Page 117 - Aussie Magazine - 2024 Issue 3

1. Be objective about
your bitch’s good
and bad points, and
priorities which are
most important.

The chances of finding a stud
that complements all of your
bitch’s weak areas is low, but it
makes sense to focus on dogs
that don’t share many of her faults
and, more importantly, don’t
share her more-significant faults.
Even better, find a stud that has
corrected the same weak points
when bred to other bitches.

2. Learn as much as
you can about the
inheritance of the
traits you need to
change.

If your bitch’s undesirable trait is
inherited as a simple dominant,
then the stud dog may not be able
to correct it, even if he doesn’t
have that trait. If your bitch’s
undesirable trait is inherited as a
simple recessive, then the stud can
only correct it if he does not exhibit
the same trait, and even then some
puppies may still inherit the trait if
he carries a recessive gene for it.
By looking at the stud dog’s
ancestors, you can gauge how likely
it is that he might carry a recessive
gene. If an undesirable trait is
inherited polygenically (by the
combined action of several traits),
then the stud may only be able to
correct it part way, depending on
how affected he is. You can get
clues about what hidden polygenic
genes the stud might carry by
looking at his siblings.

A Worldwide Magazine for the Aussie • Issue 3/2024 | 117