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© Feb 2001 Bobbie Impellizzeri |
It's a rare treat to find Novices entering the breed who are smart enough to research the Breed, seek out reputable GSD breeders, buy guaranteed puppies, and ally with their pup's breeders and other knowledgeable and successful Fanciers. It's every breeder's dream to find their puppy owner studying, going to conformation or training classes, and showing and/or training the puppy. It's especially rewarding when the puppy owner asks (and acts on) their advice regarding the health and welfare of their puppy, as well. However, It's incumbent upon advice-givers to be very cautious and very sure of the advice they give.
I got a call from some very nice puppy owners, much like the ones described above. Their puppy was approaching preliminary x-raying age and the breeders had advised them they should soon have hip and elbow x-rays taken. VERY GOOD ADVICE. They were not at all opposed to the procedure, but a little confused, since another GSD breeder told them they really needn't bother until the dog was two. They called me for a third opinion.
I have to admit I was shocked at hearing the advice of the second breeder - a very knowledgeable, reputable, successful person, but after 20 years in the Breed, I've come to NEVER accept anything as de facto unless I hear it from the ‘horse's mouth.' I said that I would check with the second breeder to see if perhaps there was some misunderstanding as to what that person had actually advised. And - Since nothing would change my opinion or best advice anyway, I then gave it.
| "You asked for MY opinion
and advice....which is - OF COURSE YOU SHOULD HAVE PUPPY PRELIMINARIED
!!!! Without good hips and elbows you are TOTALLY wasting your time
and money (and the Breed's future) campaigning a dog to title, and certainly
wasting your time, money and future prospects of ever breeding.......(please
read my article, "The Human Factor in HD" and especially take note of the
final paragraph)
"Now - what you DO with the information you get from preliminaries on HIPS AND ELBOWS is the REAL issue. Let's say the absolute WORST is true and PUPPY has identifiable HD. You're having fun showing, training, meeting people and LEARNING about the dog 'game' by doing. No one is telling you you must immediately STOP all your activities.....let's face it: dogs make better companions, are happier and healthier when they are active and doing things. "You could continue your learning-by-doing process (some showing, some training, etc.), as long as you have enough money to support your habit AND SO LONG AS YOU HONESTLY COMMIT TO REMOVING THE DOG FROM THE BREEDING POOL......In a lot of ways, many people (show owners) would not even agree that you should still show, because if you take the points with a dog who has NO FUTURE IN THE GENE POOL, you're taking a valuable resource (title and points) away from the dogs which DO have a future in the gene pool. "The BIGGEST drawback to continuing on with a dog identified to have HD or ED is that if you are SERIOUS about the breed, on average you will WASTE at least 2 years of your time that would have NORMALLY moved you towards producing a litter of your OWN. The REAL kudos, the REAL fun, the REAL goal in all this (for serious fanciers) is the breeding of fine dogs with YOUR kennel name on them! "So - back to the original question - in MY opinion, you absolutely should have hip and elbow preliminaries done, AND take the final proper step that makes it worthwhile......SUBMIT THEM TO OFA FOR CONSULT! Just having a vet tell you they "look okay," or giving you a consult sheet that says "normal for age and sex" is worthless (for the Breed) in the final analysis. OFA needs to evaluate them and keep them in their database......." |
After giving the puppy owners this advice, I spoke with the second breeder. I told him the advice I had given and then asked if he had, indeed, told the puppy owners to wait until 2 years of age? That led to me getting jumped on for having given faulty advice without ‘knowing the whole story.' (Not that there is ANY story that would change my advice, but my curiosity was piqued) I was told that the puppy owners clearly told him they were SO in love with the puppy they would NOT get rid of it under ANY circumstances, they don't want to ‘stress the pup' by the procedure, they don't want to risk the pup's life by anaesthetizing**, at present they have no desire to breed, and of course they would like to save the money.
Okay......So? How does that make my advice ‘faulty' or wrong?
It doesn't.....
The MOST important fact not being taken into consideration is this......While owners may feel that x-raying is for THEIR sake and for THEIR information so that THEY can decide whether to keep this dog or not, that's NOT really the PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS 'TOOL!' The primary purpose of discovery is for the BREED'S sake AND THE BREEDER'S information so they can do what is IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE BREED AS A WHOLE - not just what is in the best interest of an INDIVIDUAL dog.......The owner's INDIVIDUAL point of view is only the LEAST important side of the issue.
The BREED'S point of view is the most important. A breeder MUST know whether or not their bitch and/or stud dog has PRODUCED GENETIC PROBLEMS.....and if it HAS, then they must know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE in order to ALTER THEIR BREEDING PROGRAM TO PREVENT PRODUCING MORE DYSPLASTIC DOGS! Most bitches will probably be bred about a year from the first litter. Many breeders will breed again sooner. With NO preliminary x-rays (and/or other genetic tests), can you IMAGINE the problems that can arise (and how many MORE litters can be produced (often 3) if the breeder doesn't quickly learn that his breeding stock produced serious problems and they breed again?
A breeder cannot afford to wait TWO years down the line before finding out that this combination or that combination has produced a litter with more than ONE dysplastic dog in it! ONE affected dog out of a litter of 6-7 is the MAX number of affected pups that should even give breeders reason to try their bitch again, WITH A DIFFERENT STUD DOG! If TWO appear in the same litter - there is a serious problem and breeding needs to be stopped right now! THE BREEDER will be the one MOST responsible for either putting MORE problems into the Breed, or for eliminating the problems in the best interest of the Breed.....The owners of their pups are those SECOND most responsible.
It is the BREEDER'S NEED for that knowledge that primarily prompts me to advise and urge (and to pass on the OFA's advice and urging), that ALL youngsters be preliminarily x-rayed... While x-raying CAN benefit the puppy owner, doing so is most assuredly IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE BREED!