# Found this article interesting/



## HappyB (Feb 28, 2005)

Now, this is how the quality breeders do it:


Permission to cross post 




* * * * * * * *Begin Article* * * * * * * *

Grand Dams
A top Shetland Sheepdog breeder reviews the key role played by dogdom's 
leading lady, the foundation bitch.
By Tom Coen 


Courtesy Tom Coen
"Breeding dogs is a creative process that combines the eye of the artist with 
the laws of nature. Add to that a large measure of common sense." 
My advice to others over the years has always been to look to the dams of the 
stud dogs. Tail-male charts are interesting, but they leave out a very 
important element of the story: the bitch. 
It is the bitch who provides the complement to the sire and determines the 
distinction among his offspring, both in quality and producing ability. 
Breeding dogs is a creative process that combines the eye of the artist with 
the laws of nature. Add to that a large measure of common sense. Breeding dogs 
is a process of building generation after generation, of constantly gaining 
in one area and losing in another. The breeder is like a juggler trying to keep 
the pins for correct type, stable temperament, and good health in the air at 
the same time. 
The bitch is the building block utilized in the process of creative breeding. 
When selecting a foundation bitch or planning a breeding, there is one 
principal that I have witnessed as law: What ye sow, ye shall reap. If you donâ€™t 
want something to show up, donâ€™t start with it or add it to the gene pool. 
Recessive problems will slip by due to lack of information, but to knowingly add a 
serious problem to your program shows no common sense. You may try to close 
your eyes to something, but Mother Nature will provide a wake-up call somewhere 
up the road. 
Healthy Litters, Naturally
When evaluating a bitch for breeding, there are key areas to consider: 
health, temperament, physical quality (phenotype), and pedigree (genotype). 
The ideal bitch should be an easy keeper and a good doer. A hearty appetite 
that keeps her in good flesh with no coaxing is of great importance. A bitch 
who wonâ€™t eat, especially when she has a new litter of puppies depending on her, 
is not well suited to motherhood and can make your life miserable. Avoid 
bitches from families who require medication and supplementation to maintain their 
condition and fertility. The goal is to produce good-sized, healthy litters 
to provide selection within a creative breeding program and to keep the process 
as natural as possible. 
We are living in a time when veterinary medicine has become quite 
sophisticated in the area of reproduction. Thyroid medication and hormone therapy make it 
possible for bitches that would not ordinarily come in season to do so and 
produce litters. There are tests to monitor silent or irregular seasons so that 
ovulation can be pinpointed and problem bitches can conceive and produce 
offspring. Although it is impressive that we can overcome Mother Nature and produce 
litters out of such bitches, I question the benefit in the long run. 
In a Perfect World
Ideally, the bitch should be as free as possible from hereditary defects. To 
be genetically free of hereditary defects is not a possibility, but it is in 
this area that common sense must be employed. Donâ€™t breed bad eye checks, 
entropion, testicle problems, bad hips or other such problems unless you are 
willing to deal with more of the same. I repeat: What ye sow, ye shall reap. 
The ideal bitch possesses a stable, sensible temperament with intelligence 
and trainability. The bitch is the role model for the puppies and in the area of 
temperament accounts for more than her genetic 50 percent. There is no excuse 
or place in the breeding program for a shy, flighty, or nervous bitch. 
When selecting for physical quality in a bitch, it is important to keep in 
mind which qualities are most difficult to achieve and maintain. The purchase of 
a foundation bitch requires extensive study, followed by careful thought and 
selection. This, by the way, is not the time to become frugal. Go for the very 
best bitch you can find as she can save you years of disappointment, 
frustration, and time. 
Head qualities are of great importance in the brood bitch. All will have some 
deficiencies, but the degree of fault is what must be considered. It is 
extremely difficult to correct severe lack of skull, snipey muzzle, depth of head, 
lippiness and certain bite problems. While on the subject of bites, be wary of 
a narrow underjaw, missing premolars, and inverted molars. The virtue of flat 
frontal bone, clean sides to the skull, tight lip line, and roundness of 
muzzle will definitely increase your chances of producing exceptional quality. The 
greater the degree of virtue your bitch possesses, the better your chances of 
producing a great one. 
Selection, Study, Judgment
It is almost impossible to radically change body type and structure in only a 
few generations. 
Therefore, it is necessary to select and maintain bitches that approach your 
mental picture of the ideal as described by the breed standard. 
Correct body type is a matter of the proportion and angles of the skeletal 
structure. Abundant coat is a real plus in a breeding program and can enhance a 
good outline, but it is still only the icing on the cake. It is whatâ€™s under 
the coat that is important, i.e., arch of neck, a strong back, well-laid-back 
shoulders, long stifle, good definition of the hock joint, and sloping croup. 
These are the qualities that your ideal bitch would possess—and theese are the 
qualities that create the picture of correct type, standing and in motion. It 
is these same qualities that make certain individuals stand out in the huge 
classes.
Since soundness and elegance are priorities in our program, we continually 
select for the curvaceous and sweeping bodylines with deep angulation and more 
neck. Just as the head naturally reverts to commonness so does the body and 
outline. 
Unless you have had firsthand experience with dogs in a pedigree, the 
document is of little more value than a list of names. With study, a pedigree becomes 
a valuable tool for creating and predicting quality. Nowhere on the pedigree 
does it tell which dogs were strong producers or which were producers of 
problems that still haunt us. 
The title â€œchampionâ€� means very little when evaluating producing ability. It 
is our responsibility to study and research individuals and family lines and 
to choose the ones whose â€œlookâ€� appeals to you and whose shortcomings you can 
abide. The qualities that a bitch possesses should reflect the qualities of 
her ancestors. She should be the physical demonstration of the strength of her 
pedigree. Bitches who are the exception for a family rather than the rule 
cannot be counted on for predictability. 
It is impossible to place a value on a bitch of extreme virtue and strength 
of a pedigree without taking into account breeder judgment. When utilized in a 
creative manner by an astute breeder, however, it would be fair to say her 
value is nothing less than the future of the breed. 
Tom Coen and his wife, Nioma, from Alford, Massachesetts, have been breeding 
Shetland Sheepdogs for decades under the Macdega banner. They were the 2004 
AKC Breeder of the Year Hound Group recipients.


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## saltymalty (Sep 14, 2004)

Great article Faye.


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## msmagnolia (Sep 8, 2004)

Thanks for posting this Faye.....very interesting!


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## cruisinpat (Jan 29, 2007)

Very informative article. Thanks for posting.....................Pat


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## MissMelanie (Feb 13, 2006)

Interesting reading Faye.



Thanks for sharing it with us.



enJOY!
Melanie


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## kwaugh (May 8, 2006)

> "Breeding dogs is a creative process that combines the eye of the artist with
> the laws of nature.......[/B]


Isn't that the truth! Interesting article. 

Thanks Faye.

Karyn


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## Chyna's Mommie (Feb 23, 2007)

Thanks for posting this!


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## DianL (Mar 28, 2007)

This is a wonderful piece of information . It should be common knowledge to show breeders.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

That is a very good article, Faye. I never even considered the eating habits in a bitch, although it makes perfect sense now that it was brought to my attention. Some of it seemed common sense (not breeding dogs that have genetic problems like bad patellas, liver issues, etc) but it definitely shed some light on other aspects of breeding. 

Thank you for sharing this!


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