Picking from litter based on color?

[Officially Retired]

Maybe I don't have the understanding I need about genetics but I ne er claimed to be the best and Im always willingto learn something new.

Good, that is the way to be, willing to learn, and I am always willing to learn too

However, seeing as I have bred dogs for over two decades, and have been one of the very few who's been able to maintain a highly-successful family during the entire time, I would like to think I have a better understanding of how to breed dogs than the average bear. This doesn't mean I "know everything," but I do know more than most.

With that said how can you know what traits will come from a dog that is being breed for the first time. I mean if a dog has a trait and it has been passed down in the ped from generation to generation does that mean he will for sure pass it down also?

No one ever said "for sure," so you're building a strawman to knock down.

By knowing your dogs, and what's behind them, who produces what (and how consistently), you are simply increasing your odds of getting what you want ... but no one said anything about "for sure." For example, if you and I want to get a seal-colored finisher of a dog, which do you think will give us the greatest odds of success?:

1) Breeding to two unrelated red/rednose dogs with no finish?; or
2) Breeding to two highly-related seal-colored dogs, who both have finish, and who both share (and are linebred down from) a common ancestor with finish?

It's common sense my friend. Whatever trait you want to get, there are ways to dramatically-increase YOUR ODDS of getting it ... and there are ways of making it virtually impossible to get.

And if so, couldn't you study the ped and try to match the color of dogs w the trait you want to the pups in the litter such has black dogs in the ped have good finish will this better the chance of having finish in black dogs just asking to stay on topic?

As I mentioned in my first post, it is NOT just about the colors, but also about the traits of the pups as well, and I gave examples of seal-colored Silverback dogs who did not have the finishing trait. You cannot just follow the color (nor can you ignore dogs who don't have this color), but if you select BOTH the dogs who have the common color and the desired traits, you will dramatically-increase your likelihood of being able to replicate "that" in your breedings forever.

Hope this makes sense

Jack