Hello Everyone:

Does anyone know (especially to the people who have some breeding experience) when evaluating pedigree's for new dogs/puppies how close is too close when breeding dogs?

For example, if you are going to bred a dog to a bitch and they both have a common ancestor(s) (i.e. Dog "A") what are the expected results of:

a. 2-2
b. 2-3
c. 3-4
d. 4-5
e. 5-5
f. 4-5, 5 (for the record, does this mean that dog "A" is in the sire's pedigree 4x back on the top 1/2 and 5x back on the bottom 1/2 and 5x back on the bitches 1/2?

Is there a general formula that is used or agreed upon by breeders when you are looking at desired traits and results? Is a dog that is bred say, 2-3 or 3-4 better than one who goes back to the same dog 4-5 or 5-5?

How much is to much or too close? Also if you go back to heavily, are there increased chances of any (potential) genetic problems such as bad hips, eyesight, nerves, missing teeth, weak nerves, lost of focus, dog or people aggression, monorchids/cryptochids, etc?

I hope I was clear on this and it wasn't to much of an off topic or stupid question, so thanks in advance for your responses.

Regards,
Brandon

Thanks for the quick response guys. That made it much clearer for me.

Speaking of the $64K question, I agree with you, but how come so many people (especially those who base their decisions on hearsay) want to go back and breed on a specific dog, just because they were told that dog was great (with no first hand experience).

With all the dogs out there and all possible breeding combinations it kinds of makes you wish that the gene pool wasn't so big sometimes. It would definately be easier to keep track of who produces what (pros/cons).

Thanks Again,
Brandon

 Quote:

Originally posted by Brandon Chow:
Speaking of the $64K question, I agree with you, but how come so many people (especially those who base their decisions on hearsay) want to go back and breed on a specific dog, just because they were told that dog was great (with no first hand experience).

quite a bit of the history of our breed is hearsay, it's all oral history on the dogs, there is not much written on specific dogs and the traits they passed along. The key is getting reliable sources for this information. It could be someone that you trust that has worked the dog, seen the dog, or even owned the dog. It could be a breed warden that you know, or maybe a successful breeder. You will not find this information in books, so you must rely on what is passed on via "word of mouth". Also, you can look at litters or other dogs with similar pedigrees to get an idea of what is passed on with those combinations, either first hand or via hearsay. Not everyone has the time, money, or inclination to go check out every single dog, not even the major ones, and what about the ones that are already dead? Something to think on. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hey:

Mike you're on the money with this one. Reason being because the dog in question is dead (of course). I was just trying to get some research done and get my ducks in line. Thanks for answering the "wierd" questions for me, you've been a great help.
Later,
Brandon