I am being criticised by some people I know on another site for line breeding! I have research my dogs Pedigree, found a distant relation who compliments my bitch in the hope I get a show pup and I have had the wind knocked out of me by people calling me unethical. I want a good answer as to why I should Line Breed - Any Ideas? I am simply trying to do what I thought was the right thing - whilst I wait for Bonnie to come into season I can change my mind and find another stud but have I done wrong?? Kevin

Line breeding is basically used to load the dice in your favour. When you mate two individuals their genes will combine in various ways in the resulting puppies. Obviously the breeder wants to combine the best traits. When the two individuals are totally unrelted thyen the combinations of genes will be more variable than if they are somewhat related.

One doesn't linebreed just for the sake of it, it is done with the hope of keeping/concentrating the traits inherited from that ancestor!

For arguments sake say a particular dog/bitch excelled in head. You have a dog bitch with this type of head, and you have found a partner with the dme trait, if they both have the ancestor that produced these lovely heads in their background, then the likelihood of getting these heads (rather than some from other ancestors) is increased.

Linebreeding is a tool to be used carefully by people who have a good knowledge of the traits good and bad of the dog being linebred to. He may have passed on great heads, but he will have had (as all do) some negative traits, and the liklihood of these being opassed on is increased along with the good. If these poor traits are only cosmetic then not much harm will be done, but if they relate to health or temperament.

I am hoping to breed a linebred litter from my bitch. I will be doubling on one of my bitches, and her sire will be in th3e pedigree 3 times.

Both of these are veterans who have never needed the vet, and have temperaments beyond reproach. The male who will be linebred to has had a very positive influence on Movement. My bitch who will be doubled on is a little narrow across the chest, but the two generations of bitches I have bred and kept from her do not have this fault, though the male I am using (her son) has it a little. This will be the fault I will have to look out for in the pups. His sire though is a total Outcross, which is why I am willing to go that close. He is 4 years old and has good health clearances as does my Champion bitch.

Hope this helps.

In some breeds with a small gene pool it is almost impossible not to! and do your homework first
Al

Line breeding, As Brainless says, is a tool in the breeder’s armoury. It can be used to "Fix" characteristics, unfortunately bad as well as good! You need to know the lines well because any recessive gene problem lurking in the woodwork could very likely be brought out. Be aware that you cannot get more than the sum of the two parts! There is nothing more in the genes of the sire and dam. Personally I do not like to see too many generations line bred, believing that the occasional outcross will put something into the line.

Line breeding can be a very emotive subject. I know of a few breeders who have not gone out of their lines for years but these are very dedicated people who know their lines backwards. (In some cases though I do believe their line has stagnated!) Other people, as you have found out, are violently opposed, and by opposing, their line seems to rarely be able to produce dogs of a "Type"

Food for thought? John

would a half brother to half sister mating be acceptable given that you knew the lines and the dogs were health checked etc?This is line breeding isn't it?HELP

It would be closer than I would like because a whole half of the pedigree would be identical. I would not be over concerned if I knew the breeder and knew his or her lines but I would want to go right outside on the next generation. If I did not know the breeder I would be more concerned because I would not know their knowledge of their line.

John

thanks john i do know the breeder and the lines quite well so i will ponder on this one.

Half brother to half sister would obviously share a common sire or dam so that will in all possibilities be the dominant influence on the puppies. Do you like it? Because if not leave well alone. I say "In all possibility" because some times a dog does not seem to carry through into the pups. I know of a really great champion in one of the gundog breeds who has been well used but I have never seen any offspring which I could recognise as having his stamp on! Breeding is never going to be an exact science, we just try to shorten the odds a little.

Regards, John

Unless your breed of dog has a very small gene pool go ahead and do it.It is not unethical but do reach your dogs ancestors for any major problems or faults .Good liuck

You are saying that you've found a distant relation!! How closely is your bitch and this dog bred, from what you say it doesn't sound too close. The breed that I have has a very small gene pool and I have line bred but not too closely. The closest I've ever done is a granddaughter to grandfather mating, but I wd. not use the same line with their offspring and I considered everything long and hard with other people in the breed before doing it.

As other people have suggested, follow up this line before doing it, make sure that there are no health problems etc lurking and if there isn't good luck.