The tired old Mantra of the Old School Breeder

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Yup, I now have the luxury of being able to challenge their Mantra by touting my own numbers in this game we call breeding.  And Chatham Hill Dogs may be going down a road that has never been taken before in doing the things we ultimately decide upon for the better interest of our dogs and our clients.  But, we also have the advice of Medical professionals who can compare the outcomes presented by the old school and dated Veterinary information around for decades, we also have Veterinary professionals offering guidance and advice based on MODERN veterinary practice that happens to compliment the same practices in MODERN human medical practice.  In fact we have the pat on the back from Geneticists and Biologists that concur that our approach is far more beneficial in the quest to provide a healthier longer living dog than the tired old practices performed by the MAJORITY of dog breeders you will encounter in the world today.

FCR Pups with a VERY low COI

For those dog breeders its a matter of performing all sorts of physical exams in a quest to say that since my dogs were tested for this Physical test or that one then they are somehow superior to the rest of the dogs out there.  When in fact they fail to reveal to their clientele that NO MATTER HOW MANY PHYSICAL TESTS THEY CAN CLAIM THEIR DOGS PASSED, they can in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM GUARANTEE  THAT THE OFFSPRING OF THEIR TESTED DOGS WILL NOT PRESENT WITH THE NEGATIVE TRAITS THE PARENTS WERE TESTED FOR AND PASSED.   NIETHER CAN THEY CLAIM THAT THE DOGS THAT PASSED THESE TESTS TODAY WON'T GET THE PROBLEMS THEY WERE JUST TESTED FOR IN A YEAR OR TWO DOWN THE ROAD.  In fact if we look towards modern human medical practice.  Most doctors would find the testing for these physical disorders as a way to determine whether the children of two potential parents would in fact be free and clear of the same physical disorders if their parents passed...  Laughable.  YES.  I said laughable.  And any breeder that touts these tests as the thing that sets their produced specimens above the rest is in fact relying on numbers so far from the truth that if they actually didn't religiously believe in the Mantra they were preaching then it should be a crime.  But, in the end their way of thinking has been ingrained into them from decades and even centuries of tradition and practice that somehow became the status quo for what needs to be done to determine if their dog is somehow superior to the rest.  A simple test that says to the potential buyer...my dog took this test and passed and therefore my puppies are far more valuable than the rest. 

Silver Long Hair Weimaraner Puppy

When a Veterinarian like mine that has been performing these tests tells you point blank... for all the decades these tests have been done there has not been any significant difference proven either way.  In fact when they tell you at the end of these physical tests the answers you have are only about the dog you see in front of you AND only reflect the condition at the time of testing it doesn't seem to ring through for many who believe these tests are a cure or somehow make the projected puppies a better product if the parents were tested.  Of course this will require a Veterinarian who's also not brainwashed into believing these test actually fix things or prevent anything.  Which brings up another point.... many breeders are actually aware of this fact and will put up in REAL TINY print a disclaimer on their site that states how these test do not guarantee a puppy will be free and clear of the disorders the parents were tested for.  Makes you think doesn't it?   They are playing their cards to cover tracks if in fact an educated consumer decides to call them out.  Things that make you say hmmmmm.

Yellow Chattie puppy

The Educated consumer comes to realize that no matter how many physical tests you perform on the subject in front of you...you will never be able to determine the outcome of the offspring of the given subject.  NEVER.  In fact the only conclusive tests you can perform that will give you definite answers that you can make predictions from on the POTENTIAL of the offspring getting anything in the way of a negative disorder is at the GENETIC level.  DNA provides the marker that will tell you that the results of adding the genetic material from specimen "A" and doubling it up with the genetic material from specimen "B" will in FACT produce a problem.  And it is at that level of testing that we can say we believe there can be something done in a selective process to produce a better offspring.  THAT'S ADDRESSING THE BREEDING EQUATION FROM A SELECTIVE PROCESS WITH DEFINITE ANSWERS PROVIDED FROM GENETIC LEVEL TESTING.  So simple its ridiculously easy to understand for a fifth grader.  But, try explaining this to a long term dog breeder who has been trained through traditional practice to do all these physical tests and you'll have a fight on your hands.  TEll your story to a Medical doctor, and you'll get a nod of understanding and pity for those old school dog breeders.   Share this with a Geneticist and they will wholeheartedly back the Medical doctors in laughing at the old school dog breeders.

Puppy Pillow of LH Silver Weims

My numbers and my outcomes don't reflect the expectations of what the status quo wanted my family or the public to believe.  And therefore by choosing to march to the beat of the drum we're playing...we're actually far better off for it.  Our Clientele are benefiting far more from it and the puppies we produce will likely outlive any of the puppies produced by the status quo in the breeding world....  In fact our focus has always been towards genetic diversity.  And our quest is to realize a proof of concept that is based in common sense and an improved coefficient of inbreeding.  A lower coefficient of inbreeding.  Which in the long term will produce a dog that has a stronger immune system, a longer lifespan and far less health problems.  I call this a huge return on the investment in a companion animal that will likely require a decade or more of your dedication to its care and well being.  If the end result is a dog that spends far less time in the vet, less time adding to a growing veterinary bill and more time providing a lifetime of companionship and loving dedication to its human family,  Then I have far more to brag about than a physical test to ascertain only what we can see about a dog "living in the now".

Young Liver FCR 

Now, anyone who visits our blog, could easily have found out all the above by simply reading other blog entries.  I guess some people stop reading after the first paragraph in the first post they encounter, then skip to the last sentence and never really read anything more.  I can tell this when they hit me with the same old questions and expect that I give them a rebuttal.  When their answers were already provided in prior posts.  Instead they ask that I continually repeat myself and answer to them as if they are somehow the ultimate authority on just how things should be done when it comes to breeding dogs. So in my post here my ultimate rebuttal is.... The outcomes of my efforts are really exceptional to the point where these are bragged about in my posts and you can clearly read for yourself.  How have the outcomes of your efforts been?  And We're not asking you for the Champion status of your dog, or the Field Trial status of your dog or the pure bloodlines of your dog.  There's more than enough information out there for people who want to know the truth behind Pedigree dogs on how that old school line of thought has put all purebred dogs in a horrible  position with respect to hereditary defects, poor health, shortened lifespans and weakened immune systems.

We don't do things the way of the Old School... And all we have to show for it.... is nothing but goodness.

;-)

CHEERS.