BREEDER´S MANUAL

Some breeders set up without paying the due attention to their brood bitches. They think that when she has poor qualities, she can be mated with a great stud dog and that this will bring about the expected quality, but that's just not the way it works...  One can be lucky enough -and I said lucky- to get a high quality offspring straight away, but it's best to invest in a typical bitch, of excellent temperament and, mainly, who fits the functional characteristics of the breed. For me, getting it right from the early days is very good, but the most difficult even for the experienced breeder is maintaining quality. After some time, as one generation follows another, it is necessary to correct all the possible faults and pay attention not to miss the right types. Therefore, good brood bitches are important both for beginners and long-time breeders. Typically, a good breeder hardly ever keeps more than one or two studs at home. Most of the investment is in the bitches.

A good stud dog is a fundamental factor for your breeding, but we need to study and restudy the bitch we're about to mate him with. A lot of times that certain male generates exceptional offspring with certain bitches while producing 'horrors' with others. Good studs for me are those who produce offspring that are typical, homogeneous and, most importantly, who pass onto their descendants the necessary traits of the breed. For instance: a lot of breeds have previously had problems such as badly shaped shoulders or shallow chest depth, while keeping other characteristics regular. When we can find a stud dog that can correct those traits without 'disassembling' the rest, then this is what I consider as an important dog for the breeding.

I think that every point is important: the brood bitches, the stud dogs, the appropriate facilities and a good staff to handle and feed the animals. That whole structural work is fundamental in order to get good breeding results. When these points aren't minded, there's not much that can be done.

People who breed very furry dogs must also count on skilled professionals to do good grooming, stripping, baths, or otherwise have a very hard work to maintain their dogs in adequate aesthetic appearance.

Regarding the characteristics of the breed, I find it fundamental to keep a close eye on type, temperament and movement.

Don't breed only with faults in mind, you should rather seek harmony of qualities so that the problems can go without 'screaming' when the animal is seen as a whole. Example: you can have a dog with slightly open shoulder angulations, but it's no help if the lower ones have good angulations because the dog will certainly have poor quality movement. Instead, when the dog has compatible angulations, there will be more overall harmony and consequently a better movement to be appreciated.

Some breeders make imports to inject new blood in the breed. They bring in a beautiful dog, with a good campaign abroad and then take him/her to the show ring. The dog becomes a great winner, brings about prestige to the breed, and then the matings can get started.

I will explain what this is by exemplifying.

There isn't a right number of times to use a stud dog in order to fix a type. Sometimes you may restrict your breeding to one stud without getting to determine a type. It is necessary to work with dogs that are similar in physical appearance and in pedigree. When a beginner breeder insists on the same stud, there's always the danger of bringing about serious problems for the breed.

Young breeders should exercise caution until they're able to manage well the lineage. Always try to listen to what the breed's experts have to say.

There are people who breed good dogs out of pure 'dumb luck', while others study the lineages in depth and learn everything about the problems the breeds may unfold, as well as the advantages of investing in them. For those who are beginning, the ideal is to listen a lot and everywhere, so that you can take advantage of the experience of who's already been doing it for longer.

For a breed to develop I find it fundamental to get several types of dogs, as this is very important for the evolution in general. But it is also very important that the dogs in your breeding program be similar.

You can start by acquiring a female whose breeders have got many dogs of your favorite type. Analyze her pedigree and seek with those same breeders a male whose pedigree has some names in common with hers. Keep working with rather restricted pedigrees until the homogeneity of your breeding is defined. Soon afterwards, begin matings with other lines to get any futher characteristics that you wish. If you work with criteria, maybe you'll get this or that type you're looking for within your own breeding.

Certainly the first pups will not be that homogeneous, but you should keep insisting on those who carry the desired characteristics or if they can function as close relatives.

I've heard a lot of times important breeders say that the brood bitch whose pups are the best is the sister of a super champion, and that it is amazing. What is the reason for that?

That is an exception. Normally the better the bitch, the better the offspring. It might occasionally happen that some female who is not as gifted as her own sister gives birth to better pups, but that's because genetics sometimes catch you by surprise. You can make a very successful mating with a spectacular female x a spectacular male and have spectacular offspring; and then, happy with the results, some breeders will repeat the mating and be surprised again... with the DISASTER.

That is why the greatest breeders diversify studs on a regular basis. They test options to obtain new features and hardly ever do they repeat the same mating. They study possibilities among similar pedigrees, but not necessarily the same stud dog with the same brood bitch.

The mating among middle-siblings is less risky than the mating among full siblings. It is necessary to know the bloodline very well to make that mating in a programmed way. If you accidentally get a mating between full siblings, try to take advantage of it. I am totally against abortion. Instead, take this chance to study what got fixed, what went wrong, and above all, if there were faults capable of disqualifying the dog from the breed's standards. In case it's been successful (that means no major faults in the offspring), try to verify what good characteristics got fixed. If you notice that there have been no serious problems and that you've obtained what you were looking for, you can then outcross the pups to fix these qualities in other dogs of your breeding program, or still use them in line-breeding or in-breeding (the latter rather risky).

You can get two siblings in a brood where one is a super champion and the other more modest, good as a whole but without the champion's 'aura'. Genetics work with percentages, so it is necessary to know whether the siblings are similar to each other. Usually, if their pedigrees show they've been line or in-bred, they show similar morphology and it is quite probable that they will pass on similar characteristics. But regardless of that, it is important to use that not-so-wonderful dog with daughters of the best one (in-breeding, in that case uncle with niece), as that is the most advisable way to fix qualities.

The matings between sire and daughter and between dam and son may show different results. Actually such type of mating brings hardly any changes as far as pedigree is concerned, but when you know the lineage well, you know that some transmission factors are associated to the dam's gene and others to the sire's gene. Depending on what you're seeking, that mating may give you different results. The genetic studies in dogs aren't very comprehensive in fact. If you have possibilities at home, you may try to make those crossings and then study the results: the factors that gets fixed in each mating. Starting from the observation of the offspring you can understand which factors are associated with the sire or with the dam. It is certain that you will get similar results but the anatomy details will vary from a mating to another.

However, bear in mind that matings among close relatives should only be made after the problems of the lineage are well-known. You may take the risk of mating parents with their own pups or even among full-siblings, but it is necessary to foresee the solutions for the problems that may come up. Correcting them will probably take an outcrossing.

While doing outcrossings, you mustn't worry about how many in-bred generations you've already got. Many breeders work with close relatives and in-breed the lineage for several generations. Outcrossings are applied only to correct problems that have become too constant or too serious and that have proved hard to correct only inside the lineage. Some breeders may keep their lineages for even 10 generations without outcrossings, but that is advisable only when their breeding program is a result of crossings between diversified lineages, has successfully fixed qualities and has managed to dilute or remove the occasional problems.

I think that all original functions should be preserved, even if they're not as useful in the modern times. Breeders should be aware that preservation is one of their fundamental responsibilities and that they ought to keep the typical characteristics and functions of the breed. And that is valid for every breed. When items are disconsiderd, the movement of the dog is likely to change, the anatomy suffers alterations, the size gets reduced or increased. The functions that the dogs have carried since their origins had them survive through the times and enchant the previous generations of breeders. They are to thank for the breed being among us in present times.

Of all the animals we know, dogs are the ones who most closely followed the evolution of mankind, as the bond we have with them has made it possible. The breeds have suffered great modifications since their origins; they've had to adapt to modern life just like mankind has. Therefore, their origins are their only preservation link.

In the United States, the dogs don't hunt as much as in the past anymore, but when we look beyond the beauty pageants there are tests like Lure Coursing, hunting, when they are taken to the bushes in pursuit of an artificial prey for a determined time. In these occasions they can show sociability, team spirit, and the instinct of sniffing, pursuing, cornering. Thanks to that, we can keep doing our works to maintain their anatomy and make sure the breeds carry on their type and functions.

Artificial insemination needs to be done by capable people and specialized semen banks. In Brazil, things kind of work in the old-fashioned way. In the case of frozen sperm, the fecundation possibility is around 35%. In the case of direct insemination, without freezing, the results are more favorable, around 70% when done by specialized professionals.

Whenever your stud dog is about to go 'on duty', request a brucellosis test of the female. That avoids contamination. If it's his first time, simply make sure that he doesn't spend too much energy before the intercourse. Usually the inexperienced males waste a long time to get it right. They may at times tie the knot out of the vulva... but nature is wise: if we allow them to solve that, things happen more easily.

Before mating a brood bitch, make sure she's taken vermifuge and been vaccinated. After one month, if pregnancy is confirmed, try to divide each alimentary portion in 2 times and add vitamins and calcium.

After the offspring is born, give antacids to the dam for the first 3 days. She has eaten a lot of placenta and that generates acidity. Try to feed the dam four times a day with balanced dog-food and meat. After a fortnight, the pups will be opening their eyes. It's time to give them vermifuge.

After they're 20 days old, start feeding the pups with dog-food that is specific for that age. Add meat and ricotta, they will love it. After they're 30 days old, feed them with balanced puppy dogfood. Try to give them vermifuge and antiprotozoals every month.

The key to have offspring become strong, healthy and free from viral illnesses is regular feeding and parasite clearing. The vaccines should be given from the age of 45 days. Find a good veterinarian to give you instructions on dosages of medicines, application of vaccines, etc.

A good brood bitch looks after the offspring all alone until pups are 15 days old.

When the female is inexperienced, she may have difficulties to remove the skin that involves the puppies when they're born. You can remove it and cut the UMBILICAL CORD with sterilized scissors up to 3 inches from where it begins.

As the pups come to light, put them close to the teats so as to stimulate new contractions and facilitate the coming out of the other puppies. When you see that a new pup is coming out, place the others in a little shoe box, but still inside the parturition box. The dams don't like to lose sight of the pups.

If it's a hot day, place a fan at a certain distance from her. If the day is cold, place a lamp over the box so that it warms up dam and offspring directly.

Try to position the parturition box nearby a good glass window that gets sunlight in the morning. Place it in a way that they get indirect sunlight. Even on hot days, it is necessary that they get a little sun. As they start moving around, after the 15th day, they will choose to position themselves inside the box in a place that receives or avoids sunlight. Don't forget to keep the lamp around to warm them up.

If you'd like to know how I select a pup to become a future show-dog, allow me to give some tips:

1°) Between 45 and 60 days, I look over all pups in the litter and try to spot the one who stands out, who has the right temperament and who has "the aura" (the aura is fundamental for a champion).

2°) I evaluate each pup in stay on a table (the champions usually have posture, they put themselves together with ease), I photograph them and make a detailed summary of all the standard items. I try to verify what got fixed in each one of them and I make comparisons. For example: good subsequent angulations and well-structured heads.

I only acknowledge that some factor has been passed when the rate is above 50%. The same for faults. If most have bad temperament, you should consider correcting this in the following generation.

3°) I usually select one or two from a litter regardless of gender. I follow up on their growth and when they get 4 months old I take them to a show in order to observe their behavior.

4°) Finally, I pray everyday for them not to fall flat...

What should be done is apply these items of advice, develop statistics for the follow up of the offspring, study the pedigrees thoroughly and, after a lot of experience following up on successive litters, you will end up building up respectful breeding expertise.

Breeding is a very demanding activity and if too many rules are imposed, the adhesion of new people may be hindered. There are certain 'vices' in the system as a whole, but the best for a beginner to do is try to fulfill the requirements that the most experienced have already put into practice.

Try to set up your breeding in accordance with your local kennel club. Register your pups by using the form and instructions that they will supply and ask them for help to fill it out. Do it even if you only have a female and one litter to register, as this is already a good contribution you can give.

We live in a global system of information and the Internet offers possibilities to organize in groups everyone who has interests in common. Developing pure pedigree dogs is one of them.

There's nothing as beautiful as seeing a dog whose birth has been programmed by you, who's been fed, brushed, prepared, and taken care of by you. When you see them in a ring showing all their beauty, behavior and type and, above all, when you see the happiness they bring about to their families; this is when you'll be really proud. That's the most rewarding.

It may sound romantic, but from the very moment that you become owner of a pure pedigree dog, you are already participating in the evolution process of his/her breed. When you're listed as a breeder, you're able to use your talent to evolve, transform, preserve and perpetuate the breed. In a distant future, other beginners like you will have the chance to possess a beautiful dog thanks to your effort and to that of your idealistic fellow breeders that made a difference in a certain time, in a certain country.