Health Human Interest Breeding
Where Have All The Pure Breeds Gone
This seems like a rather strange question to ask as I sit writing this and beside me, curled up on the sofa and at my feet are 6 purebred dogs of various sizes. I am not going to deny that I am a pure breed fancier, exhibitor and occasional hobby breeder or as I like…
Conformation Judging Breeding
The Ostrich Syndrome
The Ostrich Syndrome can damage dogs in a number of ways. The ignorance, denial and fear it fosters in breeders can prevent genetic diseases from being identified and studied early enough to keep them from becoming widespread. Breeds which develop a reputation for being disease-ridden risk rejection by the public – including that part of…
Conformation Judging Breeding Structure
The Head of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Sideways, the foreface is about as deep ast is wide. This type of head, with a good stop and set with neat rose ears, is the ideal. It can be quick to punish, with ease of movement. The circumference of skull should be about the approximate height at the shoulder. This should also coincide
Conformation Judging Breeding Structure Q & A
Ask TSK – Q&A Hocks
The easiest way to explain this is to compare the Stafford hock to that of a rabbit. A rabbit must have an overlong hock because it must be able to quickly and purposefully get away from its prey. It does so by a very long and quick hopping motion so that it removes itself from…
Rescue
Foster Mom Enjoys Rewards Of Fostering
Our challenge was to get him ready for adoption. Our temporary tenant needed a lot of training before he would be ready to go to his forever home. The first two weeks were the hardest. In many ways, taking care of Atticus was like having a young puppy. He had no experience living among humans…
Breeding
Breeding The Big Picture
In the canine world, inbreeding is defined as breeding closely related dogs to each other, i.e. parent to offspring (vertically) or brother to sister or half-brother to half-sister (horizontally). Let me stress right away that inbreeding in itself can be a valuable tool to fix certain desired genes and should not be quickly