Picking the stud is where most amateur breeders fail. Too often they pick a stud that is convenient, or one that is famous, without assessing whether the stud will adequately compliment the bitch. The net result of such pairings is nothing more than a gamble - sometimes it works and often it doesn't.
When we were assessing the bitch, we developed a mental image of the ideal hunting dog. Ideally, we want our pups to fit this description. We want to breed pups better than their parents. As we have already assessed the strengths and weaknesses of our dam, we need to figure what characteristics we need in a stud to get us from her to our ideal pups. Surveying our checklist for the bitch should give us some idea of the characteristics we want in the stud. You might want to make a checklist for the stud as well, and then see if you can find a dog to match.
If our bitch already fits our profile of a perfect dog, and we want to ensure that the pups are as similar to her as possible, we should consider close line breeding or inbreeding. By such close breeding we diminish the genetic variation and increase homozygosity, heightening our chances of getting pups that are very close in appearance and behavior to their parents. On the other hand, we also increase the potential for genetic maladies such as inbreeding depression, hypoglycemia, etc. These risks have to be weighed against the benefits.
Assuming that the bitch is not perfect, and has some weaknesses we would want to see improved in the pups - then we need to find a stud that can do the job. The key to remember is that when you breed, genes don't mix like liquor in a martini. The pups will be a combination of the genes of their mother and father, not a mix. In a Martini, if you have too much vermouth you can add more gin to balance things out. With dogs, if you have a big running bitch and you want a more moderate range in the pups, you can't breed to a bootpolisher and assume it will wash out. What you will likely get is a litter in which half are big runners and half are boot polishers. You have to aim for what you want � not the opposite of your dam.
Finally, you have to make sure that the stud is healthy as well. He should be tested for brucellosis as well as any potential genetic problems.
ASSESSING A PEDIGREE
The fundamental reason for the existence of canine breed registries is to provide an accurate pedigree. A pedigree is a record of the genetic inheritance of a dog. As such, it can be extremely valuable in making breeding decisions. Typical pedigrees contain a record of the ancestry of a dog - generally out to five generations. A good
One word of caution about field trial titles. There are different types of field trial formats, and a dog requires different characteristics to win in these formats. If you are trying to tone down the range of your bitch, you certainly don�t want to breed to a line of all age field trial champions. FC or CH tells you the dog had the right stuff to win in its format. It doesn�t tell you in which format a dog competed for its championship. Nor does it tell you the characteristics needed to win in that format.. It�s up to you to find out these important facts. Also, don�t be put off of a great dog that doesn�t have many FCs in it�s pedigree. Many fine hunting dogs have no FC or CH in front of their names simply because their owners didn�t have the inclination or money to compete in field trials.
When comparing two pedigrees to determine breeding suitability you want to look for common ancestors � hopefully with some titles. These are genetic intersection points � genes that both dogs will have in common and will pass on to the pups. The closer these intersection points are to the proposed pup, the more shared genes it will have. The more shared genes, the more likely a pup is to �throw true,� (resemble in conformation, temperament, and ability it�s parents). However, the more genes the parents have in common, the greater potential for reproductive problems, and that the pups will exhibit genetic maladies (more about this in the genetics section). Therefore, most breeders try and balance the desire for a common genetic foundation to ensure that the pups will throw true, against the dangers of too much inbreeding. In my own case, I try and look for three or four intersection points (common ancestors) between the third and fifth generation, and if these intersection points are DCs, things get better and better!!
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