Things we should look for in a breeding Great Pyrenees

by Joe Gentzel

(reprinted with permission)

I was just asked to write an answer to the question of "Three things to look for in a Stud dog" for the Bulletin of the Great Pyrenees Club of America. What follows is my answer. It occurred to me this same answer applies to anyone of you who breed or want to breed this ancient unique breed.

The question is three things to consider in picking a stud dog.

Each of the above three one could write pages of information, but lets try to summarize what is important to the breed and a breeding program.

1. Genetic health, what we would classify as Genotype, is in the long run the most important for the welfare of a breed. It is also the hardest to understand and even harder to get good information that is reliable. I have a pedigree data base of fourteen thousand Pyrs. Every Pyr that has attained an AKC Championship and all its known ancestors are in the data base. I can give you Homozygous Percentages, Percentages of Inbreeding and Kinship, and number of times occurring in any pedigree or proposed pedigree (future breeding). What I cannot tell you is what recessive detrimental or other detrimental genes exist in the pedigree without "tagging" the individuals affected. Unless one knows this information, one cannot forecast the Genetic Health of the offspring. What one thinks they know and what is fact many times (most times) is quite different. Once upon a time in this breed there was a breeder and kennel that was guided by a genius on such things that came fairly close to have a breeding colony that was nearly free of genetic disorders. Note I said "nearly free". This same breeding colony also produced the top winning dogs and bitches of their time. I submit to you that the best phenotypical examples of the breed are still steeped in this genepool. But this genepool is now badly infected with a myriad of detrimental genes, both recessive and other. So while this genepool still produces outstanding examples of the breed phenotypically it is rife, as are most if not all the rest, with detrimental genes for many things such as Dwarfism, Luxating Patellas, epilepsy, and many other problems.

In choosing a stud dog it is important to choose one who will contribute no or less problems genetically to the future genepool. Everything we say for Stud dogs will also apply to Brood bitches. The obvious difference is how many more times the stud dog can contribute to the breed genepool than the brood bitch. So for this reason it is much more important to choose a stud dog that does not send the genetic problems to the next generation. Easy said, near impossible to achieve totally from our present genepool. That’s where we start "splitting the baby". You breeders need to take your responsibility very seriously and work hard to eliminate the genetic problems in your breeding stock and that is most true when you select your stud dogs.

2. Phenotypical Specimen (Phenotype) is the style or type dog you believe meets the standard of the breed. I personally believe the stud dog is a bit less important in this regard than the brood bitch in a single breeding. This is not supported by science, but I am not by myself in this regard. Many of us feel that because the brood bitch carries and nurtures the get, she has a bit more influence on its result. Some say 60/40 or 55/45 brood bitch to stud dog in its importance. Again because the stud dog produces many more get, it magnifies his importance on the universe of get in the breed and thus the "the popular stud dog syndrome" described by many. In my opinion I would look for structure and soundness i.e. movement, construction, etc. as the first priority. One should not neglect at all the "look" of the dog though. Heavy loose eyed, sloppy mouths with short legs that are heavily boned simply is not what this breed is about. I tell folks the breed should look much more like a Kuvasz than a St. Bernard and that goes for your stud dog. The most important part of structure in todays genepool is fronts, followed by length of leg, top lines and rear assemblies in that order. So if I could order a stud dog with great front, good length of leg, level top line, and a nice moderate angulated rear that matches the front angulation and it is reasonably nice in type, he would be my stud dog. You can use him with a lot of bitches (not that a "lot" is a goal, but he should not be excluded by his structure from many potential matings) and hopefully get those qualities in the next generation. The single worst thing in a stud dog is poor fronts as it is near impossible to defeat with one breeding and then you are into several generations trying to correct this problem with the stud dog. Find another stud dog!

3. Breeder selection may be the most important part of these three things given reasonable decisions made in the two above. How is it that Champion Tip’n Chip Sonny’s Reflection, Champion Whitehope Pneuma, Champion Dieudonne Impyrial Acclaim, Champion Rivergroves For Your Eyes Only, and Champion Kaskadians Idyll Gossip all have the same ancestor as the top or near top contributing ancestor genetically (Lorvaso de la Colina). This primary stud dog at Quibbletown is the essence of what we should look for in a stud dog. Breeder selection proves his worth. I can promise you that none of the breeders of the dogs identified above would have know this particular dog was such an important contributor to their breeding when they choose their stud dog. What they did know is they picked the best puppies to keep and use in their breeding program and it all happened, not by chance, but by the discriminating eye of the breeder/owner. Good breeders choosing good breeding stock and most importantly making good breeder selections insures good future generations. The opposite is certainly true. How many of us have said years later, "Man I wish I had that dog/bitch back to use now. I would do it much differently." I sure have and I suspect many of the rest of you have as well.

There are many stud dogs, but few good stud dogs and very few great stud dogs. Good produces good and great produces great. The trick is to first recognize what is what and then choose that dog to use or employ as your stud dog. Good luck!