Perfect stock, but has fair hips or hips dyplaysia

[GSD Fan]

I have a question. I read that just because a dog has undesirable genetic traits, doesn't mean they won't be able to contribute to the breed. You can have a nice dog with fair hips.

My question is, let's say you have a stud dog. He is perfect in conformation and temperament and everything you are looking for your breeding program. The bad news? He has fair hips. Do you breed him or do you neuter him and send him to a pet home?

Let's up it to another notch. Let's take the same dog and give him hip dyplaysia. He has it, but is perfect. He is the best german shepherd or any other breed of dog you have EVER seen. We know you don't breed a dog with hip displaysia, but do you breed this dog? I'm thinking "NEVER" because of the hips, but I am wanting to know other thoughts on this.

[wyominggrandma]

Fair hip rating is still a normal hip. Some changes, but a normal hip. Yep, I would breed him without a problem.
HD? I would not breed one with HD, but that is just me. Some folks do and have no issues, some folks do and have lots of HD show up.

[BR870]

Fair hips is not considered dysplastic. There are plenty of Fair and Fast Normal dogs out there that are superb otherwise. Cut them out of the gene pool and you have a problem. Of course you want to breed them to a dog with better hips, but Fair or Fast Normal is not that big a deal IMHO if everything else is there...

[Lucy Dog]

As a puppy buyer, would I buy from:

Perfect temperament w/ fair hips - Absolutely

Perfect temperament w/ HD - Not a chance

[selzer]

OFA Fair is certified free of dysplasia. Yes I would breed OFA Fair. Heidi is Fair, her four litter sisters are Good. Heidi is the one I like best conformation wise, and she has an awesome temperament. But, she is too small to breed naturally, and AI was not successful. I would so have loved to have pups out of her.

Would I do a test breeding on a dog with HD, and sell all the puppies on a limited registration? Well, what would be the point. Yes a dog with HD, can produce good hips. But, they can also produce bad hips. And if you aren't breeding for the future, to keep and breed progeny, well, it is best to just love the dog, work with her, take her to trials. But there are enough dogs in the gene pool to leave out dogs with HD from your breeding program, even if she is the sweetest, nicest, prettiest thing you have ever participated in creating. That is when breeders shed tears, when the pup fails the two year old test, after being exemplary in all other ways.

[cliffson1]

What Wyomingrandma said!!! Some can breed w/HD and no problems, and others can breed w/HD and have disasters. TO ME and only my opinion, I think hips have to always be considered in the context of both dogs that are being bred as opposed to just the one.

[Vicky]

I am not an expert by any means of any sort, but I know when I was looking into pedigrees the hip ratings always caught my eye. I noticed quite a few breeders breeding dogs with fair hips and it puzzled me. I was kind of offended by it and thought, "Why are they doing that?". At first I disagreed with it.

But then when I read more into it, some of those dogs even when bred with other dogs who didn't have an excellent rating, still produced pups with good or even excellent OFA ratings. I've come to the conclusion that if you trust your breeder and they are knowledgable, they should be able to make that decision properly and for the benefit to the offspring they produce. Just my .02 cents, even though I'm a newbie. (:

[Konotashi]

Originally Posted by Lucy Dog

As a puppy buyer, would I buy from:

Perfect temperament w/ fair hips - Absolutely

Perfect temperament w/ HD - Not a chance

I second that.

I'd also like to see the dog with fair hips being bred, preferably to a bitch with excellent hips, but good would be fine.

Wouldn't touch a puppy from an HD parent with a 20 foot pole, even if the other parent had excellent hips.

[Jonro]

Originally Posted by Vicky

I am not an expert by any means of any sort, but I know when I was looking into pedigrees the hip ratings always caught my eye. I noticed quite a few breeders breeding dogs with fair hips and it puzzled me. I was kind of offended by it and thought, "Why are they doing that?". At first I disagreed with it.

But then when I read more into it, some of those dogs even when bred with other dogs who didn't have an excellent rating, still produced pups with good or even excellent OFA ratings. I've come to the conclusion that if you trust your breeder and they are knowledgable, they should be able to make that decision properly and for the benefit to the offspring they produce. Just my .02 cents, even though I'm a newbie. (:

Vicky, if you haven't already, and appears by your statements you have not, go to OFA website. I think you'll find it enlightening.

[Jonro]

Originally Posted by wyominggrandma

Fair hip rating is still a normal hip. Some changes, but a normal hip. Yep, I would breed him without a problem.
HD? I would not breed one with HD, but that is just me. Some folks do and have no issues, some folks do and have lots of HD show up.

A comment on your comment. "Changes" indicate dysplasia, a "Fair" rating is dysplasia Free and therefore with No Changes. Just to make it clear for those who believe "fair" should not be used.