The Importance And Development Of Prepotent Sires

Click here to read the complete article
226 – October, 2023

By William Given

Every breeder that I know, who also shows, understands the importance of a great sire. And, this is particularly true for those dogs that, to a large extent, stamp their likeness upon their offspring. While a bitch having this quality is also highly prized, such a sire can easily have a more far-reaching impact on his line in particular, and his breed in general. This is because he can produce a considerably larger number of progeny.

When a stud dog “throws himself” to a marked degree and passes on his best traits and characteristics to an unusually large number of his puppies that resemble one another more closely than is normal, he is said to be prepotent.

It should be noted, however, that while a dog may be prepotent for one or more traits, this does not mean that he will also be prepotent for all, or even most of his best traits. Prepotency is not the property of an individual animal, but rather belongs to a few traits that are part of the genetic constitution of the individual. Additionally, prepotency is not necessarily passed from parent to offspring.

There are three critical questions breeders should seek the answers to with regard to prepotency. They are:

• What is the genetic basis of prepotency?

• How can prepotency best be measured?

• How can breeders produce prepotent dogs?

The genetic basis of prepotency

Click here to read the complete article
226 – October, 2023

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=273641

Posted by AnthonyA on Oct 22 2023. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.