Question ?

[THE DEALER! 77]

No, and I'm a gambling man.

As a pup is growing up on my yard I spend a lot of time every day with it and always look at it with optimism and hope it will do it's parents proud.

I couldn't spend 14 or 16 months looking at a pup and say to myself "I know your mother was useless, but hopefully you'll turn out alright."

And even if the pup did make the grade the fact that a useless terrier was bred from it will crop up at some stage, even after a few generations.

This is one of the reasons I believe that to breed from a good, honest worker is not enough.

IMO the potential brood or stud has to have come from a good litter, ie. it's siblings were also good workers.

If , say, in a litter of six, five are useless but one of them makes a top class , brilliant working terrier.

Is that terrier a result of good breeding or a freak, a fluke ?

I bet plenty of lads would breed from such a terrier.

why don't you answer your last two sentences of your post, instead of sitting on the fence.

[THE GENERAL 1,975]

I bred a litter a few years back, the pups that were kept for work all worked. One went as a pet to a family member. Now 3 dogs from the same litter ain't with us anymore, I have a bitch working from the same litter. The sire and dam have since been PTS so the litter cannot be bred again. So say something happened and i lost my bitch that would be the end of that line of workers that have went back as far I can work out at least 25 years. As much as I agree with most of what has been said above, I would admit I'd find it hard not to use that other dog (pet) if that situation did arise. Imo anybody that says the thought off doing the same wouldn't cross there mind let alone seriously consider it would have to be telling porkies! Who's to say the dog that is kept as a pet wouldn't have worked like all the rest if given the oppourtunity and if bred from wouldn't throw working pups like his sire did and his grandfather?

[BIG G wheton machine 1,594]

I bred a litter a few years back, the pups that were kept for work all worked. One went as a pet to a family member. Now 3 dogs from the same litter ain't with us anymore, I have a bitch working from the same litter. The sire and dam have since been PTS so the litter cannot be bred again. So say something happened and i lost my bitch that would be the end of that line of workers that have went back as far I can work out at least 25 years. As much as I agree with most of what has been said above, I would admit I'd find it hard not to use that other dog (pet) if that situation did arise. Imo anybody that says the thought off doing the same wouldn't cross there mind let alone seriously consider it would have to be telling porkies! Who's to say the dog that is kept as a pet wouldn't have worked like all the rest if given the oppourtunity and if bred from wouldn't throw working pups like his sire did and his grandfather?

I think id do the same general at least your honest to admit it, the grandsire of my pup is a belter dog called darkie (patt) and the grand dam was a great bitch dug single aswell all quary (lakie) same as the uncle and aunts of my dog all good workers but the mother of my pup was starting her work and an accidental mating with the hunt terrier dog also a great worker but the mother got shot by the huntsman for attacking horses all the time and had a hatred of them so was pts for that reason only so my pup has good breeding in him and has started work with good promise but his mother never got to prove herself. she had heart and so did all her litter same as grand parents so im happy to take the chance on my pup whos not afraid of teeth or the dark either and is keen as mustard everytime we go out. so how many would take the chance I did? only time will tell

[marshman 7,756]

Right lads so let me get this straight a few of you would breed a bitch , that was a untried pet or a bitch of lesser quality as long as it was of a tried and tested line that you knew ?

[Zerky 133]

If it was the only bitch available from a great line, Yes.

Edited May 14, 2013 by Zerky

[marshman 7,756]

@zerky. Fair play mate !

[Aeron 43]

If it was the only bitch available from a great line, Yes.

it is only a great line when tried + tested , to the max !

if there is a failure in the great line , you do not continue the blood-line with said failure !

well, that is my 2 cents worth !

[BIG G wheton machine 1,594]

Right lads so let me get this straight a few of you would breed a bitch , that was a untried pet or a bitch of lesser quality as long as it was of a tried and tested line that you knew ?

yes only as a last resort though, I got my pup free of charge anyway but he has started well and his blood lines are well tried and tested his grandsire isn't the biggest dog in the world but his heart is one of the biggest ive seen in any dog, his uncle is a hard grips dog doesn't lack heart or his aunts. his mum just got pts only for that reason of the horses. so ill happily give mine a fair go. he also self entered at 14 mnths old and never been at dig before that so looks promising

[Zerky 133]

 

If it was the only bitch available from a great line, Yes.

it is only a great line when tried + tested , to the max !

if there is a failure in the great line , you do not continue the blood-line with said failure !

well, that is my 2 cents worth !

 

Do you think there is such a thing as a great working blood line?

[foxdropper 17,092]

In my yard ,theoretical or not a useless bitch wouldnt be alive to breed from .Couldnt be arsed to read it all and sorry if its been said but that covers all defects i find .

[Cleanspade 3,322]

If it was the only bitch available from a great line, Yes.

 

if someone found a dog that was untried and went back to say. old brightmore stock or some other top working stock then i wouldnt hesitate. and i would have to join a que i reckon.

[jeemes 3,575]

I'm bored so a theoretical question for ya. Right you've got two bitches from the same litter that are bred from worker to worker, but one of the bitches is useless and the other bitch is mustard . So you breed both bitches to the same dog(before anyone says why would you breed a bitch that is useless remember its a theoretical question lol ) so my question is what one do you think will produce the most workers considering that the pups will share almost the same DNA ?

If the dog you were using as stud was the sire of both bitches and presumably he was also mustard,then you would bet on the good bitch producing the better percentage of workers. The percentages should improve with further inbreeding of the best specimens produced as the desired genes become more pure for the qualities needed.

[Aeron 43]

 

 

If it was the only bitch available from a great line, Yes.

it is only a great line when tried + tested , to the max !

if there is a failure in the great line , you do not continue the blood-line with said failure !

well, that is my 2 cents worth !

 

Do you think there is such a thing as a great working blood line?

 

in short - yes !

a family of dogs that produces a high % of digging dogs/bitchs , litter after litter , generation after generation , is a great bloodline !

to me , but it some have different opinions on workers and ''digging'' !

unless you're doing them big sprawling spots regular , well.......

[Zerky 133]

 

 

 

If it was the only bitch available from a great line, Yes.

it is only a great line when tried + tested , to the max !

if there is a failure in the great line , you do not continue the blood-line with said failure !

well, that is my 2 cents worth !

 

Do you think there is such a thing as a great working blood line?

 

in short - yes !

a family of dogs that produces a high % of digging dogs/bitchs , litter after litter , generation after generation , is a great bloodline !

to me , but it some have different opinions on workers and ''digging'' !

unless you're doing them big sprawling spots regular , well.......

 

In every great line of working dogs there has been bad uns that pop up now and again, And in every great line of working terriers there has been shite bitches bred off for one reason or another and them lines are still going now. And when a shit bitch has had to be lined they have thrown very good dogs and good producers. You could spend all year on this topic and it could get to a 1000 pages and it could still be debated, lol

[THE GENERAL 1,975]

 

 

 

 

 

 

If it was the only bitch available from a great line, Yes.

it is only a great line when tried + tested , to the max !

if there is a failure in the great line , you do not continue the blood-line with said failure !

well, that is my 2 cents worth !

Do you think there is such a thing as a great working blood line?

in short - yes !

a family of dogs that produces a high % of digging dogs/bitchs , litter after litter , generation after generation , is a great bloodline !

to me , but it some have different opinions on workers and ''digging'' !

unless you're doing them big sprawling spots regular , well.......

First your saying if there is a failure in the bloodline you do not continue. Though very few off all litters will work and if they do work they dont always work to a standard that may be asked off them. now your saying high percentages in bloodlines, but surely then there's a percentage off failure which conflicts with your first statement. If your breeding proven dogs and say you get 4/5 seasoned workers out off 7/8 pups in a litter you'd go again surely if needs be. I definitely wouldn't be saying it was a failure.