Breeding

Blog info is for our kennel records, but also info for anyone interested in reading about the kennel.

Miki and Julie Collins have a good discussion on breeding in their 1991 book, DOG DRIVER. I've referred to this book many times over the years for this and their many other chapters of good information.

They recommend that you not breed the best of the best dogs in your yard, but carefully consider the best bloodlines for improvement of the 'species'.

Of course there is no guarantee that good bloodlines will produce good pups and sometimes winning pups come from nondescript bloodlines. In a planned breeding, however, you want to enhance all the factors you can. Breeding for positive traits is very important, e.g. good feet, coat, temperament , speed and endurance.

See photos for examples of proven to be good breedings.

Photo: Lillen, an example of excellent bloodlines/breeding. Lillen is a gee /haw command leader, very responsive, a thinker/a doer. She is out of Sven and Troll from the Butcher /Monson kennel. Her littermate, Yuksi, has been a main stud for Jeff King's winning Iditarod teams. Our dog , Copper is also a Sven descendant and the new dogs, Zeus and Eos, are Sven descendants. Zeus and Eos go back to the winning leader lines for Susan Butcher of Mattie/Meggie. Competitive mushers are breeding in that old line vigor. Lillen is in left swing

(right in the photo) in the ten dog team photo.

Paired with Lillen is Ruthie, daughter of Skinny/Liller and also a high performance leader, fast and responsive.

Photo: The ten dog team in the phot9 is lead by Liller (Butcher, Iditarod 2001) and Buffy,

leader out of Liller and Skinny ( Aliy Zirkle/Jerry Louden Yukon Quest gee /haw command leader). Skinny's lines go back to Swenson's Andy and Attla's Lingo. Liller was a perfect gee haw command leader as well.

All of the dogs in photo except Lillen/Liller are out of Skinny/Liller. One wheel dog is their granddaughter.

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