Just to clarify: general discussions on breeding and breeding issues such as this one -- which helps people to understand how good breeders make breeding decisions and whether to have a concern about a breeder's breeding practices -- are fine.
What I don't permit are questions about how to breed, from someone who wishes to breed or is already breeding. This is because
1) for established reputable breeders, or reputable novices breeding with conformation and health as their priorities, there are lists oriented towards breeding and showing that wll provide such support, such as the Apple L-list on CKCS. Any reputable breeder in a recognised, reputable club will be aware of such lists, and novices will be able to learn of them through their mentor and their club.
2) This is a list focused on caring about the breed and sharing the pleasures of owning this breed and hence a number one priority has to be wanting breeders, the guardians of the breed, to follow best breeding practice.
In my experience ALL questions on personal breeding, posted to a general board such as this, come from backyard breeders (or people who are, but don't consider themselves to be, even though they do not know the first thing about breeding, health testing, genetics, lines, and the problems they can inflict on their puppies
). These are people who are not involved with clubs, are not showing, do not know the first thing about conformation, genetics or breeding for health, yet think they have a right to breed to either make money or because they 'love the breed'. No one who loves the breed would ever consider risking the health of not just the immediate puppies from a random, uninformed, unconsidered breeding, but to the breed overall.
That's why I give a set response to enquiries about personal breeding, encouraging people to stop, get involved with the breed, learn more, and get a reputable breeder mentor befaore even thinking about breeding themselves. Breeding is complex and complicated and the narrow gene pools in purebreds mean knowledegable breeding is crucial -- not least because most health issues result from breeding dogs that carry a genetic predisposition in their lines to throw up a problem, NOT from dogs that necessarily show the health problem themselves. Thus just breeding two outwardly healthy dogs means nothing -- yet backyard breeders will typically think this is all that matters -- if they even care about that. :sl*p: BYBs do not understand this, care or know about the lines of their dogs, or understand that good lines (eg the 'champion lines' always cited on BYB/puppy mill websites) carry all those bad as well as good genes. You need to know how to SELECT the right two dogs from any line and that requires detailed knoweldge)
So: please feel free to discuss general breeding issues! What I don't allow is questions on HOW to breed from people who are doing it or considering doing it.
A final note: because I think it is important for people to understand the complexity of the breeding process, and also because I know how wonderful it is to observe good breeders as they go through such a process, I totally supported Bruce's documenting his two litters and this remains one of the most read sections of this board.
I also very much welcome the informed perspectives from our breeder members who can explain so many of the finer points of breeding and showing for the rest of us -- all of whichh helps us to appreciate the breed and the merits of choosing good breeders, and why supporting expert, caring, knowledegable breeders is so important.
:wggle:
