Pros and Cons of showing/breeding?

[Guest Anonymous]

Hello everyone. I'm writing a research paper for one of my classes about dog breeding. I don't know a lot about dog breeding/showing but I'm curious for your input. Do you think breeding is going too far? How far will you (or someone in general) go to breed the "perfect" dog (especially relating to looks)? i.e., do you agree or disagree with overbreeding and/or inbreeding? Do you think too many people jeopardize the dog's welfare for the sake of winning at a show, or just breeding in general? How stressful is showing for the dog, or is it stressful at all? I'm trying to write my paper from all angles, good, bad, and indifferent. I'm specifically interested in health problems that go along with dogs, particularly pekingese and dalmations (those are the 2 breeds I chose to highlight). Any comments are much appreciated, or you can email me :) pumpkinpunk7@yahoo.com. Thanks very much

[bk_blue]

Sorry I can't help you, breeding is definitely not my area of expertise 8) I prefer to leave it to those who know what they're doing!
If I had to add my 2c I think breeding for looks OR money (puppy millers, backyard breeders) over everything else (working ability, health, temperament etc) is going way too far. You may find that there are distinctive differences in some breeds with regards to showing and working, sometimes so far as to create a completely separate breed. eg. there is the Working Kelpie and the Bench (show) Kelpie.

[Guest Anonymous]

Breeding should only be done to better the the breed...to conform to breed standard. For instance, a Border Collie is a working dog and should be bred that way. German Shorthair Pointers are hunting dog and should be bred that way....BUT, you must make sure you are not just breeding for working or hunting, but for the correct temperment, sizing and a whole lot of other stuff...

I'm not a breeder. Had one litter but had help from MY breeders to make sure I was doing the right thing....

[Guest Anonymous]

I think that there are far to many backyard breeders and puppy mills out there trying to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting puppy buyers. I believe there is a place for reputable breeders .I would also like to add that breeding for looks/conformation alone is not good for any breed and that every breeder should try to produce all around dogs that are capable of showing and working and have the temperment to back it up.I also think that linebreeding and inbreeding are both valuable tools in the right hands and disasterouse in the wrong hands.

[Guest Anonymous]

I think that there are far to many backyard breeders and puppy mills out there trying to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting puppy buyers. I believe there is a place for reputable breeders .I would also like to add that breeding for looks/conformation alone is not good for any breed and that every breeder should try to produce all around dogs that are capable of showing and working and have the temperment to back it up.I also think that linebreeding and inbreeding are both valuable tools in the right hands and disasterouse in the wrong hands.

[Guest Anonymous]

On the note of showing being stressful. It can be very stressful for certain individuals. For example, although my Lily is a wonderful example of her bred, she loathed the show ring. She didn't enjoy herself and would get so stressed out she would drop coat. For this reason I withdrew her from competition. ON the other hand my girl Val....LOVED showing. She would get so excited each time she went into the ring, she absolutely loved it and it showed in her animation. Now that her championship is finished I feel badly that we do not have the money to special her since her enjoyment was so evident. We will continue to enter her in small local shows just to make her happy.
I think all of us would disagree with overbreeding, but I believe that inbreeding and linebreeding are useful tools in the right hands. My Lily is the product of a breeding between a half-brother and sister. She has wonderful conformation, an impeccable temperament, and rock solid health. Val is the product of 30 years of judicious linebreeding/inbreeding. These two types of breeding can set type strongly in the right hands and produce horrible problems in the wrong hands. For my two upcoming breedings, Lily will be outcross bred to Val's brother and Val will be linebred to a cousin. These breedings are to produce show dogs for myself and the stud dog owners. I also have an eye to the future, because I plan to cross the two lines which is one reason for the outcross of Lily to Val's brother, that way I will be able to linebred my girls progeny in the future and still be introducing a strong outer line. Breeding is hard demanding work that requires tons of research. Are there people who shouldn't be doing it? I think we can all produce a story of hundred to verify that.
Now, are there people who will do anything and compromise any issue to win in the show ring....Oh you'd better believe it. Anywhere you see humans and competition you will see ethics fly out the window. They bred and show dogs that have both human and dog related aggression issues for the sole reason that they win in the ring. No matter how horrible those of out here feel this to be, don't expect it to change any time soon.

Later,
Trinity

[yellowlabsrule]

28% of dalmatians have either bilateral or unilateral deafness. The more white a dal has the more chance of being deaf. Another heath problem is urinary stones that usually occur more often in males than females.