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I have a question about breeding for size. I was wondering if this attribute is like real life where if you inbreed the size goes down but outcrossing the size goes up?

I ask as I have a female that I intend on breeding and she is 10.6. I wanted to find a 9.4, providing that's the right math, to breed her to but every dog available is well over 10.4+.

Is this something that does not matter much? How do I get large animals smaller and vice versa?

Thanks for the info!

Sorry Im going to be no help, but wanted to follow this!

The best thing to do is breed to the size closest to 10 you can find. If you are referring to english setters, the best size we have right now is a 10.4 so I would recommend breeding to that.

I am working on size in Kees in this kennel. What I've done is simply breed the closest to 10 that I can (in Kees, it's all under 10). I started with mostly 9.4s. I would breed my girls to a male that was at least that, higher if I could. I know have mostly 9.6s, still keeping some 9.5s to breed. And I got my first 9.7 a few days ago.

Thanks for the info. The female I was talking about is a GSD and I know I have one that is 9.6 so I was wondering if breeding those two sizes together make a 10? I can't because they are both females. LOL Is that how it works when you have a dog you want to have smaller pups, closer to the perfect 10.

Trying to look at it mathematically and want to know if that is correct?.

Yes Artistri I was looking through all the studs for the English Setters.

Recently in Tollers I bred two with 9.8s in gait and they produced a 10 so it is possible, but it takes time.

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Last edited by Artistri on 2/6/2016 8:44:39 AM

Luckily with size in GSDs we have some above 10 and some below 10. What I do (in all of my breeds) is find something opposite of what I have (i.e. I have a bitch with a 9.6 in size, I look for a dog with a size over 10) this has worked well in Borzois as a few breeders do this and we have been able to get our 10.6/9.4 down/up to 10.2/9.8 in feet and temperament.

Just keep doing what you're doing and it will pay off in the long run!

Thanks ITG, so it helps but the traits won't be at 10 right off the bat breeding a 9.6 to a 10.4, correct?

How the game works is that your "perfect" is 10. It's not that a 9.4 is small and a 10.2 is tall, just that they are not perfect in opposite directions.

So yes, it's best to breed dogs that are on opposite sides of 10 to improve a trait, but at this point it's hard to do in a lot of breeds because there is no diversity in the lines anymore.

You want your "opposite" to be as close to 10 as possible. It's better to breed a 10.6 to a 9.8 than to a 9.6, for example, because your results won't be as all over the board.

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posted by Kaleidoscope Kennels
Thanks ITG, so it helps but the traits won't be at 10 right off the bat breeding a 9.6 to a 10.4, correct?

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That is correct. You may not get anything better than a 9.6 or 10.4 the first time but if you continue breeding you will notice you will get a 9.7 or 10.3 down the line. It definitely takes some time and patience but it is definitely worth the work!

Thanks everyone. My first litter demonstrated this quite well and for a naturally impatient person, this will be the challenge I am looking for. LOL

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posted by Kaleidoscope Kennels
Thanks everyone. My first litter demonstrated this quite well and for a naturally impatient person, this will be the challenge I am looking for. LOL

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I took a look at the puppies ,London Calling so I know Shepherds and your experiment definetely worked Well done you have pretty babies .

Going to try this in Shih Tzu and a couple of my other breeds and see if it works for them. thanks for the topic and the other breeders input into the thread.

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posted by Dustmop Kennels

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posted by Kaleidoscope Kennels
Thanks everyone. My first litter demonstrated this quite well and for a naturally impatient person, this will be the challenge I am looking for. LOL

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I took a look at the puppies ,London Calling so I know Shepherds and your experiment definetely worked Well done you have pretty babies .

Going to try this in Shih Tzu and a couple of my other breeds and see if it works for them. thanks for the topic and the other breeders input into the thread.

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Dustmop were you talking to me or London Calling? I know I got an email from them and they did a great job on the cross for size but they didn't post here so I was confused when you quoted me. LOL

I am London Calling and Dustmop and Shelador (the one i'm signed into right now) sorry for the confusion never thought to sign back into the 1st kennel before replying. I have a family account of 10 kennels this game is super addictive.

I ment to put London Calling in brackets as a kennel reference, I looked at your puppies since I'm familiar with Shepherds and yes you have pretty puppies. Congrats edited because i suck at typing lol

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Last edited by Shelador on 2/21/2016 11:34:43 PM

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Last edited by Shelador on 2/21/2016 11:38:15 PM

LOL Thanks so much 10 Kennel! LOL That's your new nickname so I can remember! London's pups are great too!