There are lots of guys out there who've been breeding dogs, breeding good dogs and the occasional great one for many years . . way more than me. But this is a favorite subject of mine and I like to hear anybody's thoughts or methods. I've never been afraid to admit it if I find out I'm wrong or if somebody comes up with something better.
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I was thinking about Archie Manning when I brought up Michael Jordan. Old Archie was that rare dog who shines on the field and in the shed. They certainly do happen. But I'd like to take a peek at his wife's pedigree . . I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out she was Johnny Unitas' half sister. Or Archie's cousin, lol.
Barlow, Archie Manning has been brought up before and immediately my thoughts were the same then as now as yours were this time as well...the wife should have been mentioned and should of carried just as much importance as the sire...I liked Joe Montana and just maybe his juices didn't flow unless the woman was short with a small waste line, thick legs and big boobs...
if that is the case then he was at a disadvantage in the breeding arena for producing great quarterbacks...
I went back to one of my earlier posts and after reading it I see where it didn't make sense in a section of what I wrote and it has to do with Archie Mannings example but I was using the greyhound for the example...
There is a top of the line greyhound stud dog that has won all the prizes a great dog can win on the track...he also is proven as a prepotent breeder when bred to other high quality females that have won in the past...besides having a great pedigree he throws a higher than average percentile of pups that go on to be winners on the track...
Now breed that great prepotent stud dog to the top 5 bassett hound gyps and see how many of the offspring make champions on the track...Prepotency is a great thing when used correctly...if one is to improve on a breed we have to be very critical in how we select to breed better hunting dogs or whatever it is we are into...
it is like that old saying...I would rather breed to a second rate dog from a long line of great hunting dogs than to a great hunting dog from a long line of average to below average dogs...
Cajun...I agree with you statement about your dogs are great dogs for you...but they would be a poachers worst nightmare...When I first started breeding the mt cur I bred for heart, early starting dogs with grit and nose...and the ability to wind long range and hunt to find game quickly...the few that got some of my dogs didn't know hogs ran that far or long because they had short range dogs...another used one of the dogs to strike off the boat but wouldn't turn him out...only the catchy short range dogs were turned out...there are many reasons why we will have a wide variation when it comes to hunting dogs whether it is coon hunting or hog hunting...
Barlow you know that anyone who has 1/2 a brain will want to use the best we can have to start a breeding program...But to answer your question my answer is yes...we can breed better dogs fro average hunting dogs but who in their right mind wants to start there?
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the more the dogs are the same the harder it would be to improve them...but in my mind most dogs have slight variations in their gene pool so when they are bred and they produce 8 pups that look alike then we can use our knowledge and through that and testing as pups and in the field one can slect those pups that ineret the slight variations that we see as an improvement...but that is splitting hairs and that can be saved until one has about topped out in their line if they have already bred many generations...
Barlow...keep it coming...
