWhippet]

I think this one sums it up pretty well

A PEARL OF GREAT ADVICE by Noel Banks

In the commercial world of greyhound breeding, the following statement has often been made by an enthusiast becoming

attracted to the sport of the greyhound: “1 decided to get a bitch pup rather than a dog pup as if it is no good for racing at

least I can breed a litter and get my money back.”

What a fallacy! No doubt in a majority of these cases, a later mating would be effected with a currently popular sire, with

thoughts of ready sale of the progeny uppermost in the breeder's mind, without due regard to the needs of compatibility of

bloodlines, temperament, conformation, and. of course, a continuation of inherited inability in relation to speed or pace.

Perhaps the following article, although it was originally written in relation to another species of canine, is equally applicable

to the practical and proper approach to those deeply interested in the reproduction of the greyhound.

A horse breeder once told me, “A good mare gives more than half to her foal.” This was a knowledgeable man, a long-time

successful breeder. I started to object — genetically the inheritance gift must be half. “No,” he went on to say. “At the instant that

the egg is fertilised, they have each given one half, stud and mare, but from that point on it is the mare's own healthy body that

nourishes that newly created life. At the instant of fertilisation that organism acquired its total potential. From then on

realisation of that potential will be up to the dam.”

This is as true for the brood bitch as it is for the mare. Man, the breeder of record, will assume the responsibility only at

some time after the actual birth, and if that responsibility must be taken very early in the young life, it is very possible that no

matter how diligent the care, it will never provide what could have been derived from a healthy, temperamentally sound dam

providing from her own body the perfect diet, warmth, and security.

The creation of a fine brood bitch must begin generations before the day she first whelps. Not only must she come from stock

notable for beauty of form and movement, and stability of temperament ideal for her breed, but there should be also behind

her generations of dams granddams who whelped easily, normally, and who nourished their litters without assistance, and

who never slackened their attention to the cleanliness and safety of their broods.

Laziness and weakness in the whelping box, enough to make the surgical birth, caesarean section, necessary, and irresponsible maternal

attitudes seem to be inherited. A bitch puppy whelped naturally in peaceful, comfortable surroundings, and given the proper care by her dam

from the first anxious lick, seems also to be 'programmed' for performance of the same duties when her turn comes.

Modern veterinary medicine coupled with the know how of the experienced breeder have today made it possible to save many a pup, even

many a litter that would a few decades past never have lived to maturity. This becomes a mixed blessing for it enables us to preserve the

constitutionally inferior animal and from it propagate a weakened strain. The medical skills that can save the strong pup from epidemic viral

disease and accidental post-natal injury are far too often employed to preserve a life that nature has marked as inadequate for continuance

of the race. That body beautiful brought precariously into this world and maintained here solely through human effort and against nature’s

will to eliminate the weak may well survive to pass many essential weaknesses throughout subsequent generations.

Trust a good bitch. If she has six strong, wriggling, greedy puppies filled with the unlimited urge to survive, fighting for their

nourishment, thriving, don’t be upset about that seventh one that she has shoved off into a cool corner to expire. If she has been handling her

personal affairs up to this point suitably, assume she knows something you don't know. Let that one go! And that littlest one who can't seem to

hang on to a tit—let it go! Many a tiny one is unbudgeable as is the biggest in the litter. Vigour and ability to survive is unallied with size, large

or small.

Long ago in the eager altruistic early days of my dog-breeding experience it was a matter of pride to 'save them air. And many a time I was

successful. One little female that I remember especially had to be fed minute quantities of food every two hours. Because she had thus

become very dear to my heart as a result of our great battle together, I gave her to a very good home. Within four months she had succumbed

to the worst all-over case of red mange I have ever seen; she grew bald and scarred. I recommended euthanasia but her owners persisted with

the most time-consuming care. At the age of two-and-a-half years, after finally achieving an orderly estral cycle, she kicked the mite and

haired out almost completely, except for a few areas permanently scarred as a result of secondary bacterial infections. Very much against my

advice they bred her. Slow, difficult labour produced two pups and a caesarean section the remained four, of which one was dead and another

dying. Massive infections followed and ultimately one pup survived. A few months later the bitch did finally have to be euthanised

because of almost complete paralysis from back trouble. Full and half sisters of this same bitch, out of the same dam, bitches vigorous and

strong from birth on are the best whelpers, the strongest, fiercest, most infection-resistant members of my kennel gang.

Without details, I will say that something like this did have to happen more than once before 1 became a believer.

Now, when someone mentions a lot of trouble with a litter, I ask questions about a bitch's family and make a mental note to follow the

reproductive career of the survivors. Far too often the sad story is repeated in varying forms.

The inherent weaknesses having to do with reproductive capacity express themselves differently in the male. The undescended testicle is

one thing, the low or non-existent sperm count another. The breed as a whole is luckier than the individual proud owner when a terrific

performer fails to reproduce himself. It suffers sorely when the constitutionally inadequate male that has been kept alive at all cost and raised to

maturity because of his famous parentage and sheer external beauty does succeed in reproducing himself prodigiously. “We didn't want to

lose the bloodline,” may be the excuse. If that bloodline is essentially sturdy, this weakling will not honour it, and if not, chances are that

this line is one that nature, if left to her own devices, would have cancelled some generations earlier.

There is a bonus benefit. Inherent constitutional vigor carries with it in both the male and the female the ability to resist infection, disease,

and even severe parasitical infestation. The animal will flesh out and grow glossy coated with only a good maintenance diet, not requiring a

superfluity of dietary supplements as it is able to extract the maximum available in the food ingested. It will adjust readily to extremes of

heat and cold, thus it will require less artificial heating and cooling in the kennel. This in turn reduces chances of illness from changes

of weather and temperature in the course of shipping and traveling. This healthy animal will cost you a lot less in time and money to

keep in top condition and may even spare you the heartache of an early demise, with possible disruption of carefully formulated breeding

plans.

So, if your bitch is beautiful and healthy, strong and natural in her breeding behaviour, talented in the performance of her maternal

duties—trust her. Pick your winners from the healthiest of her offspring. Honor her—she will honor you — this pearl of great price.

— NoelBanks

[dragonwoman]

I think this one sums it up pretty well

A PEARL OF GREAT ADVICE by Noel Banks

In the commercial world of greyhound breeding, the following statement has often been made by an enthusiast becoming

attracted to the sport of the greyhound: “1 decided to get a bitch pup rather than a dog pup as if it is no good for racing at

least I can breed a litter and get my money back.”

What a fallacy! No doubt in a majority of these cases, a later mating would be effected with a currently popular sire, with

thoughts of ready sale of the progeny uppermost in the breeder's mind, without due regard to the needs of compatibility of

bloodlines, temperament, conformation, and. of course, a continuation of inherited inability in relation to speed or pace.

Perhaps the following article, although it was originally written in relation to another species of canine, is equally applicable

to the practical and proper approach to those deeply interested in the reproduction of the greyhound.

A horse breeder once told me, “A good mare gives more than half to her foal.” This was a knowledgeable man, a long-time

successful breeder. I started to object — genetically the inheritance gift must be half. “No,” he went on to say. “At the instant that

the egg is fertilised, they have each given one half, stud and mare, but from that point on it is the mare's own healthy body that

nourishes that newly created life. At the instant of fertilisation that organism acquired its total potential. From then on

realisation of that potential will be up to the dam.”

This is as true for the brood bitch as it is for the mare. Man, the breeder of record, will assume the responsibility only at

some time after the actual birth, and if that responsibility must be taken very early in the young life, it is very possible that no

matter how diligent the care, it will never provide what could have been derived from a healthy, temperamentally sound dam

providing from her own body the perfect diet, warmth, and security.

The creation of a fine brood bitch must begin generations before the day she first whelps. Not only must she come from stock

notable for beauty of form and movement, and stability of temperament ideal for her breed, but there should be also behind

her generations of dams granddams who whelped easily, normally, and who nourished their litters without assistance, and

who never slackened their attention to the cleanliness and safety of their broods.

Laziness and weakness in the whelping box, enough to make the surgical birth, caesarean section, necessary, and irresponsible maternal

attitudes seem to be inherited. A bitch puppy whelped naturally in peaceful, comfortable surroundings, and given the proper care by her dam

from the first anxious lick, seems also to be 'programmed' for performance of the same duties when her turn comes.

Modern veterinary medicine coupled with the know how of the experienced breeder have today made it possible to save many a pup, even

many a litter that would a few decades past never have lived to maturity. This becomes a mixed blessing for it enables us to preserve the

constitutionally inferior animal and from it propagate a weakened strain. The medical skills that can save the strong pup from epidemic viral

disease and accidental post-natal injury are far too often employed to preserve a life that nature has marked as inadequate for continuance

of the race. That body beautiful brought precariously into this world and maintained here solely through human effort and against nature’s

will to eliminate the weak may well survive to pass many essential weaknesses throughout subsequent generations.

Trust a good bitch. If she has six strong, wriggling, greedy puppies filled with the unlimited urge to survive, fighting for their

nourishment, thriving, don’t be upset about that seventh one that she has shoved off into a cool corner to expire. If she has been handling her

personal affairs up to this point suitably, assume she knows something you don't know. Let that one go! And that littlest one who can't seem to

hang on to a tit—let it go! Many a tiny one is unbudgeable as is the biggest in the litter. Vigour and ability to survive is unallied with size, large

or small.

Long ago in the eager altruistic early days of my dog-breeding experience it was a matter of pride to 'save them air. And many a time I was

successful. One little female that I remember especially had to be fed minute quantities of food every two hours. Because she had thus

become very dear to my heart as a result of our great battle together, I gave her to a very good home. Within four months she had succumbed

to the worst all-over case of red mange I have ever seen; she grew bald and scarred. I recommended euthanasia but her owners persisted with

the most time-consuming care. At the age of two-and-a-half years, after finally achieving an orderly estral cycle, she kicked the mite and

haired out almost completely, except for a few areas permanently scarred as a result of secondary bacterial infections. Very much against my

advice they bred her. Slow, difficult labour produced two pups and a caesarean section the remained four, of which one was dead and another

dying. Massive infections followed and ultimately one pup survived. A few months later the bitch did finally have to be euthanised

because of almost complete paralysis from back trouble. Full and half sisters of this same bitch, out of the same dam, bitches vigorous and

strong from birth on are the best whelpers, the strongest, fiercest, most infection-resistant members of my kennel gang.

Without details, I will say that something like this did have to happen more than once before 1 became a believer.

Now, when someone mentions a lot of trouble with a litter, I ask questions about a bitch's family and make a mental note to follow the

reproductive career of the survivors. Far too often the sad story is repeated in varying forms.

The inherent weaknesses having to do with reproductive capacity express themselves differently in the male. The undescended testicle is

one thing, the low or non-existent sperm count another. The breed as a whole is luckier than the individual proud owner when a terrific

performer fails to reproduce himself. It suffers sorely when the constitutionally inadequate male that has been kept alive at all cost and raised to

maturity because of his famous parentage and sheer external beauty does succeed in reproducing himself prodigiously. “We didn't want to

lose the bloodline,” may be the excuse. If that bloodline is essentially sturdy, this weakling will not honour it, and if not, chances are that

this line is one that nature, if left to her own devices, would have cancelled some generations earlier.

There is a bonus benefit. Inherent constitutional vigor carries with it in both the male and the female the ability to resist infection, disease,

and even severe parasitical infestation. The animal will flesh out and grow glossy coated with only a good maintenance diet, not requiring a

superfluity of dietary supplements as it is able to extract the maximum available in the food ingested. It will adjust readily to extremes of

heat and cold, thus it will require less artificial heating and cooling in the kennel. This in turn reduces chances of illness from changes

of weather and temperature in the course of shipping and traveling. This healthy animal will cost you a lot less in time and money to

keep in top condition and may even spare you the heartache of an early demise, with possible disruption of carefully formulated breeding

plans.

So, if your bitch is beautiful and healthy, strong and natural in her breeding behaviour, talented in the performance of her maternal

duties—trust her. Pick your winners from the healthiest of her offspring. Honor her—she will honor you — this pearl of great price.

— NoelBanks

Fancy coming across that here, have not seen it for years, he was my uncle!! And of course every word makes sense...........

[Trisven13]

Yep it makes perfect sense and it is something that I hope that I'm strong enough to do with the Fauves. Only time will tell if I have the strength of conviction to carry it through.

[LizT]

I agree with all of the above forementioned in terms of breeding sound well adjusted puppies.

However, the way a dog is raised, 'socialised' if you like, treated and cared for, the way it interacts with it's 'pack', strangers etc. are all a contributing factor towards making it an "easy keeper". This cannot be "reproduced" persay in the offspring as such as all the hard work had been done with the individual and needs to be done again with the offspring.

[SparkyTansy]

Noel Banks

[OSoSwift]

Yep that says it perfectly.

To me an easy keeper is a dog (or horse) that not only does well from its feed, but does not need special care due to health or temperment. A bitch that whelps easily, settles quickly and does not get too stressed throught the whole process. Yes I expect guarding dogs to guard etc, but they should appear settled and happy with what they are doing.

They do not need any particular considerations in regard to leaving them to go out or having to worry about storms etc. Now I know people can create monsters at times in that regard but it is less likely to happen to a dog who has a stable temperment.

Edited December 20, 2011 by OSoSwift

[Trisven13]

Off topic but I'm curious about the storm phobia thing as we have an old JRT who was born with an eye issue meaning he has always had partial sight. He has ALWAYS hated storms yet there is absolutely nothing else that has ever phased him, bomb-proof with kids, cats, other dogs etc.... I figured his vision issues compounded his fear of storms.

[LizT]

Off topic but I'm curious about the storm phobia thing as we have an old JRT who was born with an eye issue meaning he has always had partial sight. He has ALWAYS hated storms yet there is absolutely nothing else that has ever phased him, bomb-proof with kids, cats, other dogs etc.... I figured his vision issues compounded his fear of storms.

I find it interesting that the more touchy/jumpy creatures like horses care nothing of storms, they live out there in them, they will safely take you home in one and while the big bad wolf is in hiding from a strom, quivering in his den, they will happily and safely foal down, knowing the predator is in fear.

I think storm fear is conditioned in dogs a long way back.

[espinay2]

Great article! Yes, for me an 'easy keeper' is one that is 'low maintenance' to live with:

- isn't fussy about food

- is 'economical' in regards to food (in that the dog maintains good weight on a reasonable amount of food)

- is not prone to reoccuring or regular health issues (e.g. skin, eyes, ears, or injury related - for example I personally don't believe a dog should need to be seen by the chiropractor as often as some seem to be)

- is stable in temperament (e.g. handles change well)

- is not prone to stress or other innate behavioural issues such as uncharacteristic shyness or aggression (I am not talking learned behaviour so much here - even dogs of the same breed raised the same way can react differently to the same situations)

- whose coat is 'fit for purpose' for its breed (and as easy care as it can be for that breed in normal circumstances)

From a specific breeding point of view I would also add:

- doesnt need major intervention in normal circumstances to mate and reproduce (relevant to both dogs and bitches)

- doesnt need major intervention in normal circumstances to whelp

- is a 'good mother'

FWIW

Edited December 23, 2011 by espinay2