Breeding - goals and priorities
Ever since I - more than 30 years ago - knew I wanted to breed dogs one day, I have had many thoughts about the way to do it in a way which was ideal for my breeding dogs, my puppies, for the breed as such and for my puppy buyers.
I bought my first purebred dogs, two Briards, in the mid-80s in Denmark and France respectively. The French breeder in de la Porte de Choisy quickly became an idol to me. She knew her bred, knew how she wanted to breed, took responsibility for her breeding and had time for a chat not only when things went well but also when things didn't go well. If I should become a breeder, I wanted to become such a breeder.
My thoughts on breeding.....
Anyone can have a litter of puppies, but not everyone can breed.......or to put it differently... Anyone can mate a bitch with a male and have a litter of puppies. Being a breeder is something quite different.
A breeder has a puzzle to solve. And the pieces must be placed so that health, mentality and appearance make a higher unity. A good breeder look back and keep the dog's original appearance and usage in mind to ensure the future specimens reflect the breed's unique characteristics and original type. For this purpose, a breeder uses pedigrees and health data on different sites around the world. We also often have pictures or have met the dogs in the pedigrees we plan from, we look to some extent at show results and have contacts with other enthusiasts worldwide.
A good breeder
has a special obligation to socialize their puppies, in order to assure the puppies quickly
settle into their new home and bring joy and pleasure. I also think that as a breeder, you have an obligation to ensure puppy and owner are comfortable with
each other and to help the puppy buyer to deal with challenges. An obligation
to keep track of whether the puppies are developing as intended, to push for DNA
tests for hereditary diseases, and to push for HD and patella dislocation. We
cannot - and should not - control our puppy buyers, but we can explain and, do our best for
them, our puppies and our breed.
My goals
My goals are
- to breed dogs which easily thrive in a normal family
- to breed healthy and happy dogs
- to breed dogs that are just as strong, agile, smart and have the same temperament as the original Tibetan Terrier
- to breed dogs, which looks good in the show ring, but which also has a temperament enabling them to do well in other sports, such as obedience, agility, perception training, nosework, rally, as service dogs etc.
My priorities
When I choose my breeding dogs, I do not compromise!
The parents of my puppies are basically always
- good and nice dogs
- according to what the standard calls for and with respect to the original type of Tibetan Terrier
- all over healthy dogs
My breeding bitches have puppies at the earliest when they have passed 3 years in order to ensure the bitch is both physically and mentally mature to become a mother. No bitch over 6 years old will be mated.
In terms of health, I only breed dogs free from HD, i.e. with HD status A or B and who are free of patellar dislocation (loose kneecaps). And if one of my dogs has HD B, it will only be mated to a dog with HD A. I have had a dog with HD myself, and it was not fun for the dog.
I only breed with dogs DNA tested free from the hereditary diseases, it is possible to test for. And if a dog has a gene for a hereditary disease, it is only mated with a dog that is free. This is how I make sure my puppies don't get any of the hereditary diseases you can DNA test for, and how I do my best to ensure the breed as such stays healthy. .
I do not breed with dogs having allergies or dogs that occasionally have to go to the vet to be treated for minor things.
I only breed dogs that have a good temperament. Never with nervous, very reserved or aggressive dogs.
Of course, I also pay attention to the appearance. I don't want to breed with extremely angled and "overtyped" dogs or with "overcoated" dogs that need clipping.
In short, I want to breed Tibetan Terriers of the type prescribed for by the breed standard, ie. well-built natural dogs which can move, have the typical beautiful strong head, large flat feet and a good strong double coat. In other words, I breed to keep the type of Tibetan Terrier which even today could to survive in the harsh nature of Tibet.
I don't breed to get a certain color or marking. If one does so, it easily means one have to compromise with other, much more important things. So if you as a puppy buyer think a specific color is a must, you have to find another breeder. But of course, it is ok to have preferences. To me, all colors and markings are equally beautiful.
Some think exhibition titles are important. With all due respect to exhibitions and judges.... Titles are fun to get, but if you exhibit long enough and in the right places, most dogs shown by a good exhibitor will get a title sooner or later. I know which type of Tibetan Terrier I want to breed and what it should look like, so I don't chase titles.
The dogs that become parents to my puppies therefore don't necessarily have many titles, if any. Mrs. Smith, who does not want or can afford to present her dog at a lot of shows, but who has a typical, beautiful, good, healthy and with a nice temperament, has in my opinion a dog just as good as the one with many titles and a such a dog might very well be the father of my puppies. Males with titles of course too 😊
Having raised a number of litters, one discovers that things don't always go as planned. But one can do ones best!! And I do, as do the vast majority of serious breeders of our breed all over the world, all the time my very best.
I spend a lot of time keeping in touch with my puppy buyers. Let's call it KaTaYa's lifelong hotline.