What seem to take longer to improve in your lines ? Fronts, rears, heads, coat, getting bone, etc. I have had a struggle for years with one of these. Have a breeder/friend who had another on this list, that improves so slowly. Talking generations. Know we count on the stud dog for to much sometimes. Would love to hear from others.

.....toplines, tails?

I think one of the hardest things to keep in a line is fronts. I have worked hard on that area and finally am consistent producing the front I like.

My vet was recently at a seminar where the speaker said it takes about seven generations to correct shoulders.

FRONT assemblies!!!

Fronts and shoulders...and I think it depends on the bitch and the dog, and the lines they come from, but I personally don't think it takes seven years! That's too depressing! :-)
What is key to success in your breeding program is breeding to a stud dog that complements one or more qualities that your bitch lacks, and comes from a line prepotent for that quality for several generations. But dogs are not just an assemblage of parts, so the whole dog needs to be taken into account when chosing a stud to complement your bitch. This is where the hard-working, goal-oriented and ethical breeders who have been slowly improving the breed for decades become so important to us; they have done their homework and produced a product (stud dog) that is prepotent for many of those positive qualities our breed is known for, including temperament and type as well as fronts, shoulders, coat, head, etc. Get the nicest bitch you can, breed to one of these lovely stud dogs from someone's 10th or 15th generation, keep the best from that breeding, breed that to something even nicer, keep the best from that, etc.
Far cry from breeding to "the dog of the day," or fudging OFA xrays so someone can churn out more puppies!

Fronts, fronts, fronts! They are always the hardest to get good ones. Easy to put on heads.
Aloha,
Jackie

Think you have said heads are easy before. But I don't find this. What about others ? Fronts must be what the most are working to improve. Just don't loose the nice rears. I have notice that the rears are not as nice as a few years ago. Need both for that balance and easy movement. IMO and very general statements I know. Thinking in my own lines what to watch for and try to keep, going forward.

Toplines for me. But then everyone knows I
never let my dogs go without a meal.
Just ask the judges.

"Fronts and shoulders...and I think it depends on the bitch and the dog, and the lines they come from, but I personally don't think it takes seven years! That's too depressing! :-)"

Robin,
The seminar wasn't lab-specific so I don't know if there would be a difference between breeds.

I really don't understand years, as much as generations. I can understand breeding a daughter and getting better than her mother and a granddaughter being still somewhat better. But what does 7 years mean ?

Part of the reason you see improvement in fronts while losing rears is you obsess on fronts and forget about everything else. I agree fronts are difficult, especially if the problem is a short upper arm. Tails are pretty easy. I'm not sure I agree with Jackie about heads. I think it depends on your bitch. My foundation bitch could keep her head on anything, but I haven't seen that in others. The other thing she could be counted on for was a decent front - not perfect, but decent. We bred her to a dog that had everything we were looking for to complement her, except he had a horrible front. Didn't matter - I knew what she would do with that. She did it, and we kept two and finished them both. You have to know what you've got to work with.

I disagree that heads are the easist thing to "fix". I have a bitch that goes back to a pretty famous dog (in his day). She has his head (and ears) and they continue to pop up in all of her produce. However, she has a lovely body (front and rear)even to this day (7 1/2 years young)and seems to produce that along with the heads I am not wild about.

I guess I am adding my 2 cents because it is important to look at the whole picture rather than only looking at one area to improve...Best of Luck!!