OK, wasn't sure what title to give this question. As I have spent much time researching a suitable lad to use on one of my bitches and I've had quite a few discussions with my breeder mentor/friend about characteristics and and the fact that characteristics, in terms of appearance, seem to skip a generation. So whilst I'm primarily looking at work ability for my girly's suitor (it goes without saying health/temperament) I'm also looking at what he looks like, but I'm also stepping back to look at what his parents look like as I am expecting the look of the grandparents to come through predominantly as opposed to the parents.

Just wonder if other breeders find similar.

It really varies, characteristics of any of the ancestors can come though, even those a long way back, the closer to the pup or more represented in the pedigree (as in line-breeding) then the more the chance of those traits showing in puppies.

Some studs and broods stamp their progeny with their look, others tweak, improving this or that trait without changing the overall look.

A lien-bred stud or brood is more likely to produce pups strongly similar to that line.

Parents usually - ie your bitch and the stud dog but in some cases a grandparent has a huge influence.

A top boxer stud I used once - had a top winning/top producing father but a mother ( which hardly anyone had seen) with a very great dane-like head, and it turned out that he produced heads like his Mum..on a regular basis.

Some studs really stamp themselves on most of their progeny sometimes sadly not the traits one would hope for and there are others who seem to pass different things to different pups and I have often wondered why. From what Brainless has said it is likely that those who's progeny have a recognisable 'look' are the studs who have at least some line breeding or where the dam and stud have similar breeding. Please discuss.