# Importance of Bitches?



## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

Which is more important in a breeding, the male or female? Is it equal? Does one bring more to the genetic table then the other?

I ask because I tend to focus on the males by default just because they're usually the ones most talked about. When looking for a litter I follow dogs I like and see who they're bred to. Now I'm wondering if maybe I should be doing the opposite?


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Genetically they both matter. Half and half pass on to offspring. But the bitch is the one that imparts the first, important lessons to the newborn. She matters a lot in terms of environmental shaping. Strong motherlines make for strong kennels and good pups. Males will always be the fad, but the motherline is silent, crucial part of the equation. 

More:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...41-do-females-have-less-drive-than-males.html


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I like to look at the breeder's foundation lines, not just the individual. And of course most have females so the lines they are breeding are very important. They are the ones choosing which stud to use to compliment their lines, and trusting that is key.

That said, I was drawn to the sire of my males breeding, he really is something special. This was the females first litter, but her lines had produced well previous, so it was very easy to decide to ask for a reservation on that breeding. Lucky for me, I was able to get in on it!


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## Andaka (Jun 29, 2003)

Good bitches are the MOST important part of any breeding program. A breeder with good bitches can choose any stud dog in the country (and maybe the world) to breed to. Bitches also have a big impact on the litter thru her nurturing and response to the outside world.


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## PatchonGSD (Jun 27, 2012)

This is a good question.....I've heard several times that a pup is only as good as its mother, and I've wondered then, if that was true, why all the hoopla about the studs?


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

Would you say bitches are more important then males simply because the bitch will be present when the puppies are born up through 8 weeks of age?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

> I've heard several times that a pup is only as good as its mother, and I've wondered then, if that was true, why all the hoopla about the studs?


Because the stud can balance out what the female may have a bit too much of or lack of. That is where knowledge of the individual pedigrees come in. And it seems only a handful of breeders know how to match to bring out the best. 

Some just think titles on each side and health tests are enough, but that is just the beginning.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

To me the bitch is the most important because not only is she half of the genetics but she is the one whelping the litter. I would not want a puppy from a bitch that is nervous in the whelping box or too aggressive with puppies even if pedigree-wise she is nice. I've heard many times about someone getting a really nice bitch for their breeding program and then her being a terrible mother and being culled from the breeding program.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

PatchonGSD said:


> Why all the hoopla about the studs?


$$$$ 

Think about it this way, a bitch can have say 4-5 litters in her lifetime and then retires. A dog can potentially sire litters throughout his entire lifetime until he dies. Especially big top world level studs are in high demand with high stud fees. Say a VA dog commands a 2k stud fee and breeds 60x/year, that's 120k/year. Not bad! A dog could breed a dozen times a month, but a bitch is limited physiologically. I think old gender bias also plays into it. Generally in most animal husbandry, it is the male that is the draw (ex. stallions).


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

Makes sense. For some reason I never thought about how well a bitch would care for a litter. But how do you find out something like that? Just ask the breeder? And how do you hear of nice females in the first place? Almost all the dogs I hear being discussed are males.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Go out and see them work. Meet the dog. See her in action. If she has had litters, ask the breeder how she whelped and ask to speak to any other puppy owners that own her progeny. It will take more leg work to get info on females, but a breeder worth anything should be able to rattle off a dozen facts about their female. This is the benefit of going with breeders that have established motherlines with females that they have B/HOT. That means the breeder can follow, test and prove the female line for several generations.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Ask, observe. In Nikon's case I'd seen the bitch train, work, just be at home, socialize, and have seen her with a litter just hours old. In Pan's case I trusted the breeder and his litter was a repeat (plus other litters from both parents) so we had something to go on.


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

There are a few females I have been looking at, but none are close enough for me to go and meet unless I take time off of work, which is not possible atm. They have had previous litters though. Hopefully they'll still be breeding when I'm ready for another dog. :laugh:


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

The male has the greatest influence on the breed, but it is the female that forms the foundation for the breed. Without good females you have nothing. Study the breed and you will see that the males that have greatly influenced our breed almost always came out of exceptional bitches. She provides not just her genetics, but her nurturing during the very early developmental stages of a puppy's life.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

You own the bitch. You can buy a stud fee for the right dog for her. 

I think there is a lot of focus on the dog because a dog can sire 50 litters in a year or more, whereas a bitch might whelp two.

Once the male provide his sperm, his job is done. 

The bitch though, not only does she provide half the puppies' genes, she provide nourishment in utero and for the first 5 weeks or so. She must be strong and hardy to support the puppies, and whelp the puppies. 

Then we have her behavior. If she is high strung/nervous, she will pass that on to her puppies. She needs to have certain instincts, she needs to trust her caregivers so that they can handle her through the whelp and while raising the puppies. The bitch might have to allow them to put fingers where fingers do not belong BTDTGTTS. She has to allow strangers to manage her if she needs a c-section. She has to let the people dry off and weigh the puppies without freaking out. 

She has to perform all the hard work. She has to keep the puppies clean. She has to keep them warm. She has to let them eat, even if it is uncomfortable. 

When people purchase a puppy, you can tell them that the stud dog is not on location, but the bitch generally will be. This means, that when they see the puppies, they will probably want to see the dam. The dam can't be acting like a total nutcase. Also, if she freaks out when people come over, she is teacher her pups that people are not ok. That early imprinting of the bitch is huge.


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

lhczth said:


> The male has the greatest influence on the breed, but it is the female that forms the foundation for the breed. Without good females you have nothing. Study the breed and you will see that the males that have greatly influenced our breed almost always came out of exceptional bitches. She provides not just her genetics, but her nurturing during the very early developmental stages of a puppy's life.


What defines an "exceptional bitch"?


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I define it as females who consistently produces great sons and daughters who then go on to influence the breed. Dogs like Afra Stoppenberger Land, Askia Froschgraben, Umsa Bungalow, Haska Karthago, Randa Karthago, Quaste Ankenrütt, etc.


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