What Does it mean when people talk about Line Breeding ?

[JOE G]

What does line breeding mean?
What is the reason for doing this?
Just trying to learn so I know what it means when I read it thanks

[regens_mom]

Line breeding means breeding two animals of the same breed, within the same family. Line breeding is what some breeders use to produce their "own" lines. Some examples of line breeding are: grandfather to granddaughter, grandmother to grandson, aunt to nephew, uncle to niece, etc. Many breeders use line breeding to create a certain "type." This is why you hear people say, "That dog looks like a dog from so and so's line." That's because the breeder has produced a dog with a specific "type" that is easily recognizable from generation to generation. Some people say that this is inbreeding, but inbreeding is when you breed father to daughter, mother to son, etc. Line breeding is not as close as inbreeding, though both methods double up on certain genes and traits, just not as closely. Line breeding perpetuates certain physical, temperament, and performance traits, but keep in mind that this could be good or bad. This takes a real professional to do this right. On the other hand, outcross breeding is when you take a male and female dog of the same breed, but have no relatives that are the same, and you breed them. Breeding is a fine art and takes a lot of research on the history of both the sire and the dam.

Hope this helps.

[chelsi]

Jan, that was really informative! Good question Joe! I learn so much from this forum!

[JOE G]

Thank you it did help. It is weird to hear that inbreeding is ok at times.

[laughing]

Inbreeding is actually perfectly ok IF AND ONLY IF you know exactly what you're doing and don't do so too often. Inbreeding becomes a concern if someone is just randomly breeding or does it consistently.

Line breeding, in my opinion, is incredibly useful.. But at times an out cross is definitely needed to bring in a trait the line doesn't have.

[regens_mom]

Out cross breeding can serve many purposes. It can not only bring in a physical, temperament, or performance trait that is lacking, but it can also strengthen these as well. On the flip side, it can also bring in an undesired physical, temperament, or performance trait. It can be a double edged sword. Breeders will sometimes out cross to build what they call "hybrid vigor." Which increases the gene pool and can create bigger, healthier, and more vigorous pups. However, this only affects that particular litter.

The bottom line is, that the breeder is trying to improve the breed, not just breeding for breeding sake.

[Aisha Al Midfa]

good question Joe! i learned from this as well, jan may i copy and post ur information on my rottie site? really helpful

[laughing]

The bottom line is, that the breeder is trying to improve the breed, not just breeding for breeding sake.

Best thing I have heard lately!!! All of this is time consuming, takes incredible amounts of knowledge/research, looking back generations upon generations, etc, ALL FOR THE PUPS! It's trying to make their Rottweilers as close to the standard as possible and also be healthy, happy, incredibly stable family pets. This is why I can never see someone as a legit breeder when they've only read a few books over the course of 6 months and have health tested... ain't gonna cut it for me!

[regens_mom]

Laughing, you make a good point. That is why prospective buyers should always research the breeder before they buy a puppy. They need to look at the pedigree for both the dam and the sire, and if possible, see both of them in person. There are many reputable breeders out there, but there are also many people who call themselves breeders, who are only in it for the money, or other possible reasons unrelated to improving the breed.