I think as a breeder and a stud owner, one must make every decision possible to insure the soundness and prepotency of ones own breeding stock. This can (often) include undertaking the careful and planned mating of a young stud dog. I have had three experiences with this, and several years back I had one lovely sweet dog who "embarrassed himself" when he was ten months old to the degree that he would be neither supervised nor watched or even encouraged to mate a bitch in full standing heat. Up to that point I'd never had a stud dog that wasn't ready for the work, whatever his age!
I think it is often a good idea, if the opportunity presents itself, to use a young dog (about 13 months or so) providing one knows the in depth history behind the pedigrees involved. Yes, it's taking a chance on lots of things, but in the overall picture, it has proved worthwhile for many of us to use a young dog in this way. No, the dog is not offered at public stud. No, the bitch being mated is not under two years old. Yes, the basic clearances for hearts and eyes have been passed by the dog and the bitch. Yes, there is a marked history of longevity and vigor behind the sire and dam. Yes, the dog and the bitch are outstanding examples of the breed. One can brag about a gorgeous heart/eye/hip/patella stud dog, but if he hides in a corner when the bitch is presented to him, what good is he? The same is true for the bitch with the same health clearances. If she needs a fetal monitor strapped to her midsection to "insure" a full-term pregnancy, and/or a c-section to deliver her litter because there's a history of uterine inertia in her pedigree and she has the "problem" as well, what good is she? What good is the "breeding program"? Breeding dogs is a personal commitment to the breed to produce outstanding animals in each generation. this commitment isn't just to the look of the animals, but to the vigor and strength of those animals' generations produced in the same breeding program. Judy Gates ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
