"How To Make A Puppy"

How To Make A Puppy!

 A Practical Guide for Dog Breeders

With 100+ Illustrations

 Sy Guth

Homespun Press Limited

Copyright © 2008

A well-rounded book on dog breeding.  The first time dog breeder will find the "common sense" and "best practice" guide a good platform to start their dog breeding experience.  The book is well illustrated with over 100 photographs, charts and diagrams that make understanding concepts easier.

Publication Date: 2008, 4th edition, eBook ISBN 978-0-473-13035-0, US Copyright Office - Library of Congress, No. TXu 1-572-238

Media - CD

Length:  272 pages

Illustrations:  150 photographs, charts, and illustrations

Book attributes: Not Printable / Requires code to unlock eBook

Available through Amazon in Print and e-Book format

e-Book = http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Puppy-Sy-Guth-ebook/dp/B00CXMLWLO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1413410730&sr=8-3&keywords=How+to+make+a+puppy

Print = http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Puppy-Practical-Illustrations/dp/1425162975/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1413410730&sr=8-3

Sample Text from eBook:

Table of Contents includes:
Introduction
Breed Standards
Keeping Records
Kennel Design for Breeding Dogs
Breeding Equipment
Reproduction and Mating
Nutrition for Dogs and Bitches
Pregnancy
Whelping
Newborns to Eight Weeks
Weaning Puppies
Vetting Puppy Buyers / New Owners
Appendices
Bibliography

Sample Text:

“Experience without theory is blind,
but theory without experience is mere intellectual play.”

                                                                                            Immanuel Kant

Chapter 1.  Breed Standards

Know What Your Breeding is Trying to Achieve

The foremost objective in breeding should be to improve the breed by breeding to a breed standard.  In other words, if a bitch or a dog has a fault, do not breed it to another bitch or dog with the same fault, but rather try to find a partner that can improve on the existing fault.  For instance, if a dog is weak in bend of stifle and rear assembly angulation, than breed to a dog strong in these areas.  If your aim is to achieve a lower hip score and are breeding from a bitch with a high score, than breed to a dog with a total single digit hip score such as 3:3=6.  According to Dr Willis in the UK, who has studied hip dysplasia for many decades, breeding a double-digit hip score dog to a single-digit dog should result in puppies with a three-point improvement to the breed average.  In Golden Retrievers for example where the breed average is 20, breeding a bitch with a total hip score of 18 to a dog with a total hip score of 6, should result in puppies with hip scores of 15.  For a more relaxed temperament, mate to a “bulletproof” dog.  To strengthen certain traits without compromising on others, breed strength to strength such as natural retrieving abilities.  First, know what you are trying to achieve with a mating, then select the dogs for the mating accordingly.  Fig 1-6 to Fig 1-9 ... (portion of discussion in this section)

Fig 1-1  The mating of the dam and sire should lead to improvement in the off-spring.

Fig 1-2.  Knowing the breed standard provides a “road map” for choosing the dam and sire for a mating, as well as the "pick" puppy(s) from a litter.

Coefficient of Inbreeding

Knowing the behaviour of the dam and sire intended for breeding, would help to evaluate the behaviour traits that may be carried on from the breeding.  But, what is the architecture involved and how does one achieve it?  It may help to know the coefficient of inbreeding (COI) percentages and blood percentages when breeding.  COI is not anywhere as exact as DNA testing will be in the future.  Currently, DNA can now detect some diseases, but the mapping process is nowhere near complete at present.  COI, coined by Sewell Wright in 1922, is the percentages of influence of ancestors in the two pedigrees of the dogs intending to be mated and is based on genetic probability not genetic certainty.  The breeder can calculate percent contribution of repeat ancestors by multiplying the number of times each ancestor appears in each generation by the percentage for that generation and then add all the calculated percentage numbers contributed together.  This can be done manually, but is tedious.  The genetic contributions of ancestor percentages by generation is as follows:

Fig 1-5 Chart of percentages by pedigree generation

(portion of discussion from this section)

... It is sometimes surprising to discover where the influence in a planned mating will come from and which of the dogs in a “what if” pedigree will be the stronger influence.  If a dog is highly inbred, it is fairly certain that that dog’s side of the pedigree will be the stronger influence in the mating.   Fig 1-6 is an example of a coefficient of inbreeding (COI) percentage mapping with temperature indicator on 20 generations from Standfastdata to provide the reader a better understanding of what is meant by COI.  This illustration is not intended to be read, but rather to indicate ancestor relationships through colour coding.

Fig 1-6.  Standfastdata “what if” mating pedigree showing COI temperature for each ancestor in a 5 generation pedigree.   Note the colour intensity in certain areas of the pedigree.  In theory, these “hotter” ancestors are where the strongest influence in genes will influence the offspring of this mating. 

Permission to use granted by Eileen Caisley www.standfastdata.co.uk.

(portion of discussion from this section)

Extras:

"The Schaferhund Pregnancy & Lapdog Weaning Canine Calendar" is software that generates a calendar from the first day of mating until the puppies are 8 weeks old and runs under MS Explorer.  It is included in the appendices of the book in a sample printed form.  The original calendar developed by Laurie Tollifson of Schaferhund German Shepherds, has been expanded by Lapdog Ltd to include the eight weeks following pregnancy -- tasks and day by day weaning formulas, plus shopping list with costs.  Laurie has granted consent for the expanded calendar.  Those who buy a copy of the e-book can email info@homespunpress.com to receive a free copy of the electronic calendar by return email.

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