generatons for consistant type.

[Alex Sanderson]

For anybody who has crossed breeds for a specific purpose. I dont mean just within the hound breeds, but gone beyond that into hound/pointer/greyhound/stag/terrier/cur or whatever... If you achieved what you wanted, how many generations did it take to start seeing consitancy in the offspring? And did the heavy inbreeding (that it would require) cause any significant problems?

[Pops]

not realy the best answer, but
the dogo argentino was started in the 1920s and just reached the basic type they have now in the 1950s. so how many generations can you produce in 30 years. consider also they discarded some of the crosses credited w/ being in the breed still by show fanciers. the guys who get the credit actually hired several people to keep breed & hunt the dogs full time while they dabbled. all of that and it still took 30 years.

[three rivers catahoulas]

I see where Pops is comeing from on that, but what we dont know is if they started to like what they were getting before that 30 year mark. For my personal cow dogs it took 6-7 generations to start weeding out the bad traits and keep the good ones, I'm at generation 8 now and have less of the bad traits then when I started, but some are still there. Heck I am pretty happy with what I have so far, so I think it all really comes down to, Is the guy or gal doing the breeding happy? And if so, how many generationsdid it take them to get there?

[Alex Sanderson]

That's more along the lines of what I was meaning. Not going as far as having a real breed standard but just a reasonable expectation that a majority of a litter will come out the same as the last litter. Hopefully being the intended result of a good blend of the crosses used.

[Mike Leonard]

3 generations any more than that you are pissing in the wind. Good lord how long does a guy live?

I am getting tired of posting breeding recommendations that have been proven time and eternal by those who don't just mix a little sand gravel and dirt and then throw it out and back into the same bucket. Hey! rocket science is what your thinking! It's not but if you have to wait 7 generations with dogs that equals one human life from birth to death. Huh? So maybe golf or fishing or some other vocation would suit you better Methusala.

Sorry but it don't wash. Is it easy no. Have I got it figured out? No! but others have but you can't breed crap to crap and expect sunshine!

[Alex Sanderson]

Who's Methusala in this conversation? I was hoping somebody with knowledge of the sort of thing that has been done in England with lurchers and terriers would have some valuable input on the subject. I suppose it is too hard to really grasp the whole point in a question typed on here. I'll go back to discussing this in the pub after hunting. It proves to be more useful. Try the pudding, then ask what's in it. I bet it won't be sand, gravel, or crap. Even I know none of those will make pudding or sunshie.