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The high importance of
knowing the lines being used and being aware of where problems have
occurred cannot be underemphasized. Breeder honesty should come
first before breeder ego; this isn’t always the case. Some
breeders feel that even though their dog (s) produced serious problems,
acknowledging that fact will harm their name and their kennel name.
Instead of helping other breeders avoid problems, they continue or even
worsen them by lack of communication/education. This is highly
detrimental to the future of any breed! Creating an open and honest
network prevents the indiscriminate breeding of two potentially
problematic dogs. Breeding to the "Top Dog" or the "Top
Kennel" just because of who he is with no consideration of lineage,
pedigree and problems is a dangerous game of genetic gambling. A
responsible breeder will (reluctantly) reject breeding his or her bitch
to the top stud dog if such a breeding could cause problems. But the
stud dog owners need to be just as careful. Collecting stud fees may
seem a lucrative business; but if your stud is producing a lot of
problems because you don’t screen his bitches, word will get around.
By then, unfortunately, a great deal of damage will have already been
done to the breed. A busy stud dog can produce 3 or more litters A WEEK.
Extrapolate that out at an average of 6 puppies a litter, and that is 18
or more puppies a week for 52 weeks-a total of 936 or more puppies
a year! And how many of those puppies went to the right homes? How many
went to puppy mills, indiscriminate breeders or pet owners who
"just HAVE to let Prissy have one litter before she is
spayed"? All of those types of owners will perpetuate the problems.
It is important to find
out how much a breeder really knows about simple genetics and about the
problems in his/her lines, along with how much knowledge he/she has
about the stud dog’s lines. Also, just why is the breeder doing this
breeding? Does he/she have a serious goal in mind, or did he/she just
choose the stud because of his name or titles? Does the breeder
guarantee, IN WRITING, that a puppy will be free of genetic defects of
the hip or eye, etc.? And most importantly, what is the breeder’s
track record in making good on problem puppies - Every breeder with
enough time in the breed DOES PRODUCE PROBLEMS. An irresponsible breeder
will not return calls, will avoid contact with the puppy buyer at all
costs, and will not make good on a problem puppy because that would be
admitting they produced a problem puppy.
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