Scratch to win

[Officially Retired]

Standing by ready for the internet spanking,...here goes.

LOL, nah, you're too good a member, making too many good posts here, to "spank"

I do not doubt the 87% success rate nor the 95% game rate when just factoring in the dogs. My questions have always been how you found 8.7 out of every 10 persons that were knowledgeable enough to allow 9.5 out of every 10 dogs sold/placed/produced to be proven game without being &^%ked up along the way. Over the years I have seen lots of ignorance (ignorance being just not knowing any better) and stupidity. I always wondered about the screening process.

That is a helluva question. First of all, my numbers are easy: 87% of my dogs win, and ~95% win or "lose game" ...

And that is exactly WHY I am so proud of my dogs and my breeding program is the very fact that they can win in ANYBODY's hands, damned near. All over the world, in just about every state, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, and Asia ... they either get off the plane and win (or they produce winners). Almost without exception.

And the reason is simply I breed for the solid foundation of excellence that CAN'T be ruined through human stupidity. If I am breeding for mouth, a bad keep can take away my mouth. This is why I never bred for mouth, it was too easy to lose and too easy to beat with other key traits. I breed for traits that are harder to get and keep, and IMPOSSIBLE TO LOSE, if there.

For example, NO keep can make a dog super-smart (he either is or he isn't); NO keep can make a dog naturally pace itself (the dog either has the sense to do this or it doesn't); NO keep can make a dog super-fast or athletic (he either is or he isn't). The only thing a keep can do is add muscular strength, muscular endurance, and stamina. That's it. The keep is NOT going to make the dog dead game, fast, smart, or super-athletic. These traits have to be there--and they will continue to be there even if the dog isn't right. They're also traits that the average dullard in dogs can't see and doesn't even look for. I would say the only thing 90% of people in dogs ever talk about is "roughness" and "mouth," and these are the first things to go in a blown keep. Yet a blown keep canNOT take away intelligence, natural aptitude/savvy, etc. Yet people laugh at things like "pacing itself," "smart," "stays out of trouble," "makes the opponent work/carry his weight," etc.

And that is why, in the end, my other handle is SmileWiper ... because, when the smoke clears, nearly 9x out of 10 the opponent who breeds for the simple Neanderthal traits of "mouth" and "roughness" winds up counting to 10 over his mutt when it faces one of mine

SAnd I say this because I have always believed across the board the dogs as whole are far better than they are given credit for because so many are crippled by their individual owners. I basically have more faith in the dogs than I do in man, sad, but true. (And I apologize for straying off topic). EWO

Absolutely. Which is why, as a breeder, I have had to breed dogs that can overcome virtually all forms of human stupidity. The trouble is, that can only go on for so long. You have people who (after a helluva win) will then continually match their dogs, without giving it proper rest ... or who continually spot weight ... or who continually feed shit food ... I mean, dogs are only human ... which is why the average owner almost always winds up losing their best animals at some point, and they don't have the sense to preserve them right with a proper breeding program. Very rarely do you get the whole package in an owner too.

So, ultimately, it can become an exercise in frustration and futility ...

[TopShelfKennels]

Very good post guys!!

[gameday]

I am not a fan of making it a stipulation upfront. It is a fine line between the sportsman aspect and the gambling aspect. If the other dog has stopped or been stopped and does not make his scratch I feel no obligation to show mine will. Mostly because if the other side has doubts about my dog after their dog has lost they have to pay to see him again. My concept at the show is not to prove my dog is game, or even find out if your dog is game, that should have been done long ago (will do a first time out on the cheap as a game check, but that is a different topic) at the show it is about winning. For me, it is a two man team. I can't ask him to do all that I ask of him, everything it takes to win, then when he wins, I ask him to do one more thing for nothing more than a display. The fruits of our labor must have a reward. EWO

awesome post!!!