Jerry,

If you read my first post you will see I already covered reasearching genetics(health,temperament, longevity, trainablility, handler aggression, sharpness, nerves base, etc.....)and studying bloodlines. This should have all been done for before you even think about breeding your first litter.

dfrost,
what you describe would be more under the category of selection testing. I think if more people did selection testing for breeding partners they way a good K9 handler/trainer does(i.e. Kevin Sheldahl)maybe our working breeds of dogs would be in better shape over all. Of course, to selection test, you gotta understand what you are seeing in all the various reactions to the situations you put the dogs in. That's where the experience and training time put in (as per VC) comes in!

Ms Easton,

Exactly my point, to the trainer, selection is the most important aspect. Selection is task specific, not breeding background specific. I do understand how experience in training and selection can be of benefit to the breeder.

DFrost

Thank you Cindy. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Originally posted by VanCamp:
I don't see how anybody can disagree with that.

Unless you are Howie, the one with next to zero experience.

. Vancamp,
I'm just going to hold my tongue and try not to sound ugly. But I will say that you have no idea what kind of experience I have had and you surely do not know me personally, I sure wouldn't have lunch with you. You can make smart @$$ comments about me all day, but I still dont agree with your posts. You have told me nothing usefull and nothing that I already did not know. I almost feel dumber reading them.

Sch3FH2,
You said that I am not ready to breed dogs yet and you are right, I will tell you all day long that I am not ready. I am an amateur and I am in no way ashamed of it because I am out there trying to get as much info as I possibly can. My dog still has around 2yrs. before I will even think about breeding her. But I'll tell you that I WILL

Sorry, I prematurely posted <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Anyway, I was trying to say that I WILL breed my dog when she and I are both ready. And I WILL breed dogs because they are my hobby and I love them. I know I still have alot of homework to do, but damn, why do you guys think that I put up all of these posts, that probably sound stupid to everyone who has had more experience than me. I dont mean to sound rude to you Sch3FH2, I really do like your posts.

Everyone has opinions I guess. After all, Isnt this just a friendly board with friendly posts? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Being a fanatic for reading, I'll recommend a couple mainstays you might want to try to acquire - Scott and Fuller's "Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog", and anything you can find by Malcolm B. Willis (Genetics of the Dog, Practical Genetics for Dog Breeders, The German Shepherd Dog: A Genetic History - all fabulous). Another old but terrific book is Humphrey's "Working Dogs".

 Quote:

Originally posted by Howie:
I was trying to say that I WILL breed my dog when she and I are both ready. And I WILL breed dogs because they are my hobby and I love them.

well, I love them & the breed too, but going by the first line of this snippet, you must know more than I do or have some magic crystal ball or something. I have 2 bitches and 1 dog (currently), and out of the 2 bitches, I have ONE that I know has "the stuff", and will be bred. She is 4yrs old (as of 2 days ago), has all clearances (except OFEL still pending) but has yet to get a title (not because of her, but because we have no club, no TD, and no local trials; so it's a lot more work and takes longer). The other bitch is about 14-15mos, shows promise, but has yet to prove that she has a good contribution to make to the breed, so if anyone asked me now if I were going to breed her when she's titled and old enough, my honest answer is "I don't know, maybe or maybe not". Same thing goes for my male, he's only 11mos, it's too early to tell if he's got anything valuable to contribute. All the dogs have great genetics, but that's only part of the equation. Keep researching and learning, and you will find, the more you learn, the more critical you will become and more likely to "out" a bitch/dog from breeding, rather than say you WILL breed her when she's old enough/ready.

Mike,
Your right, I should not have said I WILL breed my dog. I was just blowing off some steam in my last post. My girl is only 15mos. old. hardly old enough to tell if she's breed worthy. She is looking promising in her work though. She has killer drives and excellent nerves. She is also showing some suspicion of strangers. All of these are qualities I look for in a dog. I will soon start further training with my local k9 unit. I am hoping to have her trained as a personal protection dog. We will see how all of this turns out.

Sch3FH2,
Thanks for the info, I will look into those books. I do know that it is hard to find some of those books by Malcom Willis because they are out of print. But I have heard his books are best.

 Quote:

Originally posted by Howie:
I do know that it is hard to find some of those books by Malcom Willis because they are out of print. But I have heard his books are best.

every once in a while one will pop up on E(vil)-Bay...just gotta keep your eyes open. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Well if you're into some heavier read I would recommend:

Linear Models for the Prediction of Animal Breeding Values

Quantitative Trait Loci Analysis in Animals

The Science of Bloodstock Breeding

The last ones about horse but its interesting, and the same concepts apply with dogs, ie line-breeding, out-crosses, et cetra.

Enjoy,
Robert