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Kennel Blindness: A Closer Look
By Claudia Waller Orlandi Ph. D.
A dog breeder's knowledgeable use of genetic principles is of paramount
importance to the success of a breeding program. But an all too common
phenomenon known as kennel blindness can stop some breeding programs dead in
their tracks. Most works on dog breeding devote relatively little space to the
concept of kennel blindness, although the seriousness of this "breeder defect" and
the lasting harm it can have on breeding success merit a closer look.
"The breeder, to be successful, must look at his dogs...not only in the face,
but in the body, front and running gear. Even to themselves many breeders will not
acknowledge their failure when they fall short of their objective (p. 179).....and in an
effort to convince others of the perfection of their dogs, (they) convince... usually
only themselves" (p. 183)
From the New Art of Breeding Better Dogs by K. Onstott
Found in many purebred dog kennels, kennel blindness is a "disease" that
results in breeder's inability or refusal to admit to the failings in their own lines of
dogs, whether they relate to conformation traits described in the AKC breed
standards, behavior or genetic disease. Kennel blind breeders are given to
justifying the dogs they breed by developing warped and unrealistic interpretations of
their breed's standard, said Ann Seranne in her book, "The Joy of Breeding Your
Own Show Dog"
PROGNOSIS
Because a kennel blind breeder can become "blind" to serious faults and
health defects in their dogs, these problems may become fixed in a couple of
generations. Unless quickly diagnosed and treated, kennel blindness can lead to
the demise of a successful breeding program. Fortunately, most common
symptoms of kennel blindness are easy to spot. Following are three of the most
pervasive symptoms.
SYMPTOM 1
The tendency to ignore the virtues and focus on the faults of a competitor's
dogs. Kennel blind breeders tend to focus on negative features in dogs that are not
their own. Oftentimes, what they view as a fault in someone else's dog may be an
acceptable variation of a style in that breed. Breed standards are breeder's guides.
Each breed of dog recognized by the AKC has its own standard, which is written by
the national breed club or "parent club." The breed standard provides a blueprint
or complete picture of what the ideal dog of a particular breed should be like in
appearance, structure, and temperament. The standard may specify everything
from the curvature of a dog's tail to the color of it's eyes. The breed standard is the
official guide by which dogs are judged at the dog shows. Visit www.akc.org to
view a complete standard for all the breeds recognized by the AKC. You may
order breed specific educational videos from the AKC. Many parent clubs offer
more detailed information on the standard, such as amplifications and illustrations.
Visit AKC web site for links to national parent clubs.
TREATMENT
Reread your breed's AKC standard and understand that standards outline
the essential aspects of a breed and that more than one style may be acceptable in
your breed. Be sure you understand the difference between breed type and style.
A dog's breed type is defined by its breed standard, which is the written description
of the ideal dog of that breed. Style, on the other hand, is how individual breeders
interpret the standard and artistically express various elements of breed type in the
dogs they breed. Each breeder's interpretation of the standard can therefore result
in a variation of styles within the breed. This may produce a range of excellence in a
breed and allow dogs of various styles to be correct and fit their breed standard.
Finally, pretend you are a dog show judge, and get into the habit of looking first for
the virtues in dogs bred and owned by others. If a dog is consistently winning under
a number of different judges, it usually means that the dog obvious virtues compared
to it's competition.
SYMPTOM 2
The belief that you have bred the "perfect" dog. No "perfect" dog has ever or
will ever be bred in any breed. Even what you consider your best can usually be
improved upon.
TREATMENT
Realize that your concept of what is an ideal representative of your breed
may become modified with the passage of time. Experience with a breed may
gradually change the priority a breeder gives to certain features. A breeder who is
a stickler for correct heads may gradually start realizing that angulation and
movement are also important aspects in their breed.
SYMPTOM 3
Blaming the fact that your dog is not winning on bad judging, politics or
anything except the possibility that there may be something wrong with your dog.
Bad sportsmanship and kennel blindness can go hand-in-hand. Kennel blind
people always have an excuse for why their dog didn't win. Whil some of their
reasoning may be legitimate, consistently losing under a variety of judges usually
means a dog does not fit the standard in on or more important aspects.
TREATMENT
If your dog is not winning, ask several knowledgeable people to objectively
evaluate your dog. Tell them to be honest, and listen to their comments with and
open mind.
Are you at risk? Kennel blindness is more apt to be a problem for:
Breeders who do not have "eye" for a dog. An eye is and almost innate ability to
view a dog as one piece and to recognize balance, quality and correctness in any
breed. Some breeders are simply not born with an eye for a dog. Despite having
read and studied their breed's standard, they may be incapable of correctly
evaluating structure and movement int the dogs they breed. Hence, they are blind to
their dog's shortcomings. Novice or even long-time breeders who are strongly
affected by a dog's temperament and personality. Many kennel blind breeders think
all puppies are cute. These owners usually decide to breed their dog, not improve
the breed, but because they love it's personality and want more puppies just like it.
Breeders such as these are blinded by the love they have for their dog and can
remain "blind" to the fact that their dog may lack quality. Breeders who have
produced quality animals in the past but are now struggling to stay on top. Breeders
who may have had a superstar in the past are usually looking for their next big winner.
In some cases, their superstar may have resulted from good luck as opposed to
thoughtful breeding practices based on genetic principles.
One scenario is a breeding program based solely on non-genetic
breeding practices, such as like-to-like matings. Offspring of like-to-like matings
cannot usually be counted on to pass on their traits because their homozygous gene
pairs are not identical by descent. It is an accepted genetic principle that offspring
that carry higher proportions of identical by descent genes have a greater chance of
passing on traits that are influenced by these genes. As a result, there are may be
less consistency and quality in the offspring.
A second scenario concerns the breeder who is confronted with
inbreeding depression but refuses to consider outcrossing (the mating of unrelated
individuals of the same breed) to bring in hybrid vigor. With each generation, the
quality of dogs declines. In both scenarios, a burning desire to produce the next
star may make breeders blind to the fact that they are producing below average
dogs. Good breeders are always aware of what they need to improve in their
generation. Breeders working with small numbers of dogs, because small breeders
have less to choose from, there is more pressure to make a litter "work out."
Breeders for whom every waking moment revolves around dogs. Making dogs a
live or die situation can hamper the breeder's ability to objectively admit to their dog's
shortcomings. Individuals who were mentored by kennel blind breeders. In these
cases, like may beget like.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NON-KENNEL BLIND
They are truly objective concerning what they produce and are always
aware of what they need to improve in their next generation. Regardless of time and
effort already spent, they are ready to remove dogs from their program that do not
pan out, even to the point of starting over with new foundation stock. They have an
eye for a dog and can appreciate and outstanding dog regardless of who bred or
owns it.
TIPS FOR CORRECTING VISION
If caught in time, kennel blindness can be cured before it has a lasting,
detrimental effect on your breeding program. Try these tips. Avoid
over-emphasizing a certain feature in your breeding program to the detriment of
overall correctness. Although many breeders try to emphasize the excellence of the
whole dog, it's human nature to be drawn to certain features. In fact, the importance
we give to a particular trait in our dogs may be part of how we express our breeding
style. One breeder may be a stickler for fronts and another for backlines. The
danger her is that by focusing on just one feature we can become blind to other faults
that may be creeping into the breeding program. To assess your kennel blindness
level, ask someone whose opinion you respect to objectively evaluate your dogs.
Some of the best people to ask are knowledgeable breeders who have produced
good dogs and who are not kennel blind themselves. Request they honestly critique
the virtues and shortcomings in your dogs. Ask more than one qualified person, and
compare their evaluations with your own. Be prepared to make changes, even to
the point of eliminating or adding new dogs to your breeding program. As difficult
as it is to admit we are not succeeding, the realization that our dogs are not
measuring up to our expectations can be the first step in devising a plan to obtain
what we really want.
________________________________________________
Portions of this article have appeared in TALLY-HO, the official newsletter
of the Basset Hound Club of America.
Ronald N. Rella, director, Breeder Services
Theresa Shea, editor Email: AKCbreeder@akc.org
Customer Service Phone 919 233 9767 Email: info@akc.org
Permission has been attained for the use of this article please contact AKC if
you want to reprint this or any portion of this article.
By Claudia Waller Orlandi Ph. D.
A dog breeder's knowledgeable use of genetic principles is of paramount
importance to the success of a breeding program. But an all too common
phenomenon known as kennel blindness can stop some breeding programs dead in
their tracks. Most works on dog breeding devote relatively little space to the
concept of kennel blindness, although the seriousness of this "breeder defect" and
the lasting harm it can have on breeding success merit a closer look.
"The breeder, to be successful, must look at his dogs...not only in the face,
but in the body, front and running gear. Even to themselves many breeders will not
acknowledge their failure when they fall short of their objective (p. 179).....and in an
effort to convince others of the perfection of their dogs, (they) convince... usually
only themselves" (p. 183)
From the New Art of Breeding Better Dogs by K. Onstott
Found in many purebred dog kennels, kennel blindness is a "disease" that
results in breeder's inability or refusal to admit to the failings in their own lines of
dogs, whether they relate to conformation traits described in the AKC breed
standards, behavior or genetic disease. Kennel blind breeders are given to
justifying the dogs they breed by developing warped and unrealistic interpretations of
their breed's standard, said Ann Seranne in her book, "The Joy of Breeding Your
Own Show Dog"
PROGNOSIS
Because a kennel blind breeder can become "blind" to serious faults and
health defects in their dogs, these problems may become fixed in a couple of
generations. Unless quickly diagnosed and treated, kennel blindness can lead to
the demise of a successful breeding program. Fortunately, most common
symptoms of kennel blindness are easy to spot. Following are three of the most
pervasive symptoms.
SYMPTOM 1
The tendency to ignore the virtues and focus on the faults of a competitor's
dogs. Kennel blind breeders tend to focus on negative features in dogs that are not
their own. Oftentimes, what they view as a fault in someone else's dog may be an
acceptable variation of a style in that breed. Breed standards are breeder's guides.
Each breed of dog recognized by the AKC has its own standard, which is written by
the national breed club or "parent club." The breed standard provides a blueprint
or complete picture of what the ideal dog of a particular breed should be like in
appearance, structure, and temperament. The standard may specify everything
from the curvature of a dog's tail to the color of it's eyes. The breed standard is the
official guide by which dogs are judged at the dog shows. Visit www.akc.org to
view a complete standard for all the breeds recognized by the AKC. You may
order breed specific educational videos from the AKC. Many parent clubs offer
more detailed information on the standard, such as amplifications and illustrations.
Visit AKC web site for links to national parent clubs.
TREATMENT
Reread your breed's AKC standard and understand that standards outline
the essential aspects of a breed and that more than one style may be acceptable in
your breed. Be sure you understand the difference between breed type and style.
A dog's breed type is defined by its breed standard, which is the written description
of the ideal dog of that breed. Style, on the other hand, is how individual breeders
interpret the standard and artistically express various elements of breed type in the
dogs they breed. Each breeder's interpretation of the standard can therefore result
in a variation of styles within the breed. This may produce a range of excellence in a
breed and allow dogs of various styles to be correct and fit their breed standard.
Finally, pretend you are a dog show judge, and get into the habit of looking first for
the virtues in dogs bred and owned by others. If a dog is consistently winning under
a number of different judges, it usually means that the dog obvious virtues compared
to it's competition.
SYMPTOM 2
The belief that you have bred the "perfect" dog. No "perfect" dog has ever or
will ever be bred in any breed. Even what you consider your best can usually be
improved upon.
TREATMENT
Realize that your concept of what is an ideal representative of your breed
may become modified with the passage of time. Experience with a breed may
gradually change the priority a breeder gives to certain features. A breeder who is
a stickler for correct heads may gradually start realizing that angulation and
movement are also important aspects in their breed.
SYMPTOM 3
Blaming the fact that your dog is not winning on bad judging, politics or
anything except the possibility that there may be something wrong with your dog.
Bad sportsmanship and kennel blindness can go hand-in-hand. Kennel blind
people always have an excuse for why their dog didn't win. Whil some of their
reasoning may be legitimate, consistently losing under a variety of judges usually
means a dog does not fit the standard in on or more important aspects.
TREATMENT
If your dog is not winning, ask several knowledgeable people to objectively
evaluate your dog. Tell them to be honest, and listen to their comments with and
open mind.
Are you at risk? Kennel blindness is more apt to be a problem for:
Breeders who do not have "eye" for a dog. An eye is and almost innate ability to
view a dog as one piece and to recognize balance, quality and correctness in any
breed. Some breeders are simply not born with an eye for a dog. Despite having
read and studied their breed's standard, they may be incapable of correctly
evaluating structure and movement int the dogs they breed. Hence, they are blind to
their dog's shortcomings. Novice or even long-time breeders who are strongly
affected by a dog's temperament and personality. Many kennel blind breeders think
all puppies are cute. These owners usually decide to breed their dog, not improve
the breed, but because they love it's personality and want more puppies just like it.
Breeders such as these are blinded by the love they have for their dog and can
remain "blind" to the fact that their dog may lack quality. Breeders who have
produced quality animals in the past but are now struggling to stay on top. Breeders
who may have had a superstar in the past are usually looking for their next big winner.
In some cases, their superstar may have resulted from good luck as opposed to
thoughtful breeding practices based on genetic principles.
One scenario is a breeding program based solely on non-genetic
breeding practices, such as like-to-like matings. Offspring of like-to-like matings
cannot usually be counted on to pass on their traits because their homozygous gene
pairs are not identical by descent. It is an accepted genetic principle that offspring
that carry higher proportions of identical by descent genes have a greater chance of
passing on traits that are influenced by these genes. As a result, there are may be
less consistency and quality in the offspring.
A second scenario concerns the breeder who is confronted with
inbreeding depression but refuses to consider outcrossing (the mating of unrelated
individuals of the same breed) to bring in hybrid vigor. With each generation, the
quality of dogs declines. In both scenarios, a burning desire to produce the next
star may make breeders blind to the fact that they are producing below average
dogs. Good breeders are always aware of what they need to improve in their
generation. Breeders working with small numbers of dogs, because small breeders
have less to choose from, there is more pressure to make a litter "work out."
Breeders for whom every waking moment revolves around dogs. Making dogs a
live or die situation can hamper the breeder's ability to objectively admit to their dog's
shortcomings. Individuals who were mentored by kennel blind breeders. In these
cases, like may beget like.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NON-KENNEL BLIND
They are truly objective concerning what they produce and are always
aware of what they need to improve in their next generation. Regardless of time and
effort already spent, they are ready to remove dogs from their program that do not
pan out, even to the point of starting over with new foundation stock. They have an
eye for a dog and can appreciate and outstanding dog regardless of who bred or
owns it.
TIPS FOR CORRECTING VISION
If caught in time, kennel blindness can be cured before it has a lasting,
detrimental effect on your breeding program. Try these tips. Avoid
over-emphasizing a certain feature in your breeding program to the detriment of
overall correctness. Although many breeders try to emphasize the excellence of the
whole dog, it's human nature to be drawn to certain features. In fact, the importance
we give to a particular trait in our dogs may be part of how we express our breeding
style. One breeder may be a stickler for fronts and another for backlines. The
danger her is that by focusing on just one feature we can become blind to other faults
that may be creeping into the breeding program. To assess your kennel blindness
level, ask someone whose opinion you respect to objectively evaluate your dogs.
Some of the best people to ask are knowledgeable breeders who have produced
good dogs and who are not kennel blind themselves. Request they honestly critique
the virtues and shortcomings in your dogs. Ask more than one qualified person, and
compare their evaluations with your own. Be prepared to make changes, even to
the point of eliminating or adding new dogs to your breeding program. As difficult
as it is to admit we are not succeeding, the realization that our dogs are not
measuring up to our expectations can be the first step in devising a plan to obtain
what we really want.
________________________________________________
Portions of this article have appeared in TALLY-HO, the official newsletter
of the Basset Hound Club of America.
Ronald N. Rella, director, Breeder Services
Theresa Shea, editor Email: AKCbreeder@akc.org
Customer Service Phone 919 233 9767 Email: info@akc.org
Permission has been attained for the use of this article please contact AKC if
you want to reprint this or any portion of this article.