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Vizsladogs, Ltd.
The Value of the Brood Bitch
By Marion Coffman
The success of every dog breeder centers
primarily on the selection of the proper brood bitch. A single
producing bitch may be, and has been, more often than not, the
cornerstone of a successful line for any breeder, regardless of
how many big-name stud dogs they may own or use. Let me say
emphatically, when I use the word "breeder" I mean a
person who is interested in improving the breed – not
someone who "breeds" dogs while seeking a short cut to
the blue ribbons.
Why do I think the brood bitch is so important
to breeders, and why do I think that more careful research should
be given in selecting your brood bitch than the stud dog? The
bitch is the fixture on the strain. She contributes one of the
two chromosomes that determine each zygote, or embryo, and at
this point she (genetically speaking) contributes exactly one
half. But while the stud dog is through with the puppies at the
break of the "tie" the bitch is not. Her over-all
health and skin condition can affect the puppies. Her diet will
affect the puppies – so will her parasites, her general
care, but most of all, her type and temperament. While
temperament is genetic as well as an environmental problem, the
temperament of the puppies is more dependent upon the bitch than
the stud dog. The temperament of the bitch while she is carrying
the puppies affect the puppies. Her temperament while she nurses
them, while she cleans and cares for them just about fixes them
for life. Any temperament problem can be reduced more than one
half if we recognize it for what it is – a brood bitch
problem.
Selecting a really good brood bitch is much
more difficult than selecting a good producing stud dog. The main
reason being that the bitch is only capable of producing a small
amount of offspring in comparison to the stud dog. Realizing that
absolute perfection is hard to find, and a brood bitch MUST come
close to it, her whole conformation must be without one serious
fault. Her eyes should have proper color, and so must her coat.
Her bite must be perfect, and her head and breed-type must be
excellent. And, of course, her temperament must be perfect. She
need not be a top winner, but it is best if she has proven
herself by finishing her Championship title. She MUST have good
x-rayed hips, and be everything that you would want to also see
in her offspring. Then, when you have this individual that
impresses you so much, look "under the hood" at the
pedigree.
The ability to read and interpret a pedigree
from a breeder’s viewpoint is absolutely essential. The word
"pedigree" comes from a word that means literally
"crane’s foot". This is due to the resemblance of
the long, spreading toes of the crane. The word "family
tree" expresses the idea somewhat better. By analyzing the
family tree, do not count the number of big-name stud dogs.
Instead, study the genetic gene bank. In a five-generation
pedigree you will find 32 individual dog of which 16 are dogs and
16 are bitches. Those 16 bitches, genetically speaking, are
one-half of the gene bank but they could possibly constitute too
many bad genes in making up their mathematically one-half. This
study is more difficult than the research on the stud goes
because the bitches do not have the number of offspring, as does
the stud dog. And so her pedigree must show that she comes from
great producing families, not just a scattering of known kennel
names and Champions. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones who
know personally almost all of the dogs on your bitches pedigree.
In that way you would know exactly which ones are poor whelpers,
poor eaters, whether you liked their size or not, and which ones
had little idiosyncrasies, or mannerisms. The condition of all
things must be strong and free from any faults or the structure
upon which one builds will crumble. The same is true of the
foundation brood bitch, and each one that follows.
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