WINDROCK

Home of BIS,SBIS,HIT
& BIF winning Greyhounds!

What responsible breeders do~

The story below illustrates how ethical and caring dog breeders identified and banded together to eliminate an eye defect plaguing the Irish Wolfhound. A trademark of a good breeder is honesty. All lines in all breeds of dogs have concerns. If in your quest to acquire a new companion you contact a breeder who denies having any problems--these are usually the kind that don't health test breeding stock either--you had better go looking some place else. A reputable breeder will offer full disclosure and  has health screened the parents and therefore has made informed decisions about the mating. 

Upd

 

The Dutch Breed Club for the Irish Wolfhound ( Ierdie ) has asked the Irish Wolfhound Foundation  ( S.I.W. ) to work together to organise and draw up an inventory for RD* in the Irish Wolfhound population registered with the Dutch Kennel Club.

The S.I.W. has many years experience in  organising various health inventory’s

for the Irish wolfhound. Breeders that breed according to the rules of the S.I.W have agreed amongst other tests to have all their puppies tested for RD* by a recognised eye specialist before they are placed / sold to their new homes.

This agreement begun some years ago when the eye problem RD* was discovered in a stud dog belonging to a breeder of the S.I.W. When it was discovered that this eye problem was not only in this line but was also in other lines the breeders decided to have their breeding stock and all their puppies tested for this eye problem. All the results of these tests are made public by the S.I.W. so that every breeder / owner can have access to the information available to try to prevent this recessive inherited disease spreading like an oil slick through our breed.

We celebrate this cooperation between the Ierdie and the S.I.W.  and hope the members of the Ierdie will in large numbers support this inventory and will  have  their dogs tested for this condition. We also hope they will just as the breeder /owners of the S.I.W.  give the results of the test to be made public. This is for the good of the breed.   

* Retina Dysplasie (RD) is an inherited disease of the eye. It is a retina

abnormality causing folds in the retina. The amount of folds can be minor ( focal form ) but can also be in a more extended form ( geographical and total form ) In the last stage there is sight failure in various grades of sight loss.

This disease is also found in other breeds.

We will keep you informed  of any developments in this inventory.

Ierdie website

S.I.W website

"Great spirits have always encountered opposition from medicre minds. The medicre mind is incapable of understanding the Man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and choses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly."

                                                         ~Albert Einstein

The Truth about Popular Sire Syndrome

Experienced dog show breeders and novices alike often hear a lot of incorrect and misleading information about "popular sire syndrome" and the smallness of the AKC Greyhound gene pool. Here is an article with an educated perspective written by Dr. Carmen Battaglia~             

 Founders Effect
Popular Sires and Their Effects On Breeding Programs

By Dr. Carmen Battaglia

When a popular sire appears in so many pedigrees that it causes the gene pool of a breed to drift in the direction of that sire, the gene pool loses genetic diversity and the phenomena is called the "Founders Effect". The underlying fear from this phenomenon is that one dog will have an extraordinary effect on his breed through his genetic influence. This includes not only his qualities but whatever detrimental recessives he carries. The excessive use of inbreeding and line breeding on such a dog will further reduce genetic diversity. Eggleston (2000) reported on the range of genetic diversity among the AKC breeds. She constructed a continuum for all of the breeds. At one extreme, she placed the Bull Terriers which had the least amount of genetic diversity. This means that they tend to be line or inbred. At the other extreme were the Jack Russell Terriers who she found to have the most amount of genetic diversity. This means their pedigrees were for the most part the result of outcross breedings. This meant that the ancestors tended to be unrelated to each other.

In the world of purebred registered dogs, it can easily be demonstrated that the most popular dogs are those who are more likely to have influence over future generations. At the same time, these same animals can also be shown to have contributed a disproportionately higher number of defective genes into the gene pool of their breed. In the case of a "Founder", who is usually a popular stud dog, there are four reasons
to explain why such a dog will have produced a higher number of defective traits than other stud dogs who are not well-known and who are used less often.

A prominent stud dog including a "Founder" is usually well-known and popular. This is because the breeders choose to use them based on what they produce and their winning offspring that have been observed by many exhibitors and breeders. If several poor quality pups are produced, gossip about them usually spreads quickly which causes others to avoid using them. Hence, their status is reduced to a lower popularity.

It can also be shown that there are other sires that will have produced the same defects. Less will be known about these sires because they will be used less often and they will have fewer litters and offspring to be seen. These less popular studs may have produced the same number of defective traits and health problems, but the gossip about them is controlled and minimized because fewer breeders are involved and there are less offspring to be seen. It must be remembered that in order for a genetic disease or a recessive trait to exist in a breed there must be three kinds of dogs. Those that are affected, the carriers, and the normals. Suffice it to say that popular sires and those called the "Founder", are animals that are widely used. These dogs will have a better chance to come in contact with carrier bitches, which is why they will have more opportunities to produce genetic problems than the other stud dogs that are only bred a few times.

When a pedigree begins to show an over-emphasis on one individual, the traits of that individual are generally well-known. It makes no sense to exclude such a dog, a "Founder" or one of his close relatives without good reason. It must be remembered
that each time a breeding occurs, one-half of the genes of the sire and one-half of the genes of the dam are carried forward to their new pups. By the third generation, only 25% of the grandparent's genes are carried forward. The impact of one dog even if he were the "Founder" would have been minimized.

When a stud dog that is closely related to the "Founder" is bred to an unrelated bitch, only 50% of his genes will appear in their pups. Thus, the effect of the "Founder" is
reduced and will continue to be reduced in each subsequent generation simply by using an outcross. These breedings will dissipate rather than concentrate the genes needed to retain and strengthen traits. The continued use of an outcross is equiva-
lent to throwing genes away. A better strategy is to analyze each pedigree that includes the "Founder" or one of his other close relatives to see what traits and risks are involved.

In every breeding there will be some degree of risk. The key is to minimize the potential for problems. For example, if the "Founder" was a quality dog known to produce desired traits it would make no sense to eliminate him or a pedigree with
him in it just because he had produced an undesirable trait. If the "Founder" was a popular dog, what he produced is a reflection of the pedigrees bred to him. Because he was popular explains why he has produced some or all of the undesirable traits known to his breed. A certain percentage of these bitches will have been carriers. Avoiding these popular dogs because of a known fault provides a false sense of security based on undefined "fears". It makes more sense to make decisions about their use after their pedigree has been analyzed for breadth and depth for the traits desired along with what they have produced.

Planned breedings are the best way to avoid problems. A breeder's objective is to find the best stud dog for each bitch. Experienced breeders know there are always risks. It is the novice who continues to avoid using the popular sires because they are perceived to have produced faults. Their preference is to use unknown and untested dogs that have little or no track record. Experienced breeders know to avoid using the untested sires because they represent test breedings which are nothing more than the breeding of "likes to likes", "winners to winners", etc. These are not effective ways to retain traits. A series of planned breedings using a variety of relatives (close and distant) has been shown to be a superior method.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carmen L. Battaglia holds a Ph.D. and
Masters Degree from Florida State
University. As an AKC judge,
researcher and writer, he has been a
leader in promoting ways to breed bet-
ter dogs. The author of many articles
and several books, he is a popular TV
and radio talk show speaker. His semi-
nars on breeding dogs, selecting sires
and choosing puppies have been well-
received by breed clubs all over the
country. Those interested in learning
more about his articles and seminars
should visit the website
http://www.breedingbetterdogs.com

                

 BIS/SBIS Ch Shazam's The Journey Begins JC

                                    OFA Hips-Elbows/CERF/Thyroid and Heart Cleared

             There is no doubt that Bubba is a "Founder" Sire!   He is one of only three show bred Greyhound sires to have sired 14 litters--the others being Ch Gallent Major Motion and Ch Solstrand Double Diamond. Bubba's impact is far reaching in the breed today.  He is the Top Sire of All Time!  No other greyhound has ever sired as many champions as he did.--in this country or anywhere else. 

What sets Bubba apart from most of the other influential Greyhound sires is that he was one of a very few sires that was fully health screened, OFA/ CERF/Thyroid /Heart. WINDROCK policy required females mated to him to have OFA/CERF screening. For this reason, the incidence of health problems that affected his get was very low.  

 Like other big winning dogs, Bubba was and remains to this day, a very controversial dog. He was a Greyhound of great extremes--long extreme head, long, long neck and had a huge, ground -covering sidegait.  He was a flashy dog, a highly marked white and red particolor and possessed an electrifying presence. He had the "look of eagles " and a proud manner that clearly indicated that he surely owned the ground he stood on. You couldn't help but notice him, and it was hard to take your eyes off of him when he moved-he so inspired and captivated his audience.

  Great dogs, like great men have their detractors. It matters not what those who didn't really ever know the dog  have to say--Bubba was what he was and not everyone who saw him liked him.  History proves that Bubba was rewarded by the most prominent judges of the day. Both Mrs. James Edward Clark and Mrs. Michelle Billings gave him BIS wins over the top dogs in the country. Not only did the dog sire a  record number of worthy champions, but his influence carried and waxed in following generations.

At Windrock, we have found some of our best greyhounds feature Bubba in the third generation. That is truly the hallmark of a proponent sire!

WINDROCK had the foresight to retain frozen semen from Bubba and in the not to distant future it may be  possible that a red and white youngster with dark luminous eyes possessing an arrogant air lordly steps in to the  ring. And those knowledgeable in Greyhound lore will know instantly without glancing into their catalogs who the sire of that dog is! 

 

The Journey hasn't ended. It has only begun . . .