Click here to read the complete article 86 – The Annual,2015-16 The Relationship Between Dominant and Recessive Genes By William Given A great many misconceptions seem to exist in the minds of novice and highly experienced breeders alike regarding the impact of dominant and recessive genes on phenotype. I believe this is primarily due to [...]
Click here to read the complete article 66 – The Annual,2015-16 BREEDERS • I will plan every breeding for the betterment of the breed. • I will refuse to breed my champion stud dog to unworthy bitches. • I will not breed more puppies than I can properly care for. • [...]
Pointers are one of the earliest breeds recognized by AKC, one of which is part of the logo of the Westminster Kennel Club. I was confident that I could find many breeder-judges to participate in this survey on the breed’s priorities. I was surprised to identify only twenty-four to contact and invite. Twenty-one agreed to do the survey. Fourteen completed surveys were returned.
This Thanksgiving I was sitting contentedly with my family after a sumptuous Turkey dinner with all the fixings. The bird had been done just right, the stuffing was out of this world, and there was plenty of one of my favorites, grapefruit Jello salad. Our two granddaughters and their parents had done the dishes, and we started to relax in front of the TV. Flipping through channels, with all of us real dog people, we stopped when a three-legged dog hopped across the screen. A rescue dog, we heard. What a nice thing that someone cared enough to give this dog a good life. Fascinatedly we stopped on that channel and watched a parade of various other similarly afflicted dogs with the pitch for rescue dog and especially shelter dog adoption increasing in intensity. Well-known performers made cameo appearances with that pitch. This was in prime time but not on a regular network channel. They were heart-wrenching stories, with tremendous emotional appeal for any compassionate person and animal lover. The message, beyond the obvious, was that breed did not matter.
This article’s main focus is how to evaluate the Coton de Tulear, aka the Coton, as a whole package. As with all breeds, there are some features that hold precedence. These priorities should be used when judging the Coton. One key fact to keep in mind while reading this article, as well as when judging these lovely dogs, is that they should be a balanced breed.
In 1970, Nike had a new athletic shoe they planned to bring to market. At the last minute the product release was delayed. This meant their whole ad campaign for that month around this shoe was also delayed. What could they do to fill the pre-bought ad space at the last minute? According to Terri Langhans, a Certified Speaking Professional who wrote a blog post about this, Nike asked their ad company to come up with something that would “just pat runners on the back.” What the agency came up with completely shifted the company’s focus in advertising into the new millennium.
Whether you have made the decision to breed your first litter or your next litter, your decision provides you with a wonderful opportunity to become more knowledgeable about the history of your breed and the make-up of some of your favorite stud dogs. For those on tight budgets, the mixing and matching of pedigrees on paper is safer and a much more cost-effective method than experimenting with your cherished grand champion. Your pedigree research may even be the key that cracks the code and unlocks the secrets that could prove crucial to future breedings that just might create a new dynasty of canine superiority.
Arnold Burges, the father of the American studbook, often cited 1876 as the pivotal year when breeders switched their allegiance from undocumented Gundogs to registered purebreds. It’s traditionally considered the point when the concept of one ideal type became generally accepted. But it also signaled another profound change in dog breeding philosophy, the irrevocable rift that forever stranded Gundogs on opposite shores of bench or field type.
“Honey, did you see Abby’s special lead when you unpacked the camera bag?” Often when we are preparing for an upcoming show or trial, the things we worry about remembering are the special lead that got dropped into the wrong bag, because the tack box was already packed up. Or an extra memory chip for the camera so we can take lots of pictures of that up-and-coming young dog we are thinking of breeding to in the future. Those things are important, but there are other things that we may be inclined to forget or ignore that are even more important.
