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Table of Contents includes:
Introduction
Breed Standards
Keeping Records
Kennel Design for Breeding Dogs
Breeding Equipment
Reproduction and Mating
Nutrition for Dogs and Bitches
Pregnancy
Whelping
Newborns to Eight Weeks
Weaning Puppies
Vetting Puppy Buyers / New Owners
Appendices
Bibliography
Sample Text:
“Experience without theory is blind,
but theory without experience is mere intellectual play.”
Immanuel Kant
Chapter 1. Breed Standards
The foremost objective in
breeding should be to improve the breed by breeding to a breed standard. In
other words, if a bitch or a dog has a fault, do not breed it to another bitch
or dog with the same fault, but rather try to find a partner that can improve
on the existing fault. For instance, if a dog is weak in bend of stifle and
rear assembly angulation, than breed to a dog strong in these areas. If your
aim is to achieve a lower hip score and are breeding from a bitch with a high
score, than breed to a dog with a total single digit hip score such as 3:3=6.
According to Dr Willis in the UK, who has studied hip dysplasia for many
decades, breeding a double-digit hip score dog to a single-digit dog should
result in puppies with a three-point improvement to the breed average. In
Golden Retrievers for example where the breed average is 20, breeding a bitch
with a total hip score of 18 to a dog with a total hip score of 6, should
result in puppies with hip scores of 15. For a more relaxed temperament, mate
to a “bulletproof” dog. To strengthen certain traits without compromising on
others, breed strength to strength such as natural retrieving abilities.
First, know what you are trying to achieve with a mating, then select the dogs
for the mating accordingly. Fig 1-6 to Fig 1-9 ... (portion of
discussion in this section)
Fig 1-2. Knowing the breed standard provides a “road map” for choosing the
dam and sire for a mating, as well as the "pick" puppy(s) from a litter.
Knowing the behaviour of the
dam and sire intended for breeding, would help to evaluate the behaviour
traits that may be carried on from the breeding. But, what is the
architecture involved and how does one achieve it? It may help to know the
coefficient of inbreeding (COI) percentages and blood percentages when
breeding. COI is not anywhere as exact as DNA testing will be in the future.
Currently, DNA can now detect some diseases, but the mapping process is
nowhere near complete at present. COI, coined by Sewell Wright in 1922, is
the percentages of influence of ancestors in the two pedigrees of the dogs
intending to be mated and is based on genetic probability not genetic
certainty. The breeder can calculate percent contribution of repeat ancestors
by multiplying the number of times each ancestor appears in each generation by
the percentage for that generation and then add all the calculated percentage
numbers contributed together. This can be done manually, but is tedious. The
genetic contributions of ancestor percentages by generation is as follows:
|
Generation |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
|
%
Contribution |
50 |
25 |
12.5 |
6.25 |
3.125 |
1.543 |
0.781 |
0.391 |
0.195 |
0.098 |
Fig 1-5 Chart of percentages
by pedigree generation
(portion of discussion
from this section)
... It is sometimes surprising to
discover where the influence in a planned mating will come from and which of the
dogs in a “what if” pedigree will be the stronger influence. If a dog is highly
inbred, it is fairly certain that that dog’s side of the pedigree will be the
stronger influence in the mating. Fig 1-6 is an example of a coefficient of
inbreeding (COI) percentage mapping with temperature indicator on 20 generations
from Standfastdata to provide the reader a better understanding of what is meant
by COI. This illustration is not intended to be read, but rather to indicate
ancestor relationships through colour coding.
Fig 1-6. Standfastdata “what if” mating pedigree showing COI
temperature for each ancestor in a 5 generation pedigree. Note the colour
intensity in certain areas of the pedigree. In theory, these “hotter”
ancestors are where the strongest influence in genes will influence the
offspring of this mating.
Permission to use granted by Eileen Caisley
www.standfastdata.co.uk.
(portion of discussion from this section)
"The Schaferhund Pregnancy & Lapdog Weaning Canine Calendar"
is software that generates a calendar from the first day of mating until the
puppies are 8 weeks old and runs under MS Explorer. It is included in the appendices of the book
in a sample printed form. The original calendar developed
by
Laurie Tollifson
of Schaferhund German Shepherds, has been expanded by Lapdog Ltd to include the eight weeks
following pregnancy -- tasks and day by day weaning formulas, plus shopping list
with costs. Laurie has granted consent for the expanded calendar.
Those who buy a copy of the e-book can email
info@homespunpress.com to receive a
free copy of the electronic calendar by return email.
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