Who remembers the Terrier Type Stud issues? They were gold!

We still have this information available to us through our database. We also still have this information to us by picking up the phone and having real conversations.

Back in the day a stud dog owner would often test mate a dog back into the top and bottom of the pedigree to see what strengths/weaknesses came through, before offering at public stud. Any breeder worth their salt knew that their dog could not help all and, thus, was not offered to all. They were selfless that way. A breed's purpose being a priority, satisfying John Q. Public did not enter into the picture the way it does today.

Choosing a sire is a process that should never be entered into lightly. This cannot be emphasized enough. Early in the process, one must have earned respectable titles and clear health testing requirements.

Following these initial considerations must include: Why are you breeding? What do you know of your bitch's pedigree? Do you know her background based upon hands-on experience? What are her strengths? What are her weaknesses (they all have them)? What do you know of the longevity of the line? Do dogs in the pedigree age gracefully or go coarse? These questions and many more need to be answered before one can choose a sire.

And in choosing a sire, the same process applies. Breeding to a dog based on a photograph or hear-say, is the equivalent of not doing your homework. Every effort must be made to research all that you can. Have you met this dog outside of the show bringing its home environment?

Considerations must also include the following:

1. Never select a dog for a single trait over the whole dog. You could lose more than you gain.
2. Beware of promotion.
3. When breeders rush to breed to the same stud dog, is when a breed gets backed into a corner. We have been there, done that and subsequently learned painfully, the hard way, haven't we?