[nudiva37]

Originally Posted by Woogie Man

Thanks for all the replies. I kind of figured there was no one size fits all answer. The reason I asked in the first place was that I was reading on the Scottish Terrier. In my reading, it was stated that many Scotties in the past had trouble whelping but that problem had mostly been bred out of them. So the obvious question, to me, is this a problem that can be bred out and, if so, shouldn't it. Isn't this a problem that, like known genetic flaws, may or may not be passed on to offspring? It seems that in the case of genetic (or suspected genetic) flaws, the universal opinion is that the sire, dam or both should not be bred again once a pup shows up with a problem even if the parents have been tested clear. I do realize that a dog's inability to free whelp is not the same thing as a life threatening or quality of life defect, but should it not be regarded as a problem that should be avoided if we are working to better the breed? More pointedly, would you buy a female puppy to be used for breeding if you knew its mom had to have a c-section? Also, if this can be bred out of the Scottie, why not the Yorkie? I'm asking these questions for my own education and not to 'throw stones' at anyone's breeding program so please don't take offense. I've always believed that the only stupid question is the one not asked so I'm asking.

thanks for bringing the topic... I have enjoyed the responses... this forum gave me much food for thought...