Amanda Gibney
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Your breed standard makes no preference for markings. While people may have colors and patterns they prefer for me it's not something I see as a problem. I worry much more about temperament and structure than if there are Kra markings. There is quite a bit of variety in Bangkaew markings and color, I would love to see that preserved. I personally don't like red Siberian Huskies, I much prefer gray. I also dislike blue eyes, I much prefer dark brown/black. But when I choose what puppy to keep out of a litter coat and eye color don't matter, I keep the best puppy regardless of coat and eye color. Amanda Kyrie Siberians & Thai Bangkaew Dogs |
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From years of breeding and research and talking to other long time dog breeders, the conclusion is that it's harder to improve fronts than rears. If you breed a dog with a poor rear to a dog with a really good rear, then take the puppy with the best rear and breed it to another dog with a good rear, you should get mostly good rears. A dog with a bad front can be bred to a dog with a good front and you will get some improvement, but it will take you typically 4-5 generations to breed the bad front out of your line. Same with bad bites, if you have a dog with a bad bite, it takes many generations to get rid of it. A bad tail can usually be fixed in only 1 or 2 generations. I will try and explain this more when I finished getting Dogsteps scanned, pictures should help. Amanda Kyrie Siberians & Thai Bangkaew Dogs |
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Thank you very much for translating into Thai. I just wish I could comunicate better with all of you over there. I found my copy of a book called 'Dogsteps' and will be scanning most of it and posting it for all of you. It has wonderful illustrations that decribe structure and movment much better than I can. For a breeding plan, each breeder must decide what is important to them. Dog breeding comes down to 3 basics-Type, Temperament and Movement. All 3 are important, but there are no perfect dogs, so as a breeder you must decide what you want to breed for and what you're willing to compromise on. For me in breeding Siberians my priorities have always been: 1-Temperament Most dogs I breed end up as family pets/companions, they must be sweet, outgoing and even tempered. I also don't want a shy or aggressive dog to show. Siberians are also pack animals and should get along with all other dogs, I won't breed a Siberian that is dog aggressive. 2-Movment Siberians are working dogs, they were developed to work all day in brutal conditions pulling a sled. A Siberian with poor structure and movement, to me, is just not a Siberian. Every movement should be graceful and effortless. 3-Type I do like a pretty dog, but in Siberians I will keep a puppy that's not as pretty if it moves better. There are also many Siberians here and finding a pretty one to bring into my line is easy. For Bangkaew my priorities are somewhat different: 1-Temerament Is still first. I must produce solid temperaments for the public here. BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) is everywhere here, at this point causing problems mainly for the pit bull breeds, but it will become more widespead and affect more breeds. Owners that have breeds that are on aggressive dog lists have a harder time getting insurance and finding housing also. I don't want the Bangkaew to end up on those lists. I will do my best to breed for great temperaments, spay or neuter dogs that aren't outgoing and confident. Do my best to socialize puppies from the moment they're born so they have the best possible chance. Since they are a different breed with a different purpose I will allow some dog aggression and some reserve with strangers. I expect the Bangkaew to be protective, but not vicious. 2-Type With the Bangkaew I feel that type must be my second priority. I want them to keep their uniqueness. I don't want them to look like other breeds. When I take them out in public here people don't know what they are but know they are a specific breed and not just some mixed breed or mut. 3-Movement Since I place so much emphasis on temperment I will give some on structure and movement. But I'm less likely to breed a bad front than a bad rear. A bad front will be with you for generations, a bad rear can be bred out in 1 or 2 generations. Knowing what structural faults are is extremely important, especially when trying to eliminate them (I'll explain that much more when I post the illustrations from 'Dogsteps'). Exercise, conditioning and nutrition can also make big imporvements in structure and movement. My first Bangkaew litter has taught me quite a bit, but also shows me I still have a lot to learn. I'm hoping to have 1 or 2 more litters before I go back to Thailand for more foundation dogs. I need to know what the dogs I have here produce so I know what to look for in other dogs to improve what I have. Amanda Kyrie Siberians & Thai Bangkaew Dogs |
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Dotcom has a little more bend to his pasturn than he should, but it's not bad. I prefer that over a pasturn that's too straight. Flexability of the pasturn makes moving easier and more efficient. A dog with straight pasturns will tire easliy and break down/become lame more easily. This is very important in Siberians since they are supposed to be able to cover 100 miles a day pulling a sled. My dogs all eat out of bowls on the floor of their crate/cage. That has not affected them any. A yard big enough that they can get up to a good run is helpful. It's useful for them to be able to run full tilt. I have taken dogs that were raised in very small areas and had bad movement and improved them greatly. My first AKC champion Siberian had a very bad rear, she moved very wide. I exercised her for 3 miles, 4 times a week and she moved nearly perfectly after 3 months of this. She was the one that first taught me how important exercise really is for dogs. Amanda Kyrie Siberians & Thai Bangkaew Dogs |
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khun Mongkol, I have seen many Bangkaew with correct short backs and square proportions. My foundation dogs do have a bit longer back, so I will try and improve that in future generations. Shorter backs will be one thing I look for when I go to Thailand again for more dogs. When trying to improve rear angulation it's best to choose puppies and adults that have shorter hocks. Then there is more angulation in the rear and it's a stronger moving rear and less prone to being 'hocky' (cowhocked). So-phi has a longer hock and very little rear angulation:  Booker also has a longer hock and less rear angulation that I prefer:  Rush, pictured at 4 months old, has a shorter hock and more bend of stifle:  Thai-ger (Kyrie's Thai One On) at 8 weeks old, very nice short hock and angulation. As you can see comparing him to his win pictures above they loose some angulation as they mature. So it's best to choose a puppy that looks overangulated.  Amanda Kyrie Siberians & Thai Bangkaew Dogs |