Breeding is simple part 3

In my last column, I wrote about clearance issues and the fact that we are basing our decisions on phenotype. As a result, we are breeding not knowing the genotype, or genetics, and how the family history of parents, siblings, and other relatives factors in. In this column, I’d like to address one other area to research and that is the breeder and their personal ability to be forthcoming about what their lines are producing. Things can get pretty fuzzy in this area sometimes.

As I said before, breeding is about extensive research. This certainly includes trying to know what breeders you think are open and honest about their dogs and their lines. The reality is that breeders are not always able to be completely subjective about their dogs and sometimes they will rationalize issues when maybe they shouldn’t. Even the most honest person can be influenced by their own emotional connections. The disclosure factor can run the gamut of full disclosure to outright lying. This is where you need to have spent some time getting to know people and developing the ability to match the facts with the rhetoric.

We all hope to deal with upfront breeders who tell us the truth about their lines. I have found that most of the time, people who aren’t honest will have facts rat them out along the way. It seems that if you ask a lot of questions and follow up with research, many times you will find discrepancies in the records that let you know their reports aren’t really accurate. As I said above, these reports can be anything from slight rationalizations up to out right lies. I’ve even known breeders to say the people owning the unclear dog were lying for personal reasons against them. Hmmm…. Something is strange about a dog owner lying that their own dog didn’t clear. But even that makes you wonder WHY they feel the need to do that!

So talk to breeders and listen to what they know, but I’d like to also add a word of caution about making judgments too quickly. If you do discover a discrepancy, consider the fact that the breeder may not really know about the failure. A hypothetical example would be a stud dog owner with a popular stud dog. You are considering using the dog with your bitch. You start correspondence and ask about clearances and such. Some common questions may include hip, heart, eye, and elbow clearance history in get (if they are old enough), missing teeth, temperaments, tail carriage, and other physical characteristics, especially areas where the bitch’s characteristics may need improvement or are strong. So you ask the questions and you are told there have been 2 elbow failures, 1 hip failure, no eyes and no hearts. As many of us do, you talk to other breeders about your breeding plans and low and behold, you are told the above is not true. You are told that when Joe Schmoe bred to the dog, he got two pups with heart murmurs and one of them was checked later and failed. So one might be quick to suspect that the stud dog owner didn’t tell you the truth!

But wait! Did the stud dog owner know? Some breeders don’t tell the stud dog owner about failures, although I suggest they should! It is important to know. Additionally, some owners may not even tell the breeder! But my point is that the stud dog owners don’t always know about every issue their dog has produced, so if you find something out, don’t automatically assume dishonesty.

Now if the dog that didn’t clear was OWNED by the stud dog owner, you have much more to be suspicious about! For me, that would be a red flag. I once had a stud dog owner tell me their dog had never produced any hip dysplasia, yet there was one of his sons the owner had placed who possessed only an elbow clearance on OFA, and no hip number. And this dog was a dog the stud dog owner had owned themselves and placed! This would make me suspicious! I mean, how many people do you know who only do elbows on their dog and not hips?

In closing, it is important to feel that the breeder you are working with is honest. This is not something one can assess quickly and one must be cautious with information gathered. Be suspect of reports, especially, that are third and fourth hand and no names or pedigrees are shared. I once had someone tell me a stud dog had 2 littermates die of SAS. But the dog came from a litter of 4, one of which was stillborn and 2 of which were still alive. Additionally, a littermate did die, but not of SAS. Rumors can be passed on incorrectly even if well intentioned. Some false statements are simply mixing up the facts, some are rationalizations, some are “half truths”, and some are unfortunately outright lies.

For the best possible outcome, do your research and trust your instincts. If you hear something about a dog, try to verify both the authenticity and if the stud dog owner really knew about it. Ask the owner of the unclear dog. Ask if the stud dog owner knows (sometimes they will say they don’t!) Research the latest beliefs on modes of inheritance (if it can come from just one parent or must come from both sides) and try to make a hypothesis on if it came from the dam’s side on issues thought to come from only one side (like SAS). Consider also that some people seem to find pleasure in bringing down those who are “at the top” so reports on popular breeders and/or their dogs should be well scrutinized. Remember the old saying “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” Usually rumors have some basis in truth, and even the false ones are often an innocent twisting of something related.

Hopefully with research and common sense, we can work towards better outcomes overall for our breeding choices. In my next column, I will talk about some of the reasons breeders and stud dog owners may be reluctant to share “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”. Perhaps you have even unknowingly contributed to why they no longer feel comfortable doing so. Hopefully, we can work towards the time when failures are not viewed as the fault of the owners, nor a fault at all, but information used to try to do better breedings in the future!

Have a great Thanksgiving! We all have much to be thankful for if we think about it! As always, I encourage anyone with ideas on issues I’ve discussed, or issues they would like to see addressed, to please share their thoughts with me. I can be reached at shilogr@yahoo.com Thanks so much