IF given the choice i would always source a good sperm doner rather than just take what is the best within reach of my bitch.
Why only have a scoop of icecream when you have access to the whole tub!

My concern is the overusing of a few studdogs that often takes place which narrow the genepool in a breed to quickly and the longtime effects this will have on a breed, popular studdogs could often have several houndreds of puppies, sometimes even thousands. Linebreeding is a quick and easy way to set type, but type is already set in most breeds, we need to concentrate on keeping the level of genetic variation in the breed on a good level.

Regards

That's when it comes down to the breeders integrity and dedication to do what is best for the breed. You can't change the world but if you make every effort to produce the best litter that you can that is where it counts.
Then slowly but surely people will look for your puppies rather than other breeders with less scruples and you have then started the wheel turning.

stig:

Genetically Animals have always been line breed, including humans. For hundreds of years man only married cousins. Really did people marry outside of relations. That is why we have all types of people. Some of the greatest ruling families have been inbreed. Egyptian Pharohs have been inbreed for years. It is a Westren Judeho-Christian fopa not to inbreed. Just recently sciencetist have discovered that when first cousins haven children that they have a 7%-10% of have a defect, compared to non-relatives who have around a 5% chance. If you just watched the Kentucky Derby you saw inbreed at its finest. Race horse come from 3 stallions and 9 mares. Your argument that it creates a smaller gene pool is correct. That is the whole purpose. The more you inbreed the more you can eliminate bad genes and promote good genes. Keeping sperm of a stud dog with good genes promotes this. I don't know anything about GSD, but I do know a little about Doberman lines. Some of the best, if not the best, Dobes in the world come from the Weyermuhle line. That line has extensive linebreeding. v.d.Weyermuhle only got to the 'T' letter, yet over 70% of those dogs have gotten SchIII, and almost all Doberman police dogs have some Weyermuhle in them. Frozen semen know helps makes it easier to continue on the legacy create by that kennel. I think the thing that I have learned over the past few weeks its that you don't breed for variety, but consistence, and to get rid of the bad genes.

Robert

ps: Please forgive my spelling

Robert,

All civilized societys has have strict rules regarding close marriage, because they know the enhanced risk of health problems in the offspring. I´m very familiar with the weyermuhle lines, but you can´t keep a line based on a few dogs during a longer period of time, you need to outcross, and when nearly all lines have similar origins, it will get hard to find enough unrelate stock to cross to. I have already discussed my opinion on breedingsmethods in another thread, look at "breeding strong healthy workingdogs" under the topic general breeding questions if you are intressted. I base my opinion on answears I got regarding line/inbreeding for workingdogs, from a very experienced Dr in genetics who have been involved with animalbreedings since the 50s, and have done a lot of research on the negative effects on linebreeding to much in already limited genepools that most breeds have.

Regards

Julie --- Ice Cream?

That was funny. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

YOu can tell that i i'm not allowed to have ice cream can't you! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Stig- I think I see what you are saying. If the more popular stud dogs are made more accessible then it could narrow the worlds working GSD gene pool. I just don't think that is going to happen. There are a lot of dogs that I think could make good studs out there, and having access to them, as well as the popular ones, is going to improve breeding. Flat out. . .

Thanks to you guys I am headed to friendly's for some ice cream....

Just my thoughts on this. I agree it is beneficial to the breed to use frozen and chilled semen. This has been going on in horses for a long time. It is not allowed in TB's but in all other breeds it is and is used. Does that mean that people are all breeding to the same horse? NO. You are still looking for what will compliment and improve your offspring, not just breeding to the flavor of the month. Horses live longer and have a much longer breeding lifetime, but only produce a single foal per year.

With that being said, don't hesitate to collect a male if you are thinking about it. My best friend just lost a very valuable male at the age of 8 2 weeks before he was going to be collected. Once they are gone they are gone. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

As long as there is human intervention in the gene pool there will be plenty of variation. What you like in a dog I may not and I will not breed to produce. (hypothetically, I don't breed)

VanCamp,

Empty your PM's. I'm trying to send you something and it won't go through because you have too many PM's in there. I guess your a real popular guy now you sly dog you. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />