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<p class=MsoNormal>Breeding a mother to son, father to daughter, brother to
sister is called <b>in-breeding</b>. Most reputable breeders will not
breed that closely. While it *<b>can</b>* accentuate desirable traits, it
is more likely to breed problems. It is not something we would do intentionally.
Sometimes an “oops” breeding occurs, especially when a female has
what is called a *<b>silent</b>* season, one without any external signs,
although we have not had one (thank goodness!).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Line breeding is different from inbreeding. Line
breeding involves breeding relatives but they are more distantly related.
Perhaps the best example of line breeding is what is called a “King’s
Ranch” breeding, based on a breeding program perfected in thoroughbred
horses on King’s Ranch. The premise of this breeding is to breed a
male whose sire is the grandsire of the female on her mother’s
side. In breeders terms: the sire of the sire is the grandsire of the dam
on the dam’s side. We recently did a breeding of this type (too
early to tell if there are puppies!) -- Johnny was bred to
Chrissie. Johnny’s father was Morey. Chrissie’s
grandfather, on her mother’s side, was Morey. In human terms, it is
a maternal uncle to a niece. This degree of distance is *<b>safe</b>* in
terms of genetics and still preserves the desirable traits. Of course,
you have to look at the dogs themselves also – temperament, health,
structure, etc. before you do any breeding. It is not a clear cut
issue – there are many variables that have to be carefully considered. Also,
to maintain a broad enough gene pool, most breeders *<b>go out</b>* and breed
to a line outside of their own lines from time to time, simply to prevent the
breeding from being *<b>too tight</b>* and to provide more stability to the
breeding program. That is why it is so important to know history,
pedigrees, health of ancestors, temperament of ancestors – not just who
is the *<b>prettiest</b>* or who is the top winner this year. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>I am sure there are other breeders who can add more clarity
to this.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Sandi Wittenberg - Red Bay Bassets<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>sandi@redbaybassets.com<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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