Sissy

Got a call today from the fellow that owns this NKC registered Feist. Isn't she pretty. He wondered about breeding her to my male Feists. What the owner of a Feist needs to do is take the dog back to the Kennel she came from and breed to one in the same line. Think of the gene pool like a pool. In the same line the pool is smaller, so you will more likely get the genes you want in the offspring. Say the gene pool, is the size of a nice big bucket. Now, if you breed too close--we say father to daughter or mother to son--the gene pool gets really small. Just imagine it looking like a tea cup and yes you may get the genes you want but you have a greater chance of getting genes you don't want such as serious health issues. Now, if you two dogs that are not related in 3 or 4 generations, think of your gene pool like a small pond. You may get genes you want but your odds are not as good. Breeding Feists that have many of the same ancestors on both sides of the pedigree is what we call line breeding. The best line breeding we feel goes across two lines and brings both back to the offspring!

Happy hunting!