Selection of the brood bitch

The brood bitch represents the most important capital asset of the breeding kennel. The essentials of a good brood are:

1. Correct breed type, as few faults in appearance as possible, and with an impeccable pedigree.
2. Sound temperament
3. A good, easy feeder
4. Fertility

I put fertility last, as unless you have approached essential 1, 2 and 3, it does not matter whether the bitch is fertile anyway, for she should not be bred from. There have occasionally been matrons that were ugly duckling but who produced high flyers, but such bitches represent too great for them to be worth a while. Good brood bitches are scarce and valuable, but you cannot afford to let the standard of your choice sink too low. A saving factor in the matter of breeding is that the best stud dogs can be used for a reasonable amount.

When a breed is on the upgrade and in the public eye, a heavy demand for puppies results. Irresponsible breeders try jump on the band wagon, buy any available bitch and mate her to the nearest stud dog, trying to catch a quick profit. This is the appalling state if thing. It works for a litter or two but strangely, does not pay dividends. Only sincere breeding policy can do that. As the kennel grows, sentiment should be put aside, and the broods culled. This should be done not only from the financial aspect, but also with a view to increase the quality of stock subsequently produced.

It is a great help to record such points as type of whelping, how many puppies, and what sort of mother bitches from given families make, as the breeding is strong factor in these points, and if a particular strain produces bad whelping, small litters or unthrifty puppies, it should not be kept in the kennel.