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More than a generation ago
(Dr.) Kleeman wrote his article on the Motherlines.
Following the motherlines of the GSP Bitch Zache he
demonstrated that it is the inbreeding of the individual
dogs and especially the inbreeding of the individual
motherlines that bring the best results.
What is the meaning of
motherlines ? The idea is often confused by breeders
with Motherside. Motherlines is the whole of the
bloodlines of the mothers, including the father’s mother
and the mothers on the father’s side, but always of the
mothers. It is assumed that the success of mother-line
breeding follows sex-linked inheritance and that some
important dominant genes must be present in one of the X
chromosomes of the mother. Since the male dog has 76
paired chromosomes plus an X and a Y, and the females 76
plus two X s and since when two X s unite a female
results and when an X and a Y join a male is produced,
the only X chromosome a male ever gets comes from his
mother. When the son then becomes a father only his
daughters get that same X book again, along with another
X from her mother. When the daughter becomes a mother,
say, two males puppies are born to her… the art of
breeding lies then in choosing the male which has the X
chromosome with the hundreds of genes in it that we are
looking for. In Germany elaborate tests have been
evolved to help the breeder examine every facet for
which the dog was bred and assisting him in his choice.
Dr. Kleemann writes again
and again: Consider the pedigree only to see what blood
(genes) CAN be carried by the animals to be bred. This
must be studied carefully. It is only by a careful study
of the individuals and their ancestors. It is necessary
to breed both according to bloodlines and performance
for success. (Outstanding performance in the same
bloodlines, not different bloodlines.
It is the simple truth: The
best, mothers produce the best pups and raise them
easily! Also: She conceives and whelps easily, has
sufficient milk for a comfortable number of healthy
pups. A normal healthy animal can be inbred. It is only
by inbreeding that we can double up both good and bad
qualities so that we can see what we are dealing with.
When the faults come to the surface we can skim them
off---get rid of them. In out crossing we only cover up
the faults (we cannot find them) and we know not what to
expect in subsequent litters. Dr. Kleemann writes of
inbreeding: you cannot condemn inbreeding because of the
faults, on the contrary, you must see value of
inbreeding to help recognize and capture these faults.
One who condemns inbreeding must also condemn the
detective who brings crimes to light (out of the dare).
Another mark of a good
mother is that she must look feminine…finer build, a
light and pretty head and smaller and thinner neck, lots
of nobility, but also depth for the growing pups (deep
wide hips indicating a room pelvis). You should be able
to recognize a good brood bitch at 100 meters and not
find it necessary to look between her hips to tell her
sex. Often at the Derbies (German springs trials for
dogs whelped the previous year) I have seen young
bitches which looked like grown males receiving much
attention and being considered as future outstanding
brood bitches. These bitches never lived up to the
expectations. The typical fine feminine look brings
triumph.
Dr. Kleemann discussing many
bitches of 50 years ago, which had this bad ideal
feminine conformation are today the Stamm mothers
(mothers ancestors) of our top dogs…like Herta von der
Maylust, who was considered a “cat” at shows because of
her fine build and light bone structures and was advised
not to be bred because (it was thought) she would only
produce poor small puppies. You are reminded of all the
other great broodbitches (which possessed the ideal
feminine look) Silve-Tondern, Bessie, Karth, Lola,
Thayra, Fatema-Altenau, Erra-Neuforatous, Wach-Woge, and
many more.
How does the breeder select
his motheline ? If you have a bitch you must select a
stud with complimentary motherlines. Kleamann says, “It
is much simpler if you have a bitch form a great
motherline so that you can profit from the long
experience of breeders in that motherline and will have
no difficulty in choosing a good stud dog. With an
unknown motherline it is difficult to find the proper
mate since there is but a small number of (stud) dogs to
chose from. At a Kurzhaartag (Shorthairday…Nat’l
meeting) in Goslar I studied with a stranger the
pedigree of a dog which he had been offered for sale. In
the pedigree were many fine dogs (R.S.'s., K.S's etc)
and good blood. And do you know what the old man said,
and experienced breeder? I will not take this pup. The
pedigree does not show a continuous motherline. Kleemann
now speaks of choosing the stud, when both sire and dam
have the same motherlines you can generally count on
outstanding pups and (you have) classy breeding stock,
such is the motherline of Zeohe! To improve your
motherlines you bring together matching bloodlines,
holding fast to the good qualities and abolishing the
bad. You then breed for, performance, boldness,
confirmation, nose, and waterwork (very important). The
shorthair must be able to hunt for hours in the water,
field and woods without tiring; he must have an
outstanding nose and never give up the retrieve of a
winged bird regardless of distance!
Only with consistence in
your motherline will you produce consistently fine
Shorthair’s. The pessimist says what good is it to start
with good motherlines and then, by accident, pick the
pup in which the chromosomes we are looking for and
separated? Such an accident is possible. (The
chromosomes will not generally become separated if we
are inbreeding with pure strains developed by
inbreeding! ) You can protect yourself when you breed by
bloodline and performance. The chromosomes are not
governed by blind change but, on the contrary, follow a
very definite pattern, as Gregor Mendel and his
associates have discovered. I repeat again, the pedigree
only shows us what we CAN expect from the off springs,
but it takes the art of the experienced breeder to know
what is actually there. As the artist must know his
tools, so the breeder must know his.. Mandels rules of
transmission.
Dr. Kleemann has been dead
for 20 years…the article on motherlines is older than a
generation. We must be thankful to this great genius for
his artiste ability to pick the right breeding stock
when the breed was young. The great success of the breed
was not alone due to his vast knowledge but to his
untiring labors.
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Dr. Kleemann writes again
and again: Consider the pedigree only to see what blood
(genes) CAN be carried by the animals to be bred. This
must be studied carefully. It is only by a careful study
of the individuals and their ancestors. It is necessary
to breed both according to bloodlines and performance
for success. (Outstanding performance in the same
bloodlines, not different bloodlines.
COMMENTS….Dr. Kleemann is
well-known to all Shorthair fanciers. He, years ago,
developed the tastes still being used in Germany today
to determine the presence of all the qualities for which
the GSP was bred… the tests used to select the best
breeding stock. His success is obvious.
In America the average
sportsman does not have need for all the duties his
shorthair is bred to perform. Most of us need his work
in field, wood and water (and we like a classy looking
dog). If we do not have need for more than one of these
requirements we might be better off with a more
specialized breed. (No one buys a Jeep solely for
superhighway travel.)
The GSP is an all-purpose
hunting dog….his utilitarian attributes are his reason
for being.. If we test but a small portion of those
attributes and breed from such tests we will evolve but
another specialist among many. All will not be lost
however since we can always go back to the land of his
origin where he is still being completely tested and
bred with thought.
How much better it would be
if we tested him further so that we could breed with as
much success as they do. What if we tested for just
field, water and show all wrapped up in one trial. There
could be but one trial a year of this nature to get
started. It would have to be handled by the NOBPA as
regulations now stand. To get rolling it would be open
to only GSPs…. eventually to all hunting, breeds.
Eligibility could be established by winning in field,
water or show in the 12 months prior. Judging (at least
three judges of the individual dog would be done… the
dog would not be judges in relation to the other dogs
competing. There could be 2, 3 dogs or none which would
receive the award of, say, Utility hunting Dog—Perfect
(like a K.S.) are he would have to be perfect in all
phases tested.
In our filed trials today
one dog must win (generally) and get the points. Where
competition is tough very often unplaced dog is superior
to the winning dog in a trial where the competition is
less keen…this again defeats our testing system. The
fact that these “easy” trials are becoming harder to
find all the time indicates some improvement, however.
The breed can be improved in only two major ways;
improved testing and improved breeding. We have some
good testing and some good breeding…we need more. It
will take plenty of work but we have a dept to the great
Dr. Kleemann (and the other early founders of the breed)
and to the dogs themselves which have provided us with
so much pleasure and enjoyment.
H stipe-J.McCue |