Breeding Better Dogs 101...

I think i'll have to disagree with the dogs getting smaller with tight breeding theory. In my experience the "game dog" breeders and "plott bear dog" breederst are the tightest of all breeders and I have been around many breeders of both and have yet to see it. I fact probably the tightest plott bear dog breeder I know has huge dogs. I suppose sometimes a litter may come out a little smaller on occasion depending on certain parents from the particular family but as a whole I can't believe inbreeding will shrink the line, no matter how tight. Another thing I strongly disagree with is "outcrossing!" Outcrossing is only needed to bring in needed traits from another specimen from another tight family that exhibits the needed trait stongly. IMO. When a tightly bred cross fails it's not a sign that you need an outcross, it's a sign to not cross them two family members again. If you have v what you need in you dogs then keep it and do not add anything else. All crosses don't work and by jumping thru your butt and outcrossing because one cross didn't meet your expectations you could possibly bring in all sorts of unknown traits to deal with for generations to come for no reason. Sorry just some more rambling from stuff i've learned from breeders I REALLY respect.