Breeding purebred dogs can be many things to many people.
It can be a rewarding hobby, or it can be a full-time occupation, and both of those are perfectly acceptable as long as one does it well .
Or it can be, as it is at Bydand, a lifelong, all-consuming passion, a little like the search for the Holy Grail.
We believe that breeding dogs is both an art and a science that one can spend one’s entire life studying.
It is no more nor less than the pursuit of perfection.
We have been breeding dogs for three decades at Bydand, and over the years, Group- winning dogs in three different breeds have carried the Bydand kennel name and bloodlines. More importantly, many more Bydand dogs have simply been well-loved family members and fulfilled the purposes for which they were bred most admirably.
We believe in breeding only typey, sound, healthy animals with proper temperaments, no matter what the breed. Now, this certainly means different things in different breeds, so let us explain what that means to us in regard to the Havana Silk Dog.
Breed Type
Breed type is defined as that particular set of qualities that sets one breed apart from all others, and is paramount because, without breed type, you simply do not have a breed. (A mongrel can be a perfectly sound animal, and indeed, many of them unfortunately surpass their purebred cousins in that department!) The preservation of breed type in the Havana Silk Dog is of the utmost importance to us, and we will never consider for breeding an animal that is lacking in breed type.
In the Havana Silk Dog, which is primarily an "outline breed", breed type is dependent upon the following critical factors:
|
Outline
Slightly longer than tall, topline rising slightly from withers to rump, with high head carriage and the plumed tail carried over the back in the shape of a crozier
Gait
Lively, elegant, and elastic, reaching freely in front with good extension in the rear.
| |
All of these should be immediately apparent at any distance. Upon closer examination, breed type is also determined by:
|
| Head
The muzzle ideally only slightly shorter than the backskull; the eyes rather large, very dark, with almond-shaped lids
Coat
A hallmark of the breed, the coat should ideally be as described in the earliest standards - quite flat, rather soft, and remarkably silky in texture. Odorless, hypoallergenic, and low-shedding, the ideal coat is easily within the abilities of the pet owner to care for whether kept at glorious full length as shown at left, or trimmed into a "puppy cut".
|
A Silk Dog displaying proper breed type simply cannot be mistaken for any other breed.
These are the qualities that together set the breed apart from all other breeds and make him easy to recognize at any distance; without them, no dog or bitch is considered by us to be of sufficient quality to be used in the Bydand breeding program. Period.
Soundness
Soundness is defined as fitness for function, and deserves equally serious consideration when selecting breeding stock.
This is a companion dog that excels at Obedience, Agility, Tracking, Herding, and Therapy work - soundness of structure is every bit as essential to him as it is to any Sporting dog we ever produced.
What defines soundness? Years of training gun dogs in the field has taught us to look for:
· Overall balance, with moderate angulation both front and rear
· Straight forelegs, comprising half the height of the dog at the shoulder, with elbows tight to the body, no deviation or weakness at the carpus
· Sound rear assemblies with short strong hocks, and hip, stifle and tarsus all in line when viewed from the rear
All of these qualities increase a dog’s endurance and decrease the odds of injury at work or play.
Again, we select only as breeding stock those animals that conform to these stringent standards of balance and soundness, without exception.
Health
A good companion dog is a healthy dog, and we firmly believe it is every breeder’s responsibility to do all in their power to produce puppies that will not ultimately break their owners’ hearts.
Life unfortunately does not come with guarantees, but when the risk of producing unhealthy puppies can be reduced by screening breeding animals for hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, deafness, cardiac, kidney, liver, or hereditary eye disease, it is incumbent upon a breeder to perform those tests.
Without health screening, a breeder has no ability to make informed breeding decisions to improve his line.
The screening tests for all these diseases can be performed for a total cost of well under $500, and with the exception of cardiac and eye exams, which are performed annually, they are performed once in the dog’s life. This is a small percentage of the price of one single puppy sold. We cannot think of a single valid reason a breeder (of any breed!) would choose NOT to screen for these health problems before breeding two animals together.
Needless to say, all our breeding stock is health-screened for hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, deafness and hereditary eye disease - that's what the Havana Silk Dog is all about! In order for their offspring to be eligible for HSDAA registration, all Havana Silk Dogs require an OFA and CERF # reflecting a passing score on all four health tests.
In addition, our dogs have a blood panel to screen for possible liver or kidney dysfunction before breeding, and have regular cardiac screenings to exclude to the possibility of mitral valve insufficiency.
Temperament
A sound and stable temperament is critical to a Companion dog- in fact, it is every bit as critical as is bird sense to a Sporting dog because it reflects his function, and we believe in breeding for function.
There is simply no excuse for a companion dog with a less-than-desirable temperament, and it is our strong belief that they should not be used in a breeding program, as behavioral characteristics are every bit as heritable as physical ones, in our experience.
A Havana Silk Dog should be brave, intelligent, charming, fun loving and cheerfully adaptable to any situation. They should be friendly to strangers, and good with children and other dogs.
No matter how the dog may excel in type, soundness, and health, we will only consider those dogs for breeding who display the correct “bulletproof” temperament of this breed, with no allowances made for early socialization or possible lack thereof. Scientific research at the molecular level has shown that an animals's temperament is largely hereditary - early socialization may indeed increase an individual dog's stress tolerance, but it will NOT change its genes, or what it passes on to the next generation.
At Bydand, we believe that carefully selecting only the best dogs for breeding is the shortest and surest route to consistently producing the best dogs.
Are we willing to put our money where our mouth is?
Absolutely.
Each dog we own has a separate page on this website- each one is presented soaped, from the front and the side, as well as brushed out, so that what is under the coat is clearly visible. Each dog ‘s measurements and weight, as well as a link to health tests performed (and production record) where applicable, are provided.
You are cordially invited to browse.
|
copyright 2011 Bydand Havana Silk Dogs
All material contained on this website is protected under Federal copyright law
and may not be reproduced wholly or in part.
Permission to link to this website may be granted upon request.
|
|
