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von der burg Austerlitz |
We frequently are asked how we plan each litter and what goes into our decision making process. Our initial desire to become breeders was born from the frustration we experienced as trainers trying to find quality dogs that met our particular needs. We often found the puppies and dogs we purchased developed serious health problems that prevented them from reaching their potential as working dogs, and occasionally caused them pain even in their daily lives. When the puppies we purchased did grow into healthy dogs many times the temperament and drives held by the puppy were not suitable to our needs. It was this frustration that first caused us to consider breeding our own puppies, with health being a top priority followed by temperament, personality, and drives suitable to our training style and even more importantly our life style.
Every breeder should have a list of their own priorities, but our list is as follows.
This is a short list, but it includes every aspect a breeder should consider when planning a breeding or a breeding program. An explanation of what we would consider for each point is next.
It is unfortunate but true that GSDs are prone to a variety of illnesses, and how these are passed from one generation to the next is not always fully understood. The most knowledge held is concerning orthopedic issues, such as hip and elbow dysplasia. For a complete understanding of how these problems are passed on, please read information provided by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals(OFA) (www.offa.org). The OFA website also details breeding practices (that we apply) that will reduce the occurrence of these diseases.
There are a few problems known to be inherited in our breed, although many may also have an environmental component. Hip and elbow dysplasia are on this list, as are: cardiac disease, thyroid disease and immune system disease. We screen all our own breeding dogs through the OFA and you can easily find their certification numbers on their individual pages (we never breed based on OFA Preliminary Opinions). Hips, elbows, and cardiac function are routinely screened through OFA. Additionally some dogs have OFA Certified thyroid function. We also screen eyes through The Canine Eye Registry Foundation (a.k.a. CERF) and CERF numbers can also be found on each dogs page. All our own dogs are screened for the following:
We feel only dogs proven to be free of these diseases should be included in our program. Occasionally we import dogs from Germany for use in our program. If these dogs are over 12 months old they will come with Germany's “a” stamp for their hips and elbows and their pages will reflect this rating instead of an OFA number. Hearts and eyes are not certified in Germany, so these dogs will have OFA numbers for cardiac function and CERF number for their eyes. Since all our dogs are of German decent, our pedigrees are completely hip certified and you will never find any dog in any of our bloodlines that descends from any dog of unknown hip status. Our dogs are also free of the “delicate” digestive systems found in some bloodlines: we would never include a dog who has pancreatic insufficiency, inflammatory bowel disease, or any food allergy in our breeding program. Our own dogs are also free of skin allergy.
As we plan each litter, we carefully consider not only the health of the parents (not a problem when we use our own stud dogs for our litters) but also the general health of every known dog in the pedigree: we try to avoid any litter where it is possible we might “double up” on a problem. An example of this would be including two grandparents who produced greater then the breed average of hip dysplasia.
The greatest research is needed when we breed outside of our own bloodline. Since most breeders own imported stud dogs, they may not be aware of health problems in the bloodline, and imports frequently are not OFA Certified or screened for cardiac, thyroid, or eye disease. Whenever we breed outside of our program we use extreme caution.
Our breed standard is pretty general with regard to temperament. For our program we prefer a confident dog, not so outgoing as to be “golden-esk” or “lab-like” but instead somewhat aloof. Care must be taken to breed dogs of compatible temperament. If both parents are quite aloof, the puppies may be too edgy for the average owner. Conversely, if both parents are too outgoing the puppies may lack the edge needed for many types of training, and while being novice friendly will be too much like Golden Retrievers for many owners. Balance in temperament can only be achieved by a breeder who understands the temperament not only in the dogs being considered but also in his/her litter mates, parents, and even grandparents. Partners for each dog should be selected with care, to produce the balance needed to be correct to our breed standard for temperament. Additionally, not every owner is suitable for every type of temperament, and only when the temperament of the puppies can be predicted with accuracy can owner be placed with the puppy that suits their needs.
Lots of discussion occurs in our breed concerning “drive”, and this term means different things to almost every person who uses it. For our needs “drive” would indicate the dog's willingness and inherent ability to be trained. Drive is related to a dog's interest in and willingness to work to obtain toys, social interaction, and food. Since each trainer is different in their methods (and every owner is a trainer) it is important that puppies be carefully matched to their owners. Too much drive can cause a dog in a boring environment to develop behavior problems. Too little drive will cause a dog to be difficult to train to advanced levels. Both of these can cause owner dissatisfaction. Because we now train using only operant conditioning techniques (a.k.a. clicker training) and no longer use any pain, fear, or coercion in our training (i.e. no pinch, electric or other pain-based tools), we strive to produce dogs with a high degree of drive for food, toys, and social interaction. Because training with operant conditioning techniques is more forgiving then pain-based training, and since dogs are not exposed to the high level of stress associated with harsher training methods, our dogs have no need for “handler hardness” and so we also have no problem with “handler aggression”. Our dogs are sensitive to the handler and have a genuine desire to work as “team players”. This makes them easy to train and live with as companion dogs.
We place beauty where we think it belongs, last. Only after considering health, temperament, and trainability should a breeder consider something as superficial as beauty. It is human nature to love extremes, but this tendency must be resisted. In our breed many conformation lines are producing dogs with physical traits too extreme to be considered advantageous to the structure of a herding dog, much less a companion or working dog. The most common extreme seen is rear angulation, but with the current love affair going on presently with the “running trot” among German show line breeders we are also seeing extremes we used to only seen in the American Shepherd, such as sickle hocks, east-west fronts, excessive length of shoulder and upper arm, and loose ligaments. Since the herding dog has no need of a running trot, this gait exists only for the benefit of the show exhibitor. Dogs with extreme structure may trot at blinding speeds but they pay for their extreme angulations with a lack of agility (something needed in a herding, agility, or schutzhund competitor), endurance, and overall orthopedic fitness. We strive to produce a dog with correct balanced breed type, strong bone (but not so heavy as to reduce general fitness), powerful head structure (but without being coarse or pig-like), enough angulations to work all day (but without any excess in rear or forehand angles), and finally rich, dark pigment. We believe our dogs are beautiful to the eye, correct to the standard, and free of excess, built to last a lifetime at work or play.
Finally, keeping our priorities fully in mind, we plan each litter with great care, starting with the backbone of any breeding program: the female. It is the female dog who makes or breaks a breeder, and she alone sets the tone for a breeding program. No male, no matter how incredible, can elevate a breeding program founded on weak females. In our program we breed our females only very lightly, keeping in mind their long-term health and happiness. We value and love each female for herself first, and in keeping her best interest in mind, we never breed our females while they are still growing and developing during the first three years of their lives, or during their “golden years”. Our older females are spayed, and then doted on while they live out their lives with all the honor and respect they deserve. Most of our girls stay with us until they pass, but occasionally we retire females to loving homes with friends and family, always keeping their happiness in our thoughts.
Once a female is selected for a litter, the search for a suitable partner begins. We take these factors into account as we plan her litter:
We look a her strong, and weak points, and find a male that we feel compliments her perfectly. We obviously prefer to use males from our breeding program when this is possible, as we know the most about our own dogs in regards to health, temperament and drives, but often we must reach outside our bloodline and use stud dogs owned by others.
When planning each litter it is our goal to consistently produce puppies that match our priorities or “type” as dog folks call it. It is the careful planning we put into each litter, and our knowledge of our own quality bloodline, that enables us to produce puppies of consistently high quality that our clients are looking for.
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