My dear Dobermann friends with intention I chose this provocative name for my article to attract your attention to one important issue in the breeding of nower days. During my visits and long conversations with many different breeders I had the great chance to get an objective opinion about this topic which I would like to share with you. i dont know how familiar you are with breeding techniques this is why I would like to write some lines about the different possibilities which we have regaring breeding. This article shouldn't be just an information for breeders but should also be a help for any interested owner or future owner of a dobermann or any other dog.

The first technique is called "outcrossing". Outcrossing is a method which is only indicated, when problems like loss of fertility, general fitness, health or stamina apper, which are caused by too intensive line or inbreeding. For the outcrossing dogs are used for matings which are genetically not related to each other.  You can improove the vivality of the dogs but you get dogs with less genetical power. The results unfortunately are not homogen and you get a big random genetical variety. Refusing line or inbreeding because of the mentioned problems which might appear and deciding for a total outcross breeding shows very little success. Even if theses dogs have random-earned advantages they dont have the hereditary power to give it to their progeny and making these advantages stronger. outcrossing only brings a random mix of advantages and disadvantages. Still this method is a very important one in the breeding program of any breeder and a method to keep your dogs healthy.

 The most breeders of dobermann follow the so callled 'linebreeding", which means they use dogs for mating which are somehow related to each other. With linebreeding you stabilize the genetic base and quality of your dogs. This doesnt have to mean that you necessarily get health problems because of using this method. It always depends on the inbreeding quotient, which means how much related the dogs are to each other. Of course the higher this quotient is the higher is the risk that you can get health problems but the stronger the hereditary power of the dogs you get is. This means the puppys you get will show their qualities better and stronger in their offspring than puppys out of an outcrossing mating.

The last method is called "tight linebreeding/inbreeding", often damned but absolutely necessary. For such a mating very tight related dogs are mated with each other like for example parent-child, littermates, half-silblings, dogs out of the same combination but two different litters etc. Dogs of this kind of combinations show a very high genetical power. I think it is wrong to think that such matings should be done by everyone and for sure it is a big mistake to think with such a mating you immedeatly produce a multi champion. These dogs done give just their positive issues but also their negative.

The correct selection of the dogs which should produce a inbreeding litter is in my opinion the most important thing.

At first it is the breeders absolute and main duty to assure that these dogs are absolutely healthy. I think a simple HD-test is just not enough so more tests like for example the different eye-tests, vWD, and the cardio-test (in the best case the holter method is the best) are absolutely necessary.

Then the character of the dogs should be sound and free of any disqualifying mistakes like too high agressivity, shyness or cowardness.

The selection by the pedigree is also very important because "problems from the past" which these dogs phenotyply don't show might appear. It is important that also the parents and grandparents of such dogs which we plan to use for inbreeding were longliving and didn't show any other mistakes.

The last but not least criterium for the selection should be the conformation of the dogs. Both dogs should show excellent and as close as possible to the standard conformation.

The last risk which we have if both dogs have never shown any progeny. It is important that such a mating is not the first mating of the bitch or the male. If both dogs have shown excellent progeny in other linbreeding combinations, free from any main mistakes regarding, health, character and confortmation and they fulfill the other mentioned selection options then I think the breeder has fully fulfilled his duty and such a mating can be a very important and pretious not only for him but also for other fellow breeders and the whole race.

As a breeder you cannot take away all the risks but I think if you follow all the mentioned issues than the breeder has done a great deal to minimize all the risks.

Dogs with strong genetical power are absolutely necessary. Unfortunatly the main attention is on the males out of such combinations. The point is that we don't need only males but also females with strong genetical power and specially breeders need such bitches. Unfortunatly also many breeders who make such combinations mainly base them on different males so the chance to get good males is high but the chance to get excellent females is a lot lower.

 All these three methods I think should be used by any breeder. Following just one of these methods is for the long sight not prosper. We need linebreeding, inbreeding and outcrossing. Once in while an outcrossing litter on a strong breeded female will improve the health and it won't damage our results too much if the bitch has a strong genetical power. I think the breeders shouldn't be too much afraid of outcrossing and the others shouldn't be too afraid of inbreeding or linebreeding. If inbreeding and outcrossing is done correctly there is no reason to damn them or be afraid of them.

 The whole world is not black and white but it is a picture full of colours and a breeder has two duties :  to keep it colourfull and his duty is to draw a nice dobermann !