Breeding NZ hips - Page 1

Yesterday I posted a picture of hip xrays from a female I own.  Most people suggested that they would probably NZ if I were to send them to Germany for evaluation.  

Question?  How many of you would breed or breed to a dog with NZ hips?  

Having heated discussions with my partner on this subject.  I have a person interested in buying this female, and she is wonderful in every other respect.  My partner however really loves the dog and wants to keep her.

This is not our first rodeo.  We have been breeding for over 20 years, but doesn't get any easier when we really love a particular dog but have to make decisions about whether or not to keep a dog based on the outcome of the hips or elbows, especially when the dog has everything else we want.  

So, posing the questions for discussion.  I hear people say all the time, "sure, I would breed if everything else were there", but how many actually do with good results?

Thanks Everyone.

I would not use an NZ for breeding and I would not buy a dog out of an NZ parent.

NO;  I would not breed her...not worth it.  .  Good luck  Nan

Me neither, theres way too many with A normal/OFA Good hips to chance using one with NZ hips. JMO

I would breed her if she comes out of parents that produce good hips regularly, if her ZW is not that high and if the hips of her siblings are also ok, a NZ is not that terrible and I think sometimes highly overrated.  Look at the complete dog and be sure to mate her to a dog that is known for producing good hips.
 

OFA Hip Dysplasia Guidelines for Breeders

Breeders and the OFA

Progress in hip joint phenotype of dogs in the United States between the 1970's and early 1990's has been shown through results of a retrospective study using the OFA data base. This improvement was evident as an increase in the percentage of dogs classified as having excellent hip joint phenotype and a decrease in the percentage of dogs classified as having hip dysplasia (HD). The increase in percentage of dogs classified as having excellent hip joint phenotype was greater for German Shepherd dogs, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Rottweilers than for all dog breeds combined. In addition, the submission screening rate for these four breeds was higher than the screening rate for all dogs. Within these four breeds, the improvement was greatest for Rottweilers, which also had the highest screening rate.

Overall, low screening rates for breeds found in this study offer some insight into the problems involved with reducing the incidence of HD. The typical dog breeder is involved in breeding dogs for about five years. Thus, informed, experienced breeders are continually replaced with uninformed, inexperienced breeders who may not be as aware of the problems associated with HD or of the importance of participating in a screening program. In addition, many breeders choose which dogs they breed on the basis of the hip phenotype of individual dogs without knowledge of the phenotype of related dogs or previous offspring. It can be very difficult to get hip information on siblings and previous offspring due to the overall low number of dogs radiographed in a given litter (most dogs in a litter end up in pet homes). This is the slowest method of reducing the incidence of an undesirable trait or increasing the incidence of a desirable trait. The use of preliminary radiographs as early as 4 months of age can be used by breeders to add valuable information on the hip status of dogs they choose to use in a breeding program.

What can breeders do?

Hip dysplasia appears to be perpetuated by breeder imposed breeding practices, but when breeders and their breed clubs recognize HD as a problem and establish reduction of HD as a priority, improvement of the hip status can be accomplished without jeopardizing other desirable traits. Prospective buyers should check pedigrees and/or verify health issues with the breeder. If suitable documentation is not available, assume the worst until proven otherwise.

Do not ignore the dog with a fair hip evaluation. The dog is still within normal limits. For example; a dog with fair hips but with a strong hip background and over 75% of its brothers and sisters being normal is a good breeding prospect. A dog with excellent hips, but with a weak family background and less than 75% of its brothers and sisters being normal is a poor breeding prospect.

OFA's Recommended Breeding Principals

• Breed normals to normals
• Breed normals with normal ancestry
• Breed normals from litters (brothers/sisters) with a low incidence of HD
• Select a sire that produces a low incidence of HD
• Replace dogs with dogs that are better than the breed average

im not saying you should breed her but somethink to think about for the nay sayers, if we rule out every dog that has a NZ on the pedigree ther will be no dogs left, this would be te case ifnobody ever would breed a NZ dog ever

there is much more to hips thangenetics only

Breed dogs, not hips.....the individual expression of the hips ( unless severe/crippling) is no more important than the hip scores of siblings or first three generations.

Are NZ dogs eligible for V ratings and/or breed surveys?

Breed dogs not  hips is an oversimplification of the issue. The status of the siblings and first and second degree relatives and their production records are a big part of the equation too. Most probably don't have a big problem with experienced breeders using NZ's, but when newbies read posts like this one they get the idea that it's fine and dandy to breed to and from dogs with mild HD.

There's a big debate whether NZ is really mild HD, though, so again, not that simple. 

Here's a VA NZ. http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=389137-pakros-dulmental