I can't comment on these lines in particular, but what I can give you are unimpeachable guidelines "in general" ...Originally Posted by Red Reign Kennels
In general, the biggest difference in any group of dogs being bred by any individual kennel would be in selection: namely, what each breeder selects for when he makes a breeding
As the breeder of my own family of dogs, I always selected for fast, smart, athletic, longwinded HEAD DOGS for most of my breeding of the Poncho bloodline ... However, later on, I started breeding for super-fast, high-powered finishers in the throat when I bred Silverback dogs ... but I never worked with these dogs as long as I did Poncho dogs.
Anyway, the point is, many rockheads have got their hands on my dogs and bred any damned dogs of mine together ... without regard for TRAITS ... and so, over time, their dogs would not be like my dogs even if they had nearly identical backgrounds. Yet many other people have gotten their hands on them and made some fantastic breeding choices!
On the bad end of the scale, I know people who have slow, ponderous Poncho/Mayday dogs that work the chest. They call them "Poncho dogs," but in truth they're nothing like my best Poncho dogs ... let alone anything like my best Silverback dogs. Sure, these dogs may produce some good dogs out of the mediocre batch, but I don't think they're going to get the nearly-uniform style that I've been able to get using what I like best
Why? Because they're rolling dogs and breeding the ones "that scratch" ... even if their style sucks, or if they have no air, etc. ... all they gotta do is scratch. Meanwhile I will be rolling the dogs out, getting rid of dogs that hit the chest, getting rid of dogs that shake the front legs, etc. ... even if they're game ... and I will be keeping and going forward only with long-winded head/face dogs that finish. Repeated over time, one man is going to have a bunch of sloppy-fighing dogs, and no general style expectancy, while another man is going to have a uniform yard of badass head/face dogs that finish.
Now then, if you apply this thinking to Tant, HOE, and Wac, then you need to ask each man what he breeds for and keeps ... and go with the the one whose selection process suits your taste/goals. Obviously, all of these guys have produced winners (and 2 of 3 are no longer active), but in general this is how you narrow down your search with any line: based on the selection standards (or lack thereof) of the breeder.
Jack
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