Isn't a female, that is the result of bad environment/training, able to pass that down to her puppies from just being around them in the first 8 wks?

Yes Rottweiler Fancier, but I think the question was being placed from a strictly genetic standpoint.

The genes are the genes, but I am with the idea of breeding simply for what is on paper is a bad idea.

If a dog is abused or trained poorly I would think this would change the female's chemical or brain functions which would cause a change chemically in the offspring, then it would be inherited.

That's a very simple analogy and I'd be better able to say it rather than write it but once something damaging happens pyschologically to something then brain chemistry changes, usually permanently. I guess it's easy to think of it as a brain being like an arm having a liqament tear or broken arm, etc. The brain too suffers this only in a different form. This is just how I've preceived it.

Oh yeah, I forgot, congrats on the moderator thing Deanna, now you can really crack that whip. lol just kidding . . . Anyway congratulations.

I've been to one of Dr. Battaglia's seminars, and have read his book, Breeding Better Dogs.

Very helpful in laying out a 3 dimensional pedigree. He is a show breeder, but you can apply his method to anything. Health, confirmation, working ability, etc.

Skipper

Hi,

I see this is an older forum but I would like to ask a question along these lines:

How important do you all as breeders feel, is it to purchase puppies from parents with titles? Is it acceptable or wise to puchase one from an untitled dog if the pedigrees show top working ability/titles?

I ask because my one of my males father has no titles, however his parents and 5 generations back have working and protection/police titles.

My pup is showing strong prey drives and is doing great with the bite work playing/training. Will it "look" bad that his father has no titles? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Thanks!
Sheryl

If you are looking into studing your dog out later when he is older even if titled people are going to wonder about that gap. One reason why my solid black male won't ever be bred. He's not titled. So he remains our house pet.

 Quote:

Originally posted by Brad Gargis:
If a dog is abused or trained poorly I would think this would change the female's chemical or brain functions which would cause a change chemically in the offspring, then it would be inherited.

That's a very simple analogy and I'd be better able to say it rather than write it but once something damaging happens pyschologically to something then brain chemistry changes, usually permanently. I guess it's easy to think of it as a brain being like an arm having a liqament tear or broken arm, etc. The brain too suffers this only in a different form. This is just how I've preceived it.

I know this is an old post but I wanted to jump in anyway- I think this is wrong, physhcolgical damage due to training or abuse will not change an animals genttics and wont be passed down. However if the mother had weak nerves fromt he offset and was unable to cope with the stress then that would be passed down and her behavior towrds people could affect the pups as they grow and learn from her interactions with people. For example, if a bitch was beaten witha broom and hence became scared of brooms, but was fine with everything else then that fear of brooms would not be passed to the puppies fi they never saw their mothers interactions with a broom.

The analogy, I hope I understood the point you were making, the anology does not work, if a person loses an arm or leg, the brain functions will change to accomdate, and some dogs as well as people may have "phantom pain" int he lost limb, howver their pups will not think they have lost a leg, nor will they feel pain in that leg. Does that make sense? I am no genetisist, but once you get your genes, thats it, they dont change, the DNA never changes, it is what it is, nothing external can change your genes.

How about we open NEW threads when there are questions that are not exactly related to the old thread where they are posted.

That way the posted question doesn't get lost in an old thread like this one.