Module 2 – Introduction to Breeding Goals

Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.

These courses are for educational and informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your veterinarian before making decisions about your dog's health, including administering supplements, changing their diet, or implementing training techniques that could affect their wellbeing.

Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.

Introduction to Breeding Goals

There are three parts to setting breeding goals for your breeding program:

A. Choosing Your Breeding Goals
B. Measuring Breeding Goals
C. Weighting Breeding Goals

Download and use Setting Your Breeding Goals Study Guide to help with this module.

A. Choosing Your Breeding Goals

Where are you going and why are you breeding dogs? The answer to this question is your aim, your desired result from this effort. If you know where you are going, you will make better and more efficient decisions regarding the dogs you breed and the actions you take. Having something to shoot for is as important in dog breeding as in other life pursuits!

Choosing Your Breeding Goals Transcript

Breeding goals to consider

B. Measuring Breeding Goals

In this section, we will discuss how we measure progress towards our goals. There is good evidence that people pursue what is measured so its important we get these right. How will you know when you are producing healthy dogs? How will you determine if you are producing good temperaments?

Measuring Breeding Goals Transcript

C. Weighting Breeding Goals

Now that you have listed your breeding goals and ensured that you can measure your progress toward those goals, now it's time to decide which are the most important and which might wait until later in your breeding career. We call these decisions weighting goals. They are different than ranking or prioritizing goals and instead allow you to decide the relative importance of all of your goals. We don’t want to sacrifice temperament for health or health for structure. We want and need to tackle many goals at once so this steps helps us do that.

Weighting your breeding goals

Assignments

1. Complete the Breeding Goals Worksheet. Download and print this worksheet to create your breeding program goals.

If you are an experienced breeder, including your current goals but also the goals you would like to add to your program.

If you are just starting out as a breeder, do the best you can. It can be difficult to imagine what your goals will be in a few years but the goals you establish now will be the foundation of your early breeding decisions.

2. Take the quiz. Take and submit the quiz to get credit for Module 2 and move on to Module 3.

Additional Resources

Breeding Goals

G. Leroy, E. Verrier, et al. 2007. Breeding goals and breeding practices of French dog breeders: results from a large survey. Revue de Médecine Vétérinaire, vol 158, no 10, pp 496-503.
V Baublys and V Tubelytė. 2011. Determining breeding knowledge, goals and practices of Lithuanian dog breeders. Biologija, vol 57, no 1, pp 1–7.

Measurement Websites

American Temperament Test Society (ATTS)–Adult temperament evaluations for all breeds
Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). Contact cias@vet.upenn.edu for a breeder account.
Canine Health Information Center–health testing recommended for your breed
Golden Retriever Certificate of Conformation Assessment–non-competitive evaluation of golden retriever conformation
Optigen–DNA-based testing for many breeds and diseases
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals–far more than its name entails, now the leading health database for dogs in North America; health certifications for many breeds
University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program (PennHIP)–now run by Antech

Measurement Information

Cornell University. Breeding a Better Dog: Breeding values derived from OFA Hip and Elbow scores and pedigrees.

Actual Breeder’s Goals

First, read the Swedish Kennel Club’s breeding strategy and goals for the collie breed. Then compare and contrast the breeding goals of these four breeders. Which do you think guide the breeder most clearly? What else do these goals do?