Breeding Success: Expert Tips for Dog Breeders

Careful consideration is crucial when planning a dog breeding. 

Experienced breeders approach each mating with a strategic mindset, aiming to achieve specific goals. This approach ensures a focused vision of the desired traits in both the sire and dam, ultimately leading to the desired outcome. However, maintaining objectivity can be challenging, as it is tempting to let emotions guide breeding decisions instead of relying on sound judgment.

“It is important to maintain your breed’s integrity and not take shortcuts,” says Kathy Rust, who bred Vizslas under the Kizmar kennel name for more than 40 years producing 174 champions that earned more than 1,000 conformation and sporting titles. 

“There should be goals for every breeding, and you should be thinking two to three generations into the future,” Rust told attendees at the AKC Breeder Symposium last fall in Columbus, Ohio, in her Breeding 101 presentation. “You want to maintain or improve the quality of the parents. You also want to think about how the resulting progeny will fit into your breeding program.”

Establishing clear goals is essential for breeders as it enables them to identify the top three aspects to preserve within a bloodline and the top three areas for improvement. By developing a comprehensive plan, breeders can effectively produce dogs that align with the breed standard. While structure and temperament are key components outlined in the breed standard, breeders should also prioritize a dog's health traits and work ethic, including abilities such as hunting and herding, to ensure a well-rounded and desirable outcome.

“If you improve just one thing in a breeding, that is great,” Rust says. “It could take three to four generations to make a change. You have to take small steps. Not everything can be established in the first-generation offspring.”

In the world of dog breeding, a goals statement plays a vital role in what Rust refers to as the "match game." Extensive research is undertaken to gain a deep understanding of the pedigrees of potential breeding mates, their relatives, and the offspring they have produced. By expanding the pool of candidates available for breeding, breeders can often achieve their goals quickly. One effective strategy to broaden this pool is by creating a breeder's circle. 

Rust emphasizes the value of a breeder's circle, a supportive network of experienced breeders who serve as trusted advisors. Drawing from her own experience, Rust attributes much of her success to her breeder's circle. These knowledgeable individuals work together as a cohesive team, sharing insights and expertise to make informed breeding decisions. They collaborate not only to plan and maintain their own breeding programs but also to collectively enhance the breeding endeavours of the entire circle.

“A breeder’s circle is a like-minded group that keeps each other honest,” she says. “They can validate your dog’s strengths and weaknesses and help you objectively critique them. Although an honest evaluation of your dog’s faults is not easy, a breeder needs to set aside emotion and see the dog in an analytical way. 

“When putting together your circle, choose people you trust. It can be anyone from newbies to master breeders. If possible, you should include a master breeder in your own breed. Besides breeding decisions, these experienced breeders can help you through whelping and raising a litter.”

Within a breeder's circle, members engage in lively exchanges of ideas and discussions to assess the value of potential breeding combinations. Various platforms, such as in-person video meetings and dedicated Facebook groups, serve as valuable tools for sharing essential information like photos, pedigrees, and evaluations of breeding stock and their offspring.

For starters, breeders should review what they would change in the first three to four generations of a dog’s pedigree, Rust advises. “Put together breeding analytics of the stud dog and female that include early breeding dogs in the pedigree. Importantly, look at photos of these dogs to evaluate the correct structure, their head, ears, neck, front, and back, according to the breed standard. Learn about the health and temperament of the dogs, their parents and their littermates.” 

Reproduction problems in a female line can be red flags not to breed her. “You have to pay attention to issues conceiving, whelping, singleton or very large litters and cesarean sections,” Rust says.  

The owner of the stud dog is an important part of the decision-making process and has a responsibility to be truthful with a female’s owner about the good and bad of a potential match. “The owner of a sire should know his strengths and weaknesses and of the entire pedigree behind him,” Rust says. “The owner should have notes on his progeny to be able to discuss what he can bring to a match.  

“My goal when choosing a sire is that he will help maintain the strong points of the dam and help improve any shortcomings. Thus, you need to know as much about the male as the female. I often tell people that the sires that are easy to find in the show ring, at events or in advertisements may not be the dog they are looking for. I ask them to also research his sire and his littermates. It could be that a relative may be a better choice.” 

The purpose of creating a goal list is to assist in determining how the resulting progeny will fit into your breeding program, Rust says. “Once the puppies arrive, it’s very easy to fall for the puppy that worms its way into your heart, but you have to look at your goals first and stay honest with them when you are doing your evaluations. Some breeders will choose a puppy even though it does not have any of the traits or goals for that breeding. Breeders cannot allow themselves to fall into that trap when trying to achieve a goal.”

Maintaining objectivity is paramount when selecting breeding partners and deciding which puppy to keep. While it may be tempting to let emotions guide these decisions, it is crucial to stay true to your goals. By adhering to your breeding program's objectives, you increase the likelihood of achieving the best possible outcomes.

Match Game Objectives

When choosing breeding partners, you want to add genetic diversity and maintain or improve the quality of the parents while staying focused on your goals and the areas you are trying to improve.  

• Don’t fall for “eye candy,” or in other words, a photo or video of a beautiful dog that you know nothing about 
• Don’t worry about titles, rather focus on the dog you are considering for breeding 
• Don’t forget that a dog in a companion home that has passed its health clearances may be an overlooked gem as a producer and a great option for your breeding program

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