There is no elixir for good breeding. Success is contingent upon careful and honest analysis of one's breeding stock and genetic lines. The goal of this handout is to suggest some "common sense" rules designed to help breeders avoid pitfalls.

  1. Honestly evaluate your dogs. Self deception is a stepping stone to defeat. On the other hand, you do not need to announce your dog's faults to your major competitors.
  2. It's better to begin from a position of strength than disadvantage. Begin your breeding program with the soundest brood bitch you can find. And remember that not all good brood bitches are good show dogs. Each dog/bitch has its function in a breeding program.
  3. Don't search for the perfect dog as a mate for bitch. The perfect dog (bitch) doesn't exist. Look for the dog (bitch) that has the attributes you most need or are most important to the breed (e.g. deep chest).
  4. Don't line breed for the sake of line breeding. If done correctly line breeding with complementary types it can bring good results. However, even the greatest of lines needs the occasional outcross to strengthen and revitalize their line.
  5. The absence of a fault does not signify the presence of its corresponding virtue.
  6. Don't assess the worth of a stud dog by his inferior progeny. All studs sire rubbish at times. What matters is how good their best efforts are and how consistent they are in producing their best efforts.
  7. Don't allow personal feelings about the owner or color of a dog to influence your choice of a stud dog. The right dog for your bitch is the right dog regardless of who owns it and what color the dog is.
  8. Don't mate animals together who share the same fault (e.g. poor rear movement, light eyes, out at the elbows). You are likely to get more of the same.
  9. Don't forget that overall soundness is the goal. If you forget one virtue (e.g. moderate neck, deep chest) while searching for another (e.g. long head, tiny ears), you will pay for it.
  10. Don't allow admiration of a stud dog, a stud dog's show or sire record to blind you his faults. Remember you are selecting the best dog to complement YOUR bitch.
  11. Don't mate together non complementary types, namely ones which have the same faults and lack the same virtues. An ability to recognize type at a glance is a breeder's greatest gift. Ask successful breeders to explain this subject -- there's no other way of learning it.
  12. Don't believe that the myth that the brother or sister of the great sire or dam is just as good to breed from. For every one that is, many are not. It depends on the animal concerned.
  13. Don't be frightened to breed animals that have obvious faults so long as they compensating virtues. A lack of virtue is by far the greatest fault of all.
  14. Whenever possible, get your hands on the potential stud dog. Lack of substance, poor fronts, bad top lines, lack of reach and drive, poor rear assembly is not apparent until you have your hands on the dog.
  15. Don't take advice from people who have always been unsuccessful breeders or who have a great show dog but lack breeding experience. If there opinions were worth much they would have proved it by their successful progeny.

Modified from Raymond H. Oppenheimer, (1971). The complete bull terrier, Howell Book House