Sled dog breeding

[SternRose]

Quote:
if you don't check, how do you know that you've never had a problem? you don't. PERIOD. every BYB I know has "never" had a problem.

She said most her pups went to pets but a few went to breeders. But I haven't talked to her for 2-4 months ago. I think

 

[Starfire669]

This is what I learn from. I make a mistake and I'm correct in a NICE way. But we all have are moments.

Another thing that hurt Siberians was our own US military. They made an expedition somewhere up north (this was a long time ago back when the breed was just getting established) and took sled dogs with them. When they were done, they chained all the dogs to ice flows and blew them up. It caused a lot of sailors and American people to get very angry. But the damage was done, the dogs destroyed were some of the better breeding Siberians. Now, I support our military, i am ex navy myself, but I can admit when our government makes horrible decisions. And this one was terrible.

Because I want to breed good Sibes, I not only learned about the breed as it is today, but where it came from, what it's job was, and how it has changed over the years. Knowing these details can help me make decisions in my breeding program.

You want sled dogs, educate yourself. Research everything about them. I believe you said you have a Siberian, train him/her. These things will make you a better breeder, and knowing facts about your breed enables you to answer people's questions, which will raise their confidence that you know what you are doing and care enough to do your homework. Providing health tests will also help buyers feel confident and safe buying your pups. Eventually you will have a good reputation and you will have waiting lists for your pups. this is what I have been trying to explain to you all day. Start researching, as you learn more you can ask more specific questions. For your goal of sled dog breeding, start with how winning dogs are built. How do front legs and shoulders attached to the body, the back legs? How is the head and tail set on the body? What do the legs look like, long and thin or doe they have dense bones in the legs? They way a dog is put together will have a huge impact on how well it can do its job. The other thing to research would be common illnesses or defects in your chosen lines. Are they prone to hip problems? Eye problems? Are the bones so thin they breack from running trail a while?

 

[SternRose]

Another thing that hurt Siberians was our own US military. They made an expedition somewhere up north (this was a long time ago back when the breed was just getting established) and took sled dogs with them. When they were done, they chained all the dogs to ice flows and blew them up. It caused a lot of sailors and American people to get very angry. But the damage was done, the dogs destroyed were some of the better breeding Siberians. Now, I support our military, i am ex navy myself, but I can admit when our government makes horrible decisions. And this one was terrible.

Because I want to breed good Sibes, I not only learned about the breed as it is today, but where it came from, what it's job was, and how it has changed over the years. Knowing these details can help me make decisions in my breeding program.

You want sled dogs, educate yourself. Research everything about them. I believe you said you have a Siberian, train him/her. These things will make you a better breeder, and knowing facts about your breed enables you to answer people's questions, which will raise their confidence that you know what you are doing and care enough to do your homework. Providing health tests will also help buyers feel confident and safe buying your pups. Eventually you will have a good reputation and you will have waiting lists for your pups. this is what I have been trying to explain to you all day. Start researching, as you learn more you can ask more specific questions. For your goal of sled dog breeding, start with how winning dogs are built. How do front legs and shoulders attached to the body, the back legs? How is the head and tail set on the body? What do the legs look like, long and thin or doe they have dense bones in the legs? They way a dog is put together will have a huge impact on how well it can do its job. The other thing to research would be common illnesses or defects in your chosen lines. Are they prone to hip problems? Eye problems? Are the bones so thin they breack from running trail a while?

I was confused, angry and upset early so I was not thinking right and couldn't learn or take in anything. Whe you have 4-5 adults trying to teach you on one subject with different views it gets confusing. Lol. But I like to have these things to go back and learn or understand things better.

 

[Starfire669]

She said most her pups went to pets but a few went to breeders. But I haven't talked to her for 2-4 months ago. I think

If you are unsure who to trust, and it sounds like are. Look stuff up for yourself. Not only will you verify facts, but you will protect yourself from people who might try to take advantage of how little you know. There is another old saying, "knowledge is power" and it's true. The more you know, the better you can spot people trying to lie or take advantage of you. Use the Internet, you can pull up stuff like, what's the most common injury in racing sled dogs, or sled dog conformation, easily.

Now, I am starting to feel like I am channeling either Yoda here spouting ancient wisdom. Use the force Luke (or in this case the Internet), or worse channeling Confucius. Confucius say .......... Good night.

 

[SternRose]

Lol. I'll try it maybe ill find a sled dog blog I can join. I think it was stated early to try to find one.

 

[dainerra]

Quote:
ah a subject close to my heart and rife with misconceptions. The standard for the GSD has never changed. It is an example of how different mindsets among humans can make or break a dog. There are actually 4 distinct lines of German Shepherds. You have working lines, American show lines, West German Show lines, and American Pet Lines. Working lines even have a couple of sub-groups - DDR and Czech lines. And an experienced person can have a good idea at a glance which a dog is most likely a part of. Of course, now that the wall has fallen, DDR dogs are few and far between. More of a type than an actual bloodline though there are many who are trying to keep them separate. The GSD SHOULD stand in a stacked position when relaxed, haunches slightly lowered and ready to spring into action. The show stack is merely an exaggeration of this to highlight the dogs structure at a glance. Yes, some people have taken it to extremes and there are working breeders who have gone to the opposite extreme. Neither is correct and, thankfully, the pendulum is swinging back to a more moderate and correct (in my opinion) dog. You will always have people who believe that if a little is good, a lot must be better. It's simply human nature. It's also the biggest reason to be careful and thoughtful about who gets your $$ when you are shopping for a dog.

 

[Starfire669]

Quote:
ah a subject close to my heart and rife with misconceptions. The standard for the GSD has never changed. It is an example of how different mindsets among humans can make or break a dog. There are actually 4 distinct lines of German Shepherds. You have working lines, American show lines, West German Show lines, and American Pet Lines. Working lines even have a couple of sub-groups - DDR and Czech lines. And an experienced person can have a good idea at a glance which a dog is most likely a part of. Of course, now that the wall has fallen, DDR dogs are few and far between. More of a type than an actual bloodline though there are many who are trying to keep them separate. The GSD SHOULD stand in a stacked position when relaxed, haunches slightly lowered and ready to spring into action. The show stack is merely an exaggeration of this to highlight the dogs structure at a glance. Yes, some people have taken it to extremes and there are working breeders who have gone to the opposite extreme. Neither is correct and, thankfully, the pendulum is swinging back to a more moderate and correct (in my opinion) dog. You will always have people who believe that if a little is good, a lot must be better. It's simply human nature. It's also the biggest reason to be careful and thoughtful about who gets your $$ when you are shopping for a dog.

Thanks, I guess I saw the extremely bred haunches. Their rears ends were so low that their back legs could only cover half the distance their fronts did, giving their gait a very awkward look. I wish I had pictures of my GSD but I was a child when we had him. But I do have pictures of my Belgain Malinois mixed with Chow Chow, Rascal. He was found on the streets, beaten, starved, a chunk missing out of his tail and a long cut from shoulder to paw on both front legs. He has turned into an amazing guardian for myself and my children. He chased of a burglar that broke in while my children were sleeping. When he gets older and ready for retirement I will look for either a GSD or a Belgain Malinois to take over guard duties. I believe Belgains and GSD are closely related, right? Maybe that explains why both Rascal and my childhood GSD had many of the same qualities as great guard dogs. This is my boy Rascal.

 

[Starfire669]

@Dainerra how do you pick which male to pair to which female? I know how I picked Phantom for Dawn, but what criteria do you use for selection? My first generation is planned, Dawn X Phantom, my second generation female will be bred to an outside stud. How do I pick the right stud for that second gen female? I plan on asking my breeder this same question, but would like your advice as well. Also I plan on getting a second female, as per my breeders advice, breeding her to Phantom (so she will be selected for him this time), and doing the same with her litter, her daughter will be bred to an outside stud. I plan to keep 3rd gen pups to either breed together or breed back to Phantom. My breeder advised me that bringing another female would be good, that Dawn's fault my be a simple fix, but more likely will involve blending her bloodline with that of another quality female, then breeding back to Phantom's line to help fix the traits that make Phantoms line a champion line. I understand most of what she said, but would like a second opinion and explanation for why she recommends this, if possible.

 

[Starfire669]

Something I just thought about for you @SternRose, you will be adding adult dogs and puppies to your pack to form a sled team. You will need to evaluate the temperament of each and every dog you consider BEFORE adding them. Because some dogs can not or will not get along harmoniously together. And as your pack grows, fights can and will break out. This is especially true when adding adult dogs.

I will use myself as an example. We first found and rescued Rascal, my Belgain mix, then we purchased Dawn as a puppy. Then we added Sasha as an adult when Dawn was between 6-8 months old. Sasha and Dawn had a few scuffles, then Rascal and Sasha had a more serious fight over a bone (we did not know Sasha was gone motivated, and we now separate them during bone time). It was nothing too serious and our fault, but Sasha ended up with a ripped dewclaw from the fight. After we discovered and fixed the that problem we had no more incidents. Then we added Cheyenne as a puppy, no problems at all. Then I purchased Phantom when he was a week old, but couldn't bring him home due to age. That would have been the end of our expanding pack, but I got a call from a friend who was desperately trying to save a young female Rottwieller who was going to be euthanized. This Rottie was heartworm positive, had torn CCL ligaments in her right knee, and arthritis in her left hip, and she was only a 18 months old! I took Fiona to vets and discovered that we could treat her CCL with a knee brace to prevent surgery, because if she had surgery her other knee would blow within a year. We adopted her, brought her brace, and put her on joint supplements. (she no longer needs her knee brace ). However Fiona had never been with other dogs, and immediately our peaceful home was shattered with fights between Fiona and Dawn, and 1 horrible fight between Fiona and Rascal. Fiona also picked up my kitten in her mouth, didn't hurt the kitten but scared the holy crap out of me!. Fiona fought with Dawn the most, 2 females jockeying for the alpha female position. Rascal got involved in one of their fights, trying to defend Dawn from Fiona and that fight was horrible. Fiona and Rascal were trying to kill each other. Rascal got a puncture over his eye, right by the eye socket, Fiona got her ears ripped open and punctures in her muzzle, while breaking up the fight Fiona also bite my husband (my husband had never had dogs before and put his hands in the wrong place. I grabbed Fiona while he grabbed Rascal). Anyway, I was ready to send her back, even knowing she would be euthanized if I did so. I even contacted the shelter I got her at in preparation. But they were close for some Holiday weekend and we couldn't do anything for 4 days. We completely separated Fiona from the pack, but this couldn't last as she could not be kenneled forever. So we divided our pack into 2 groups of 3. Rascal was paired with Dawn and Phantom. Fiona went with Sasha and Cheyenne. (we split them this way for many reasons, which I won't go into). Nothing happened, even when they were all together in our prescence, no more fights broke out. We were stunned that the answer was so simple. If my husband or I are present, we have peace in the pack, but if not we separate them. Their grouping has changed, Rascal is now paired with Dawn and Cheyenne to prevent Phantom from trying to breed them before we want. And Fiona is with Phantom and Sasha. We obviously decided to keep Fiona, neither my husband or I could stomach sending her to be euthanized if we could save her life. But it is a lot of extra work, having to keep Dawn and Fiona apart.

You could very well find yourself in a similar situation once your pack starts growing. Some dogs just can not back down, for us that is miss Fiona. Fiona gets along with everyone except Dawn. And when Dawn is threatened Rascal tries to defend her, which gets ugly fast. Knowing your dogs temperaments, personality, and who they can get along with is key. Fiona, Sasha, and Rascal are fixed, Cheyenne soon will be. Phantom and Dawn will breed when the time is right. Breeding dogs usually have a higher drive to be alpha than spayed or neutered dogs, only the strongest dog mates the female. Kennels that have multiple studs always keep the studs separated when females are in heat, and the breeding pair are locked into a safepen to prevent other dogs from trying to claim the female. Please keep this in mind as well when you start building your pack. You will kick yourself in the rear if one of your babies gets injured because you didn't take precautions.

 

[Americano Blue]

In sled dog yards all the dogs are on chains so you can move them if the don't get along. You still have fights every now and then but if you just scold and
Hit both the dogs who r fighting they usually back down