Breeding

Breeding is something that should not be undertaken lightly and in my opinion breeding should never be undertaken for the primary purpose of profit. Actually, most persons who breed conscientiously and work to expand the gene pool by varying breedings, which typically requires distant travel,  are fortunate to recover some of the funds expended. High quality reproductive vet care, testing, registrations and certifications, training and showing in addition to routine care and feeding are more costly than most would-be breeders imagine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ethical breeder: is passionate about the breed; understands the breed's strengths and weaknesses; truly understands Entlebucher structure and movement and uses that knowledge in choosing breeding pairs; is committed to maintaining and where possible is involved in improving the health of the breed; understands the responsibility he/she has for each puppy for it's entire life time; and wants to assure that only the best will be bred. There is a history of choosing breeding dogs from litters by markings in the Entlebucher breed in North America. Hopefully as our breeders become more educated these decisions will be made on a more educated basis.

Most puppies will not fall into the "Best of  Breed" category but will be great pets. However. I believe that the same consideration must go into choosing pairs for producing "just pets" as for trying to produce conformation and performance champions. The way a dog is "put together" according to it's standard determines the dogs ability to move properly and remain active and comfortable his/her entire life.

As with any rare breed   care must be taken when making breeding decisions. Most Entlebuchers share many of the same founders within the recent third and fourth generations, they all share common ancestors within five to six generations and more. Care must be taken to avoid repeated close line breeding. With a small gene pool no one can guarantee that no pup will ever have a genetic problem but even breeders of breeds with large gene pools can't guarantee totally problem free litters.

Close line breeding in and of itself does not cause genetic problems but it increases the likelihood of occurrence of genetic problems such as PRA, cataracts etc. This is complicated by the fact that line breeding, in reality a form of inbreeding, is the only way to "fix" positive traits and is commonly used by breeders of nearly all breeds to "fix" those traits in their kennel line.

The Wildhorn line is in it's fourth generation and is a balance of line breeding and  outcrosses. The goal is to maintain the Wildhorn "look" and quality while adding positive genetic variables to the best of my knowledge and ability.

Choosing a Breeder

This is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Find a breeder that you can trust, that commits to some type of phone or e-mail support if you have problems. Some breeders have been known not to return calls once you have a problem. Entles are not cheap but remember that one often gets what one pays for.

Insist on a written contract and health certificates of the parents. What kind of training material do they provide? How careful are they in placing their dogs? Do they insist that the dog be returned if something happens and you can't keep it? These are just some of the questions you need to ask but hopefully you get the idea. You need to be careful.

Entlebucher Registration

All Wildhorn Entlebuchers are registered with  AKC Foundation Stock Service (FSS).

American Kennel Club - akc.org