Here's one for all you breeders to puzzle out.


The other day I came across a certain dog on a website who, at first glance, seemed a lovely specimen of the breed. Upon checking his parentage, I realized that he has some very smart breeding behind him--breeding that would go beautifully with the lines my guys carry. He has his clearances and doesn't live too far away. So far so good.

The only thing that bothers me about him is that in not one, but two of his photos, he looks positively swaybacked. (A noticeable dip in his topline, just in front of the hips.) Not so good.

Ah, but wait! This dog is a UK import, and apparently won a class 3rd at Crufts as a Yearling, and under Marlene Hepper (Mardas), no less! And she had this to say about him:

"Beautiful melting head and expression, good bone and substance, lovely clean neck and front, short coupled, strong in quarters, coat just starting to blow, moves well."

Surely she would have noticed if he'd had an obvious structural fault, wouldn't she? It would seem that an expert judge would be able to tell more in person than a glance at a photo could reveal, right? I mean it could just be a crappy photo...or several...

So my final dilemma is this: Is there any chance he developed it SINCE then? We all know that iffy puppy problems can smooth out by maturity, but what about the reverse? Could a well-put together youngster later go bad?


What are your thoughts?

If he's reasonable close, go for a drive and see him in person. Or, ask for some additional photo's that are current and show his side profile.

You really would have this much dilemma over a picture of a dog? Call the dog's owner, go see for yourself, put your hands on the dog, run your palm down the center of his back.
Do you really breed to a picture? May I suggest you stop looking at pictures, and go see the dog!

I would agree that you need to go see the dog in person. I would not breed to a boy I hadn't met. JMHO

In the past, I have bred to boys I've never seen and did not ever regret it. Nowadays, (in this digital age) you just can't trust any photo. I can make any dog look like a million bucks in Photoshop as well as most everyone I know. I would think that they would do what they could to make the dog look better, not worse. Of course his topline can go bad later on. He may just be high in the rear right now depending on his age. Yep, go see him.

Thanks for the input, guys!

No, I do not "breed to pictures", nor was I waiting checkbook in hand to mail off the stud fee. This was purely hypothetical (at least for right now...) I just found it curious and wondered if that kind of thing can and did happen.

Cheers!

Emily, have you seen any of his puppies, preferably from litters of familiar bloodlines to you? This may help to see if this is something that he is passing on to his get (if, in fact, there is an issue with his topline). See if you can find any pics of close relatives of the dog. This may also be a clue.

Good luck.

Stud dog hunting is kinda fun, fascinating and frustrating lol