Help! Inbreeding/Linebreeding - need opinions - Page 2

I don't know a thing about american lines, but checking OFA stats on progeny would be a nice start.

Me either so Id pass on that female...I would want to step into a frying pan of what I knew nothing about....not my cup of tea...

Unless I see a pedigree , I wouldnt chance it.

Yes, do not take anyones printed info on the database or paper ad that the sv or ofa is done...in four dogs I have recently been involved in buying ,,,the info printed on database and in ads and on paper were not correct and in fact had never even been done on several of them and one was dysplastic after the breeder swore they were sent in.....

do your own research and check ofa and Sv lists to see for yourself.

I devote approximately a couple months on average to make a decision to admit a prospect.  During which time I find out all I can about working ability and health of the parents, grandparents, parent's siblings, and the progeny of each, analyze compatability with what I already have, cross reference opinions and the first-hand experience of others, and see if I still feel good about it at that point.

No closer than 4-4 or 4-5 is best.  That's what the breeed wardens have proved to be true in most cases, and that is if the animals don't carry too many bad recessives, and no serious faults. Otherwise a total outcross may be your only wise choice, if the bitch is good enoygh for breeding in the first place.

The question I would ask myself and the breeder is: What is so completely outstanding about these siblings that he/she felt the need to breed on them so closely?

Thank you all for the help! I am going to pass on this female. I really liked her until I saw her pedigree and it just turned me off. There is nothing of note or good in the first 4 generations. I had to pull teeth to even get the pedigree and now I know why.

For future reference, what is the SV website? I have been looking at OFA, but not SV. Thanks!

If the first four generations are crap and the related siblings aren't anything either then you made the right choice to pass.

Preston has it right any dog no matter how good the pedigree is not a smart choice. In-breeding is never a smart thing to do because of health and temperamet issues. Marlene

Nah, I can't see a practical reason in needing to inbreed. Inbreeding produces either above average or below average progeny. Are there any living siblings of this female to see and judge their performance? If not, why not? Selecting such a female for future breeding is just too big of a potential risk IMO.
Inbreeding may produce above average progeny for show/competition, but I would think that's about it. With such big decisions also has to come the big responsibility to CULL all substandard progeny. And who in this day/age wants to do that?
Linebreeding is practical in that its supposed to be better to predict than a shot-in-the-dark outcrossing (no common ancestors within like the first 6 generations).
I agree with your decision to pass on this female. I had one inbred female once almost a decade ago (American Show lines-her Champion parents were also half-siblings but I didn't know that until after I had done bought her-I had to order her AKC pedigree myself)-she was pretty sane and fine until she hit 5yrs old-then went ape-crap pretty much overnight, ate a litter of new pups(2nd litter-1st litter was all stillborn), nipped our 8yr son, got overly possessive of me, etc. Nothing gave us any forewarning that we recognized that she was gonna just...'snap' but she would. We just couldn't have her sudden development of a dangerous jeckyll/hyde personality, even though I loved her and was perplexed. She could be fine, then it would come into her eyes and it was like she was a totally different dog. And she had been FINE, healthy, and was always cared for properly. Vets never found anything abnormal like a brain tumor or anything to explain the changes, so in the best interest of all and safety of our children, we put her down. I have never owned another American lines GSD, let alone inbred one again-lesson learned in my case.