OOOh, no problem at all Deb.. you're "right" a whole whole bunch!
I understand your questions about "how is it benifiting the health by breeding back to the same breed that obviously has the same health issues'.. my answer to how I believe it is advantages is that 1) I know the health of the traditional yorkie I have been breeding back to! This is the most important ingredient.. if it was just any old yorkie off the street, breeding back to it would not nearly as appealing. I know the history, I know what he produces, I know what went into him, his parents, his character, the breeder..everything I can know.. I do not have those advantages with the dogs I brought from Germany.. I know that for example.. if his line would have had any issue in the past, they would have been dealt with by either selectivly breeding who goes in and who doesn't or by removing a problem dog from the program. I am not certain how these things are handled with the dogs imported from Germany.. the foundation of what we use in our programs.. 2) I am not looking at breeding back to a yorkie to magically cure all issues.. what I am looking at it doing is, for my lines, adding in one new line, a healthy, vibrant line.. into my Biewer lines.. opening them up just a bit by expanding what there is to work with.
I am certainly not saying we should not ever breed Biewer to Biewer... what I am saying, is for ME... I am going to add one generation of a new line into all of my Biewer lines.. keep back the best, and then start breeding those dogs Biewer to Biewer. Whatever it takes... If I have to do it again, and breed in another generation.. I guess I'd have to decide that when the time comes.
I have spayed/neutered all but one of the dogs I have imported from Germany.. I will keep starting over until I am ASSURED as best as I can be, that what I am breeding is healthy and the kind of dog I want to be proud to say represents the Biewer. I for one am just not at the point where I can look at a pedigree and be content with what I see on there.. maybe some can. I only wish I was younger because this is going to be a very long process, in my opinion.. and those that believe they are already there are only fooling themselves. (again, my opinion only). I really wish it was the case, it would be far easier on us all.
Diana
