Certificate in Starting a New Breed

Description This course explains things breeders need to know to make educated choices for their new breed including basic genetics, breeding systems, pedigree, selection and anatomy. It teaches the basic principals of breeding program development. On completion, the breeder will have a full understanding of the step by step process of breed development and how their decisions and selection will impact on the results. It is designed to benefit those who have an interest in understanding how genetics, anatomy and a well-designed strategic breeding program can be used in selection of stud stock and prevention of heritable disorders. It will help to understand breed standards which are usually written to some degree with an assumption that the reader has a basic knowledge of canine anatomy. The student will have an understanding of basic selection principals and applying their knowledge to real dogs where what they see as well as what they cannot see will be passed down through generations. They will understand that although the modes of inheritance, strategies used, pedigree analysis and puppy evaluations are important that no one part is more important than the whole dog. They will know the distinctions between breeds and how the similarities and differences among other breeds help in understanding their own breed and prevention of heritable defects. They will have a greater knowledge of their breed – function and purpose, diseases and how to avoid them, their breed’s standard, selection of breeding dogs and methods used to identify strengths and weaknesses, how to evaluate progress and litters and effective record keeping.