A question for cavalier long term breeders.

It is often mentioned by those Cavalier Breeders who say that they have been Breeding Cavaliers for at least 30 years, so they are in a Position to know what they are talking about.

My Query is ,WHY HAVE THEY LET THE MVD PROBLEM get to such a Stage when they were warned by Dr P.Darke, the UK CLUB'S Cardiologist in 1983, yes 1983, after he had carried out Surveys for the CLUB at CLUB SHOWS,warned the CLUB then about how Serious and Wide-Spread the MVD Problem was in the Cavalier Breed.

As a Result of his Warning the UK CKCS CLUB issued MVD Breeding Guidelines for Cavalier Members in 1987.

Did those Long Term Cavalier Breeders not take any notice of Dr.P Darke's Warning?

To-day Researchers have said that nearly all Cavaliers could be Carriers of the MVD Gene/Genes.

This means that although those Cavaliers are not Afflicted with MVD ,when Mated to another MVD Carrier their Off-Springs could suffer from MVD.

Some Long Term Cavalier Breeders are now Claiming that they know more about the CM/SM Problem in our Cavaliers than .......

Bet

These are my thoughts on why I feel they are important. I am sure people will say otherwise but I want to respond as someone buying a puppy who feels that knowledge long term breeders have and share is important and I know that breeders are not allowed on the forum. I can't say what people did or didn't do in the past, but if we lost the history and knowledge that those breeding for several years had, it is something that would make it more difficult for me buying a puppy who would not rely on health tests alone. THIS IS ME. . I can't speak for anyone in regards to the past but talking to experience breeders and from my reading,have knowledge of certain lines. I don't know if they say they know more than researchers, but I can see why they might have questions. CM/SM is something that is terrible and even I still want to learn more and have questions. I know when I buy a puppy there are no guarantees but I would want those that do what they can and follow the protocols they have and have knowledge and experience. . I do know those that don't have experience and know nothing of the history of the two dogs that are being breed would not be good enough for me personally.


I have read that some would even want pet owners to tell them if there was a health problem so that it could help with making decisions for the future. So that is why I am saying knowledge of lines or pedigrees is important.

http://www.roycroftinformationcenter.com/Cavalier%20Infosite/Cavalier%20InfoCenter%20Health%20What%20You%20Can%20Do%20To%20Help.html

"Once you have purchased a Cavalier puppy, there is plenty you can do to help improve the breed. You may have purchased a puppy that is only a pet, but your puppy is still invaluable to a reputable breeder and invaluable to the breed as a whole!
Most traits are polygenic in nature--in other words a combination of several genes is needed for the trait to show up. The more information a breeder has on each puppy they produce, the better an idea they will have of what the genotype of their dogs is. And the better job they will then be able to do in making good breeding choices"

I would think one with years of knowledge would factor these things when choosing a pairing. They know this from the Knowledge and experience they have. I cant speak about certain breeders that have been breeding for 30, 40 years and what they did or didn't do because its not fair to say something about "those breeders". Good breeders would want to know about that knowledge, I am guessing. If I talked to a breeder that said there have been no problems and there isn't any health problems in the breed, then I would not buy from them.

Reputable breeders will learn as much as they can about the breed BEFORE they buy their fir
http://www.roycroftinformationcenter.com/Cavalier%20Infosite/Cavalier%20InfoCenter%20Choosing%20a%20Breeder.html

"Reputable breeders will learn as much as they can about the breed BEFORE they buy their first dog!

Reputable breeders will buy the typiest, healthiest, most temperamentally sound puppy they can to use in their breeding program!ir dogs

Reputable breeders will be a member of a breed club, own books on the breed and on genetics, attend seminars, and regularly get together with their doggie friends and *brainstorm* about genetics and the breed so as to keep up their knowledge.fit, follow the
Reputable breeders fully test their breeding stock and do not breed those that have inherited serious negative traits from their parents.
FIFTH, they show their dogs. While at shows they can compare how their dogs look as compared to others of the same breed. Do they look as nice, as typey as the others? Or is a particular dog too long in back, too fine in bone, too short on leg, too long and lanky, or have some other attribute that is decidedly not like the breed? Do the dogs seem to be structurally correct? Or is a particular dog moving in a way that indicates poor structure and/or balance--a way that looks as though it may put excess stress on joints and tissues and lead to development of structural faults such as hip dysplasia or patellar luxation? Do the dogs seem to have the typical temperament of the breed? Or is a particular dog acting overly shy, submissive or aggressive as compared to what others of that breed exhibit? Humans have a remarkable way of overlooking faults in their *loved ones*. They tend to focus on the good traits and overlook about the bad ones. This is wonderful when it comes to family members and friends--BUT NOT DOGS THAT HUMANS WILL PURPOSEFULLY BREED TO PRODUCE OFFSPRING! If we are planning to BREED dogs, we must NOT overlook faults! The tendency to focus on the good traits and overlook the bad when breeding dogs is called KENNEL BLINDNESS. Dog shows have a way of bringing breeders back to reality--that dog that looked SO GOOD at home, may suddenly not look near as good in the show ring as compared to others of the same breed. IF it is NOT good enough or if the temperament is not typical, that dog WILL be spayed or neutered as a reputable breeder would not want to produce puppies that will have a higher chance of developing faults that will cause pain and suffering, nor would they want to produce puppies that do not have a temperament typical of the breed. Because of kennel blindness, it is the rare breeder indeed who is capable of continuing to breed to improve WITHOUT continuously competing with their dogs in dog shows. "Reputable breeders show their dogs in some capacity--either the breed ring or in performance hey sell. They are always there to answer any questions a buyer might have. They are willing to take back any puppy they have sold, ANYTIME, even if the puppy is now old and has health problems. They are always there to help if a puppy they sold develops a health problem. They will offer support and information and many will even chip in some money for any surgery needed for inherited faults!