Hip Dysplasia - Page 1

Is it a bad practice to breed a Feamle with A2 hips to a female with A2 hips or should one of them always have A1 hips. Thank you

It would be better if you breed with A1.

The whole picture (qualities of the male and female) should be taken into consideration NOT just hips. Also their ZW scores should be given more weight than their actual hip scores.

Brittany, As a breeder, you would have a better idea of what you were talking about. As it is, you do not know what you are talking about. FOR EXAMPLE, I would much rather breed a "a" fast normal (a2) female to an "a" fast normal male, if the "a" fast normal male in question was proving to produce good hips in his progeny. You also have to look at each dog's sibling(s) hip certifications. I'll give specifics.... VA Dux della Valcuvia has a ZW of 101, but has "a" normal hips. His sire's ZW is 101 and his dam's is 102. His ZW should be lower if he is producing good/normal hips in the pups. Granted, he's produced a lot of pups, and with the good are also the bad. Often, the more a dog has produced, the higher his ZW tends to be. VA Dux de Cuatro Flores has a ZW of 81, but has "a" fast normal hips. His sire's ZW is 97, and his dam's is 80. His should be 89, which is STILL lower than Dux della Valcuvia. It is 81, which means he is likely producing good hips in his progeny. He is still young, and has not bred as many females or produced as many pups, but it is still a good indication to watch those ZW scores. :) This is just one generic example among many. There are MANY REASONS you breed to a dog, and if you breed based on only one factor, you probably will end up disappointed in what you end up with. Make sure you look at ALL factors before deciding what will best match YOUR breeding, and what you want to achieve with that breeding. Just my opinion....

GsK9, I know that we all prefer to breed "a"1 x "a"1, but as others have said, the quality of either a sire's or dam's hips is merely part of the equation, and absolutely no guarantee for the hip quality of the progeny. Sometimes "a"2 x "a"2 produces better than "a"1 x "a"1. That is where the ZW has some value. The ZW is not an absolute tool, but it is a realtively good tool for prediction if a sire or dam has produced a few litters and most of the progeny's hips have been evaluated by the S.V., and is a very good tool if the siblings of that sire and dam were evaluated as well and their results are known. That is where a bit of research past the hip ratings and ZW's of the sire and dam will pay off, as it lets one see what is the norm for these two (2) dogs. It has happened repeatedly when a sire and dam who are both O.F.A. "Excellent" (rare in the GSD world) were used to produce a litter with the idea that all of the puppies might have "Excellent" hips. It does not happen, and the distribution is usually normal to sometimes less than normal. Will they produce nearly all "Good" with maybe one (1) "Excellent"? Usually not, since their true predicability is not known because the O.F.A. does not use a formula like the ZW. That is where one must do the research and determine the hip quality of the siblings of the sire and dam; if it is available. For example, I would be very happy to breed an O.F.A. "Good x O.F.A. "Good" and have a litter that was 60% "Good" and 40% "Fair". Substitute the terminology with "a"1 x "a"1, "a"1 x "a"2, or "a"2 x "a"2 and I would be happy with 60% "a"1 and 40% "a"2. We all strive for the best hips, but we also know our breed's characteristics and what is typical, even with the best research and planning. Use all of the tools available to make a decision, and you have done the best that you can do. Bob-O

I am NOT trying to be smart BUT-- The simple question was about breeding a female to a female and the simple answer is NEVER! Hips really don't matter when you are "getting your leg pulled"----------- Let's not beat this one to the moon--------- Morgan

PJ Sorry for my miss spelling, thank you to all for your time and insght