[nagdu] Success stats

Tami Kinney tamara.8024 at comcast.net
Fri Jun 24 21:15:47 UTC 2011


Yeah, it does seem startling when you hear it. I think with some breeds
the success rates are lower.  Say, with poodles. That may have changed
with the programs that now have more experience with the silly creatures
since I read that.

>From what I have been able to gather, labs have the highest success rate
over the other traditional breeds, so many more labs than others. Also,
lab/golden crosses. Can't remember where goldens come in off the top of
my head.

Some of the difference in success rates by breed have to do with health
problems or with temperament issues that crop up in an established line
from breeding trends that pollute the gene pool.  Sigh. I guess it's
been a problem with GSDs, and some programs have been able to recover
and get their GSD lines back up to snuff by importing breeding stock
while others have phased them out.  Well, I know that was a big part of
why GDB decided to become a purely lab or lab/golden program not too
long ago and just phased out their shepherds. They tried poodles for a
few years, but between some health issues in their stock and the poodly
temperament in the training environment, they finally determined it
wasn't cost effective for them to keep at it.  Which does make sense.

It seems, also, that labs are just easier, both in training and in
matching over a variety of potential handlers.  As a rule, they're just
so gosh darn calm and steady and ridiculously easy to get along with
while still being trainable and well-suited for guide work. Some are a
bit slower and more mellow than the norm, so they're better suited for
people who need that for whatever reason. Some a perkier and feistier
and faster than the norm, so that takes care of your adventure-seeking
handlers. /smile/ They seem to have the most important strenghts of the
other common breeds without some of the traits only some think of as
strengths.  So, better odds of placing more puppies from any given
litter of labs than GSDs or other herding/guarding types.  Makes sense,
actually, even though I probably don't have the whole picture from the
program perspective, especially at a decision-making level.  It's
interesting to think about, though.

I wonder if dobies will make a comeback as guide dogs since breeders
seem to be doing well at bringing them back to what they were before the
tiny head fiasco.  Now I guess collies are having tiny head problems
because of breeders who think that's a good idea.  Sigh.  Anyway, I keep
meeting dobies with proportional heads and good temperaments and owners
who are so happy the breeders got a clue and turned their practices
around so that dobies are dobies.  Yay! I'm also noticing more straight
GSDs with good temperaments around, too, but the owners tell me you
still have to work pretty hard to make sure that's what you get.  Still,
progress.  So I also wonder if with more healthy even-tempered stock
available in outside breeding stock, programs will start increasing
their shepherd lines.  It will be interesting to see.  For me, at
least. /smile/

On Fri, 2011-06-24 at 10:58 -0600, Sheila Leigland wrote:
> The fifty percent is what I've heard and it seems low to me also. I hope it changes or has changed.
> 
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