Kennel Blindness (originally posted on "Just Better Bulldogs Australia and New Zealand" www.facebook.com/groups/justbetterbulldogs.au.nz)
As breeders, it is my firm belief that our first priority is to “do no harm” to our breed. We must stay vigilant in prioritising health, temperament, and type. We have many high-quality breeders who go way above and beyond in doing their due diligence in researching pedigrees, as well as improving health and other issues, in the dogs they choose to use in their breeding program.
Nowadays with social media in the hot seat, it seems everybody thinks they have the top dog, the best dog or the perfect dog of their breed. Don’t get me wrong, we all have the ability to consider our dogs “the best” or “perfect” but from an owner standpoint, not from a breeder standpoint. Hyping up your dogs using fire and gorilla emojis does not validate their quality and confirm they are a good specimen to breed.
The term “kennel blindness” refers to a phenomenon at which a breeder is incapable of judging or criticising his or her own breeding stock and incapable of realising that a dog within their program should potentially not be bred. There is no perfect dog. There is always room for improvement. In order to improve we must first recognise flaws or faults and realise the areas at which we can improve. We can then find a complimentary match for our sire/dam and try to correct those faults and in turn better the breed. Below are some characteristics that may constitute somebody as “kennel blind”.
Jealousy
The inability to see and appreciate the better qualities in your competitors dogs. If you find yourself only pointing out negative qualities in your competition but never in your own stock, you may be “kennel blind”. Next time you see another breeder with your breed of choice, take a moment to appreciate the good qualities that you notice instead of focusing on the bad ones. This could even act as a learning experience to compare and decide where you can potentially improve. Don’t be jealous if you feel they have better quality dogs than you. Use that as a motivator to improve the quality of your program.
Ego
You hype up your dogs or a certain dog so much that when or if you notice an issue your ego gets in the way and you can’t admit it. You may get worried about your reputation or what other people think when you announce that said dog will not be bred or said dog is being removed from your program. In actuality this should make you look more favorable as a breeder who is genuinely paying attention and caring about the future and preservation of the breed.
Denial
Believing your dog is perfect and cannot be improved upon. Such a specimen doesn’t exist. Even what someone may consider the best in their kennel or the best dog of their breed (historically or currently), there will still be something that can improve. Whether that’s conformation, esthetics, movement, temperament etc. There is no such thing as a perfect dog so if that’s what you’re flaunting you need to sit down and have a serious conversation with yourself and with your breed standard.
Lack Of Knowledge
Perhaps you purchased a breed without researching or knowing much about it. Perhaps you purchased a sub-par puppy/dog from a non-reputable breeder. Perhaps you purchased a puppy/dog whose temperament is not favorable for the breed. If you don’t know any better then you more than likely will not see the problems in front of you. That may make you “kennel blind” but that can be corrected if you educate yourself ahead of time. Do the research and the work to find quality dogs before you start your journey into becoming a breeder and starting a kennel.
Small Kennels
If you only have a small selection of dogs to use and you are not working with an outside mentor or breeder (you buy a male and a female in hopes to breed them). When you don’t have much to choose from you may not be able or choose not to acknowledge the issues in front of you.
So how can we correct kennel blindness if we come to terms with this being our reality?
🔹️Try to remember to keep the focus on the whole dog. Many breeders like to focus on one particular trait that they may become “blind” to other faults that may be arising. For example if you are a stickler for bone but don’t realize that your angulation and topline are going out of whack. We can absolutely breed and look for dogs that excel in our ideal qualities but we can’t lose sight of the whole package. Be careful not to deviate too far out of your standard or you may compromise structure and functionality.
🔹️Ask for help. If you can find a breeder (one who is not kennel blind themselves and who is familiar with the breed standard) and have them do an honest evaluation of your dogs strengths and weaknesses. Accept the critique and keep an open mind. Don’t get defensive. Use it as education and value their opinion. You can ask several breeders and gather the collective critique.
🔹️Be honest with yourself. Realizing and accepting that you may need to make some changes is the first step in doing it. Sit back, look at what’s in front of you and devise a plan. Don’t be afraid to recognize you may be falling short of your goals
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