dog breeding - Page 2

nature [ genes] vs nuture [ experiences and environmnet] -- 50 % /50 %.... that is the contributaion affecting the way a dog/person develops and outome is dtermined ! -- regarding geneitcs : 50 % from the dam and 50 % from the sire - this is the distrubution of the genes . -- that is the empirical , undisputed factcs !! BUT /..... ANYONE that has bred canines , especially GSDs , if they are intuitive and well experienced will tell you withpout an empirical evidence [ and i do not know but it's true] the DAM is hte most important aspect tol the breeding program .. now for years .. and i still cannot understand why , the male seems to get all the glory .. especially in the seiger shows -- as for me ... AHH .. i keep a close eye out and on the seigerin !! because she is the more pivotal in a breeding program -- anyone carfe to disagree -- .. if you do .. come talk to me after 20 years that YOU HAVE BRED .. I ASSURE YOU ..EVEN WITHOUT SCIENTIFIC DATA -- YOU WILL SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY

If looking for a pup I always look at the breeders with the best females due to the fact so many people concentrate on getting a good male but settle for an average female.

The sire and dam contribute equally to all breedings. It's all about how those genes pair up and which half of the gene each parent passes on to its progeny, the half they inherited from their sire or the half that is inherited from their dam. It's a random pairing, like tossing a coin. After that paring takes place, the phenotype of the progeny depends on other things like expression and modifying genes, also inherited in pairs, one half from each parent. I agree that there is too much emphasis placed on the sire (in most breeds)and more attention should be paid to selection of the dam, both phenotypically and genotypically. Not because the dam is a stronger influence, because you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Factoring into the equation that most GSD breeders rarely linebreed makes it even more important to pick parents that excel in all areas of concern from parents and g-parents that are also strong in those areas.