Originally Posted by
Pistol
Only a select few kennels still breed and show their own stock these days, an art that has long been forgotten. Most of today's dogmen are hit & miss because they are unable to focus on one group of foundation stock, study their backgrounds, and then pull the best from it. Today's dogmen want a good dog NOW over having many good dogs later. They will buy, sell, and trade dogs in hopes of that good one landing in their lap that will earn them some respect; but then what? That dog loses, dies, or produces like crap and your back where you started from, and that's looking for another dog. Stick to a line and study the traits of the animals behind the ones you keep, know what to look for in your animals so you know what dogs you are throwing back on in hopes of recreation. Dogmen these days are too hard-headed and carry around that know-it-attitude, yet they are still always "looking" for new blood or dogs to show because the ones they are selling aren't worth the collars they are wearing. This is no ones fault but your own. Choose a line, learn it, and pull the good from it and you will have bulldogs for a lifetime.
Here is an example: You know a guy with a yard full of Boyles type dogs and they are all junk, so you being the cocky young know-it-all you are run and tell the world that Boyles dogs are junk because you have seen 5 quit on your pal's yard. Next thing you know you are in an arguement with a man who has a yard full of bulldogs from that same line because he had patience and was able to study, breed, raise, cull, and pull the best possible dogs he could from that strain of bulldogs. Like the famous quote from the movie "Colors" when the 2 bull were on a hill watching the cows graze in the pasture, and the baby bull said to his dad "Hey dad, lets run down the hill and f*#k one of those cows" and the dad says "No son, lets walk down and f*@k em all". I have much respect to the kennels who are still showing animals that they have bred and were able to continue with the same blood they have ran for years. Anyone can breed 2 animals together and come up with a bulldog, and some dogs can flat out just produce, but it takes a special person to consistanly produce bulldogs year after year using different dogs from the same blood. When I see a man with a good producing dog I tell him "this is great that you are able to show all your dog's sons and daughters, but will you still be able to show dogs when that same stud dog is dead and gone?"
Pistol,