Fetters English Setters ~ Classic Style English Setters ~ Home Page: Breeding the Lines, a Successful Long-term Strategy ~ Part Three

Ryman's Flashback Dixie

Ryman's Flashback Dixie
Owner: John Fetters / Photo by: Prof. Richard Kevorkian

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Breeding the Lines, a Successful Long-term Strategy ~ Part Three

In "Breeding the Lines, a Successful Long-term Strategy ~ Part Three," easily accessed by clicking here, the newest article on the "Fetters Setters ~ History and Heritage" page, John delves further into the process of successfully breeding consistently excellent setter shooting dogs.
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Unfortunately, many breeders attempt to place a cover-all sort of blanket on their breedings with the use of Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) ratings, however hips and elbows are not the only concerns ~ in fact, far from the only concerns ~ when consistently breeding excellent setter shooting dogs.
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Such genetic traits as conformation, tail length and coupling as well as eye and lip pigmentation, tumors, thyroid problems, etc., also affect an English Setter, and unless a breeder possesses the correct knowledge and experience to begin with, most people who purchase a "new and improved" model using his or her "latest male/female breeding recipe" are just being used a a type of "guinea pig" to see if the breeder's breeding was successful.
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By the time problems crop up later in an English Setter's life, it is too late. And unlike such other inanimate objects, breeders do not issue "re-calls" on the products of the breedings such as a car manufacturer may issue on a car.
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Keeping in mind that purchasing a new puppy is a life-long commitment for the life of the dog, this article is a "must read" for anyone contemplating purchasing an English Setter shooting dog in the future.
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