Originally Posted by
CA Jack
The thing about breeding dogs is this: there is no set "criteria" as to why you should/shouldn't inbreed, other than preserving the ability to win.
Clearly, the more positive traits from that list that you preserve, the better your chances are at "preserving something good," while the less elements that you preserve, the less your chances are of getting something worthwhile.
Almost every inbreeding decision I have made has proven to be a worthy effort, but a few have been a waste of time. But so it is with outcrossing: in fact, rather than being "blockbuster" breedings, I would say most outcrosses produce unremarkable dogs, either in performance ability or in producing ability. Still, selective outcrossing can produce something beyond what you have, so it makes sense to selectively experiment on occasion.
However, when linebreeding intelligently, even with the lowest-ability dogs from my efforts, I have still retained gameness for the most part and most of my average dogs can still produce ... while the best linebred dogs from my efforts were as good or better than any cross dog I've ever done.
As for what trait I am willing to sacrifice the most, it is mouth. It's not that I don't "try" for mouth, I just don't place a lot of stock in it. Some of my dogs bite pretty damned hard, to excellent, but most are about average. Yet, the hardest-mouthed dogs I've had have all gotten whipped at some point by the highest-ability dogs I have had, except in rare instances like Stormbringer or Missy who had both.
Therefore, if I can keep gameness, and if I have to make a "trade," I will always trade a helping of mouth for a helping of speed/ability ... as the dog who lands first controls the deal ... and a hard mouth is worthless when it's biting nothing but air ...
Jack
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