Although there are still some dog breeders who feel that using rules of genetics in a breeding program has little effect on their success, it is unlikely that a breeder can produce healthy dogs of consistent quality, year after year, without understanding how traits are passed from one generation to the next.  Anyone can breed one or two good dogs by chance, but understanding why something happens in a breeding program, which is the stuff of genetics, is an important key to keeping virtues and eliminating defects.  Much of our knowledge about the significance of genetics to canine breeding and health is thanks to research done in the lucrative livestock industry.

The ABC’s of Dog Breeding Home Study Program takes a practical, step-by-step approach to the art and science of breeding by focusing on 7 key tools and concepts. These include (1) genetics, (2) breeding systems, (3) pedigree, (4) selection, (5) anatomy, (6) kennel blindness and (7) genetic defects.  Understanding each one of these elements can help breeders put together the pieces for a more successful breeding program. The goal of the ABC’s of Dog Breeding is to provide a home study course for dog breeders by gathering together in one comprehensive program the “need to know” information from the fields of domestic animal breeding and canine genetics.

In addition to discussing the genetic principles of animal breeding, the ABC’s of  Dog Breeding also addresses many of the common misconceptions that have been handed down from dog breeder to dog breeder. Breeders may fail to reach their full potential in part because they are basing breeding decisions on flawed rules of thumb. A few of these include: (1) the pedigree is more important than the individual dog;  (2) breeding to the littermate of a favored dog is the same as breeding to the favored dog itself; and (3) a dog with straight shoulders can produce well-angled shoulders if its ancestors possess the trait. The reality of these three myths is that: (1) the individual dog is always more important than the pedigree; (2) littermates differ genetically and breeding to a brother or sister of a favored dog is not the same as breeding to the favored dog itself; and (3) a straight-shouldered dog has inherited genes for straight shoulders and is likely to pass these genes on to offspring regardless of ancestors possessing good shoulders.  Many other breeding myths abound.

One aim of the ABC’s of Dog Breeding is to explain why, based on genetic principles, common breeding misconceptions are not valid.  It is important for breeders to have a general understanding of how a sire and dam pass genes on to offspring, since a simplified explanation of this process allows breeders to understand why many myths about dog breeding lack scientific support.

The ABC’s of Dog Breeding Home Study Program is designed to be used as a fundamental course of study on dog breeding for breeders of all breeds. Genetics is a science and the same genetic principles apply in general to all species of domestic animals as well as to humans.  The traditional correspondence school format of the ABC’s of Dog Breeding allows breeders to work at home and complete the course at their own pace.  Some breeders may complete the workbook exercises, which accompany the textbook, in several weeks; others may take 3 months or a year.  The emphasis is on convenience and flexibility. In its on-going support of breeder education, the American Kennel Club will send a Certificate of Completion to breeders who send in their completed workbook exercises to the AKC Breeder’s Department. Because the principles of genetics apply to all breeds of dogs, the ABC’s is an affordable option for Parent Clubs looking for a foundation course on dog breeding for their breeder education programs.  The ABC’s of Dog Breeding Home Study Program consists of three components: a textbook, a series of workbook exercises and a deck of flashcards. The complete soft-cover publication totals 470 pages.

The ABC’s of Breeding textbook can be considered a handbook of key concepts from the fields of animal breeding and canine genetics. The textbook’s spiral bound format uses extra large type and is designed to lie flat to facilitate the looking up of answers to the workbook exercises.  Important points are indicated in bold type and are underlined.  Discussions of genetic principles are made less intimidating with the use of clip art and cartoons. In most cases, potentially complex topics are simplified by limiting their discussion to a single page of copy.  Two features of each chapter are Real Life Stuff sections, which serve to highlight especially important or frequently misunderstood breeding concepts, and Smart Charts, which summarize key points at the end of each chapter.

In keeping with the simplistic approach to explaining genetic concepts, math has been kept to a bare bones minimum in the ABC’s of Dog Breeding. With the exception of the rare individual who has an advanced degree in mathematics, I have met very few dog breeders who are enthralled by the math and equations that are the backbone of animal breeding and science!  Because dog breeding is not driven by the computerized data bases of performance records which can typify the breeding of livestock species, becoming a successful dog breeder does not require the use of or a background in mathematics. Mathematical equations serve to demonstrate or prove the validity of genetic principles, but in and of themselves are not necessary to learning and using genetic principles in a dog breeding program. When it is necessary to refer to important mathematical information that can benefit the dog breeder, it appears in the form of easy to use reference charts.

Written from a layman’s perspective by a breeder for breeders, throughout the writing of the ABC’s textbook, the guiding principle was: How important and practical is a particular genetic concept to a dog breeding program and is the explanation simple and concise?  I believe that most high school students would be capable of understanding the ABC’s of Dog Breeding Home Study Program.

The second component of the ABC’s of Dog Breeding Home Study Program is a series of workbook exercises, which are designed to help breeders learn the concepts presented in the textbook.  Workbook exercises use easy to answer, objective formats like true and false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks and matching questions.  The design of the exercises is such that much of the same information is asked using 3 or 4 different formats so that by the time breeders have completed the questions, they have learned many facts and concepts through repetition of the material.  Based on my teaching experience, I believe that those breeders who do the workbook exercises end up mastering more information than those who do not.  The more material dog breeders commit to memory, the better their chances of remembering to use this knowledge in their breeding programs.

The ABC’s of Dog Breeding Home Study Program gives Parent Clubs the option of offering their members a beginner or advanced level breeder’s education program. The beginner level program can be open book, allowing students (breeders) to look up the answers to workbook questions; the advanced level would be closed book, requiring breeders to do all or a selected number of workbook questions in a monitored situation without access to the answers.  Parent club education committees may also wish to create tailor-made questions for one or more chapters in the ABC’s textbook, making the material breed specific.  Questions which a Parent or Breed Club choose to add to the workbook exercises, would need to be corrected by those clubs as opposed to the AKC. Breeders working on their own, with no dog club affiliations, can challenge themselves by doing the workbook exercises without looking up the answers.  This process will help commit important breeding concepts to memory. Sample workbook exercises are presented below.

Sample Workbook Exercises for Tool #1: Genetics

I. True or False Questions

III. Fill-In-The-Blanks

Answers: 

True or False Questions

1. False     2. False     3. True    4. True

Multiple Choice Questions

1. B     2. B     3. C

Fill-In-The-Blanks

1. phenotype     2. parents     3. environment     4. threshold

A deck of flashcards accompanies the ABC’s of Dog Breeding Home Study Program.  Flashcards are laid out on 8 ½” by 11” pages and should be cut apart with scissors.  Below are 2 examples of flashcards based on material in the textbook.

Flashcards are one of the best ways to learn new information quickly and easily. It is recommended that breeders assemble their flashcard deck and go through the questions before reading the textbook. This gives breeders an idea of how much of the material they know and how much is new information.  Flashcards can also be used to play a great game of dog breeding trivial pursuit!