Side Effects

Selection Factors You May Not Have considered

The success or failure of any breeder’s efforts hinges on the selection criteria she uses. A good breeder pays close attention to physical and behavioral traits important to her goals. These primary selection criteria are regular topics of discussion, not only between owners of the prospective sire and dam, but at shows, trials and almost anywhere breeders get together.

But there a number of factors surrounding individual breedings—and the practice of breeding in general—which can cause side effects to your breeding plans, for good or for ill. These factors may seem peripheral. They may even be things you don’t think much about at all. There are a variety of decisions a breeder makes that aren’t related to the qualities of the dogs involved. Even so, these decisions can have a very real influence on which stud you select for your bitch is bred to. Cumulatively, they can impact the genetic future of your breed. You might not think of these things have an influence because they have more to do with business, economics and marketing than with dogs.

Secondary Selection Criteria

Geography matters, though perhaps not as much as it did a few decades ago. Today, we can ship semen to the bitch, eliminating the risk and expense involved with sending her great distances and into an unfamiliar environment. Even so, there are still costs involved and sometimes that will tip the scales in favor of a more local stud. You are also more likely to be familiar with a dog in your area, as well as his family and his get,leading you to choose the local boy.

Personalities can enter into the mix. All of us know people we really like and a few we really don’t. It’s human nature to want to do business with someone we like, or even someone for whom our feelings are neutral, rather than one who makes us uncomfortable. While this may sometimes have a direct bearing on the dogs involved – as in the case of someone known to be particularly honest (or not!) in his approach to health issues –sometimes the desire or reluctance to deal with a particular person boils down to whether or not the two of you get along.

A dog with a winning show or performance career or one bearing a major kennel name can be a useful marketing tool for your litter. Accomplished dogs and successful breeders can have enormous positive impact on a breed. But a kennel name, no matter how revered, is only as good as the dog who carries it. Not every puppy produced, even by the most esteemed kennel, will be of breeding quality. Even a top winner might require second thoughts if he is siring large numbers of litters; his reproductive success can limit your future breeding options.

The devil, as they say, is in the details. Before any mating can take place, owners of stud and bitch need to come to an agreement on the terms and conditions relative to the breeding. A high stud fee may be too much for your budget, closing the door on a potential litter before serious discussions ever take place. The stud owner is the one who presents a contract to the owner of the bitch. If you, as the bitch owner, want to change something, the stud owner is free to agree to an amendment or not. If the two of you can’t come to terms, the breeding won’t take place.

Environmental impact

Breeding decisions don’t take place in a vacuum containing only the people and dogs directly concerned. All of us operate in a wider environment which can shape our decisions as breeders. What is or is not acceptable in dogs is colored by our human cultures, whether of the country in which we live or the smaller “dog culture” in which we operate.

Geography also has its role here. The nature of the place you live cannot help but influence breeding decisions. Someone who operates in an intensely urban area may have a different idea of the suitability of one dog over another than someone who lives in the middle of 10,000 acres. What works in cultivated farmland may not work in near-wilderness. Climate and topography impact the way we—and our dogs—live.

Locale aside, we in dogs have our own varied cultures. What is the primary purpose for which you breed? It may be for the conformation ring, any of various competitive events, real world work, or for family companions. Each area of human/canine activity has different requirements. Our views of what is or isn’t acceptable in a dog will be colored by the dictates of that particular discipline and the sub-culture in which it operates.

Our registries and clubs also influence a breeder’s choices not only through their specific rules and regulations, but by the nature of each organization’s unique “corporate culture.” National kennel clubs wield enormous influence on canine activities within their respective countries, impacting not only those breeds which they register, but often the practices of groups or organizations of breedersand dog entusiasts that operate out from under the kennel club umbrella. A national breed club will have a similar influence on its breed; if it is one of the few that also operate a registry, the influence can be even greater. Even regional clubs can have an impact, as the members of these groups often mentor newcomers, shaping their attitudes and helping develop their goals.

Another environmental factor is kennel management – not only on the gross scale of good or bad, but even in such differences as the size and nature of your facilities and how many dogs are typically resident. Effects on breeding decisions will be subtle, but you are most likely to keep an animal for breeding that suits your particular management style.

Some management decisions may, in excess, have a negative impact on the long-term viability of the breeder’s line, or even the entire breed. For instance, the use of artificial insemination (AI) and c-sections have become relatively common. AI has only been in general use by dog breeders for a handful of canine generations. The technology has advanced dramatically, enabling a breeder on one side of the world to import frozen semen from a dog on the other. Likewise, surgical techniques have improved so that c-section, while still a major surgery, is highly successful in the vast majority of cases. But overuse of these technologies can have a down side.

The classic example is seen in those breeds, like the bulldogs, where c-section has become routine for delivery. Breeders don’t select for bitches that can free whelp because surgical delivery has come to be considered “normal.”

Using AI won’t affect an individual animal’s ability to breed naturally, but the convenience it offers may distract us from consideration of a dog’s breeding behavior. A stud with little or no libido might make his contribution with collected semen. Likewise, a bitch that refuses to accept any stud can be impregnated at no risk to the dog.

However, nothing is more basic to biology than reproduction. No species can exist without it. Before resorting to artificial or assisted breeding practices you need to be sure both dog and bitch can get the job done Nature’s way.

And the winner is…

Big wins and competitive titles are something to brag about, but how valid are they as guides to selection? No dog becomes a major competitor in any venue without a lot of time, effort and training on the part of its handler and others who support its career. The environment provided is “nurture” to the dog’s genetic “nature.” A great show dog may have the genes to endow his puppies with a perfect coat, but it is up to those who feed and groom to develop that potential. Those human talents can also help a less-thanideal coat pass muster. Similarly, in performance events a dog’s innate talent must be developed and guided by trainers and handlers. A genetically excellent dog with poor training or management can lose to a less talented one with the benefit of partnership with skilled people. Putting too much emphasis on wins or titles may not get you where you want to go with your breeding program - environmental factors (the training, handling, etc.) aren’t coded in the dog’s DNA.

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Article used with permission from Double Helix Network News - Your Australian Shepherd Genetics News Source