Getting My Head Around Breeding

[ccb]

I've been trying to get my head around breeding and doing a bit of research but I'm a bit fuzzy on a few things..

So do most breeders select maitings to mainly create/carry-on just one specific line?

Can someone elaborate on 'bettering the breed'? Is it to create 'perfection' in a species? If so, what is perfection? Is it just meeting the breed standard?

Are the puppies sold from 'reputable' breeders just a by product of matings to improve the line?

If a breeder felt like they had a good line going and quality dogs - is it so wrong to keep breeding for the purpose of providing people with quality pets and getting a small profit?

Sorry for all the questions, I might sound a bit silly but I'm just trying to get my thoughts in order. Any input apreciated!

[espinay2]

CCb it is a very complex subject and not one that can be really given justice in a short reply here. Knowledge about breeding is something you keep learning over many years, with much reading and much mentoring and actually covers a wide range of subject areas from structure to genetics, to ethics, to behaviour, training, grooming, coat care, nutrition, general animal management and health, to reproduction and so on. A good breeder needs to study all aspects as well as learning about the history and other aspects that are specific to their own breed. I can certainly suggest a few books for you to get you started. Patricia Craige Trotter's 'Born to Win: Breed to Succeed" is one. Richard Beauchamp's 'Solving the Mysteries of Breed Type' is another. Another good one is 'Structure in Action' by Pat Hastings (actual everything by Pat Hastings is good). And if you can ever get your hands on Mary Roslin Williams's "Reaching for the Stars: Formerly Advanced Labrador Breeding" then grab it. Now to try and touch on yourspecific questions:

Q: "So do most breeders select maitings to mainly create/carry-on just one specific line?"

They may or they may not. May breeders will develop their own 'line' of dogs through careful breeding over many generations. Some my maintain several separate lines which they may or may not breed together occasionally. Good breeders often use a combination of both outcrossing and linebreeding to achieve their aims. Generally a breeder who only maintains a small number of dogs may often have just one 'line' as they breed with successive generations of (mostly) bitches they have bred (often using dogs from elsewhere). Sometimes you will find breeders work together so their lines may in some aspects be similar. But it really can vary a lot.

Q: "Can someone elaborate on 'bettering the breed'? Is it to create 'perfection' in a species? If so, what is perfection? Is it just meeting the breed standard?"

It is an often misused or misunderstood term. Theoretically breeders don't 'better' a breed as such as what the breed 'is' as described by the standard, is theoretically 'perfect' for the job it was designed to do. What breeders do however is generall two things - they 'maintain' a breed as a whole by contributing to its continuation and ensuring there is a sufficient genepool for it to go on existing in a healthy and viable manner and so that it still can be identified as the breed that it is and do the job it was designed to do. To do this they need to work on improving individuals in their breeding program by trying to breed individuals that are healthy, can do their jo, and are structurally sound. As every dog has faults, it is about using the dogs to their best advantage to try and lessen the number of faults each time you breed while maintaining an improving breed type. Some faults (such as those diseases or structural issues which cause pain or death) are going to be a higher priority to work to eliminate than others. We all aim to breed the 'perfect dog' (the dogs that is structurally correct in accordance with the standard, has the correct temperament and working ability, is healthy and free of genetic diseases, and oozes breed type) - we never will, but the aim is to get as close as possible.

Q: "Are the puppies sold from 'reputable' breeders just a by product of matings to improve the line? If a breeder felt like they had a good line going and quality dogs - is it so wrong to keep breeding for the purpose of providing people with quality pets and getting a small profit? "

In many cases a breeder will only breed when they want something to go on with. They choose what they want to keep or run on, and the rest are often sold to pet homes. The main thing that makes a person reputable is that the matings are chosen with care and with a defined purpose of breeding good specimens and with a view to the future. A good breeder IMO thinks of themselves as part of the 'bigger picture' of their breed - building on what breeders have done before, and leaving a legacy for those that will come in the future (they are generally 'active' in their breed community in some way on a national if not international level). The question of whether a 'reputable' breeder will purposely breed for the 'pet market' is a hotly debated one ethically. We need to be careful of accepting many of the labels imposed by the AR debate. At the same time, we needs to ensure that whatever we do as breeders remains for the welfare of the dogs and for the breed (are we putting the breed before breeding?). The issue when the concept of 'profit' is introduced is that measures are often then also incorporated to cut costs o maximise profit and minimse effort to get it - and that may not always be in the dogs or the breeds best interests (or necessarily in the interests of those buying the pups either). Reducing costs when it comes to care, nutrition, the effort put into raising the pups, choosing a dog you own rather than a dog elsewhere that may be more suitable etc can potentially be made. It is not easy to make money when you take into account costs like health testing, quality nutrition and health care, veterinary care, choosing the best dog, putting effort into raising a litter well etc etc. And also making decisions not to breed certain dogs even though they have cost you money and therefore will represent a significant loss financially. Certainly people may come out on top if a litter goes well. Making a little money occasionally from a litter is not unheard of (gross profit if not net). But it is often more pin money to put back into the dogs than anything you could live on. To live off income from breeding dogs, you would in reality need to have quite a few dogs (which would bring you back to the issues of the dangers of cost cutting and maximising profit...). I guess the best question to ask would be - if you were to breed a dog to sell the pups as pets, is it a mating you would be doing otherwise if you planned to keep a pup (i.e is it a quality mating that could contribute in some way to the breed)? And are you prepared to put as much work into it to ensure the pups are raised in a way that will make them excellent pets without cutting any corners. After all - pets are not 'second class' and pet owners deserve the best a breeder can breed.

I will add too that that danger with someone whose only focus is breeding or pets is that their outlook will be narrow. They may not see the big picture of the breed or be connected to others in the breed on a national or international scale. They may potentially 'lose sight' of what thy are doing due to no real oversight or visibility by others in the breed of their program. IMO it is all about outlook and attitude towards how they approach breeding. While I personally have no issues with well bred and raised litters of pups being sold to well chosen pet homes, IMO this should never be the ONLY focus of a breeder when it comes to their breed.

Edited February 13, 2015 by espinay2

[espinay2]

Here is another resource I will add. It is a blog by Finnish breeder Juha Kares. I strongly recommend taking the time to read his English language blog posts right back to the beginning of the blog. They are very insightful and have a lot of fantastic food for thought for breeders: http://chicchoix.com/blog/

[Rebanne]

espinay2 has nailed it

[teekay]

Thanks for typing that espinay. Very informative. I have often wondered about the term "bettering the breed" myself, and you have explained it very well

[RiverStar-Aura]

What an awesome post Espinay!! Very informative and easy to follow/understand!!

[persephone]

espinay - excellent explanation :)

[Staffyluv]

^^^What they all said!

[ccb]

Thanks, espinay, you've given me lots of reading to do - every time I learn a little bit, I realise there is sooo much more to know!

Thank you for the effort and time you put into clearly explaining things for me. I feel as though I have a better understanding, you've answered my questions, as well as the ones I had, but hadn't even asked. It hasn't gone unappreciated.