My purpose in breeding Otterhounds is to produce a hound better than its parents. So far as I know, there has never been a perfect Otterhound! Gaining experience in breeding has made me realize that this is easier said than done. What makes a better Otterhound? Studying my Otterhounds is the important first step. It helps to have others familiar with the breed take a fresh eyeview of my hounds and make comments. I used to think it was best to look for the dog's good points to comment on but over time I have learned that it is critical to see what needs improvement. What are the areas where the dog does not conform to the ideals written in the standard? What breeding partner would bring strength to make this bitch's weakness closer to the ideal? Should this bitch be bred or not? Are there too many weaknesses to overcome? Those are the physical aspects of making a decision that are important for the overall picture we want to present not only for a confomation show dog but for the functionality of all the puppies.
Another consideration is the health of the hounds involved. Our recent breeding of Wicket required that we accepted only a dog documented clear of Glanzman's Thrombasthenia since she is a carrier. Fortunately, we achieved an improvement over the typical statistics because we got only 5 carriers out of twelve puppies from Wicket and Rufus. Statistics told us to expect 6 clears and 6 carriers. One of the most life altering health issues we can expect to deal with in Otterhounds is epilepsy. Spending all day going over the pedigrees of potential breeding partners yesterday did not yield any real answers except to remind me that this issue seems to be present in every dog's history. There are no tests today to tell us how to breed this out--it's not a simple dominant/recessive gene. Hip displasia is one more consideration since our breed is still rated the 4th worst among AKC breeds based on x-rays taken from 1974 through 2012. I am fortunate that most of our lines have passing OFA ratings which gives us a little more latitude in that area of decision making.
Beautiful temperaments are of utmost importance to me. A family companion must be good natured no matter what their family situation. I believe this is a trait that is a combination of nature and nurture. Looking at individuals I have had in my life, I believe early experiences strongly shape the development of a puppy. I try to breed dogs with a loving and gentle nature. Bruce and I then shape the puppies with a strong but loving experience in our home and choose families for them that will continue our efforts by taking them to classes, introduce them to gentle dogs and good people so they will truly become wonderful, interesting and trusting companion animals.
I still have a lot of thinking and studying to do before I put together my next breeding. I will be consulting my vets, other experienced Otterhound breeders and hopefully we will be successful in producing a better Otterhound to add to the world's population.
Another consideration is the health of the hounds involved. Our recent breeding of Wicket required that we accepted only a dog documented clear of Glanzman's Thrombasthenia since she is a carrier. Fortunately, we achieved an improvement over the typical statistics because we got only 5 carriers out of twelve puppies from Wicket and Rufus. Statistics told us to expect 6 clears and 6 carriers. One of the most life altering health issues we can expect to deal with in Otterhounds is epilepsy. Spending all day going over the pedigrees of potential breeding partners yesterday did not yield any real answers except to remind me that this issue seems to be present in every dog's history. There are no tests today to tell us how to breed this out--it's not a simple dominant/recessive gene. Hip displasia is one more consideration since our breed is still rated the 4th worst among AKC breeds based on x-rays taken from 1974 through 2012. I am fortunate that most of our lines have passing OFA ratings which gives us a little more latitude in that area of decision making.
Beautiful temperaments are of utmost importance to me. A family companion must be good natured no matter what their family situation. I believe this is a trait that is a combination of nature and nurture. Looking at individuals I have had in my life, I believe early experiences strongly shape the development of a puppy. I try to breed dogs with a loving and gentle nature. Bruce and I then shape the puppies with a strong but loving experience in our home and choose families for them that will continue our efforts by taking them to classes, introduce them to gentle dogs and good people so they will truly become wonderful, interesting and trusting companion animals.
I still have a lot of thinking and studying to do before I put together my next breeding. I will be consulting my vets, other experienced Otterhound breeders and hopefully we will be successful in producing a better Otterhound to add to the world's population.
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