BREEDER’S FORUM with Michael & Michelle anderson Pug
1. Tell us Three conformaTion characTerisTics you consider criTical in your breeding program. 1) Correct head shape with proper placements and wide underjaw, 2) proper front structure and 3) strong level top lines. 2. WhaT dog ThaT you have bred have you been mosT exciTed abouT? Sandcastl Simplistic, “Rose”, that still holds the Pug bitch record with 16 all breed Best in Shows and two years in a row was the Eukanuba Bred By Toy Group winner. This bitch never knew when to quit, one very hot summer at outside shows she went all breed Best in Show five days in a row! 3. WhaT are your ThoughTs on imporTing and exporTing? It strengthens everyone’s breeding program if you are selective and make smart choices. We have done both, but on a very limited basis. 4. To daTe, WhaT has been your high poinT as breeders? Winning homegrown 2015 Pug Club of America Nation- als Winners Dog and Best of Winners Sandcastl Sunshine Superman, “Apollo” under Breeder-Judge Jason Huff. His dam, Sandcastl Sunshine, “Olive”, won several specialties and was BOS twice at the nationals with very limited showing and was out of our beloved BIS BISS CH Broughcastl Blaque Bom- baway, our foundation male. His sire was a very beautiful boy named Sweetbriar Little Boy Boo, “Ray”, bred by a close friend Erin Hall. The pedigree on this boy is very special to all of us involved! 5. WhaT is your peT peeve in The shoW/breeding World? Politics and over grooming. 6. is There a grooming secreT you Would like To share? Daily grooming is a must, you can’t ignore the coats for any length of time and decide you will whip them into shape overnight for upcoming shows. 7. do you inbreed, linebreed or ouTcross and Why? So far we have done all three. Sometimes it is based on other successful breedings from certain lines and known qualities. Other times it is a gut feeling and knowing all of the ancestors that are involved.
olive
apollo
8. do you Think your currenT sTandard is adequaTe?
We are off on the weight. The standard says no more than 18 pounds. I happen to agree with it but in the show ring it is very hard for a male to be competitive in the breed ring 18 pounds or under. 9. Where do you house your dogs and Whelp your biTches? They are in the house; we have never kenneled them. Gen- erally bitches are bred once, typically via AI, and this makes it easy to determine when to C-section. We lost our very first puppy getting stuck and almost lost the bitch as well. The only way to avoid this is to have x-rays to see if the heads can pass through the pelvis. We do not x-ray pregnant women and the reason why is too lengthy to get into, but there are scientific facts why we do not do this with humans and those reasons are just as valid for canines. 10. aT WhaT age do you deTermine a puppy To be shoW qualiTy? There is no magic number with our breed. Some lines mature faster than others and each litter is an individual work in progress. Most times it is a wait-and-see game with no set guidelines. 11. WhaT is The greaTesT healTh concern for your breed Today? It always has been and still is Necrotizing Meningoenceph- alitis (MME) also known as Pug dog encephalitis (PDE). With the help of some genetic testing to determine markers we have made some headway but we are far away from solving this issue. 12. if you Were noT involved WiTh shoWing dogs, WhaT Would you do? I most certainly would be involved with breeding, show- ing or just loving other animals. My husband on the other hand would definitely devote more time to horticulture.
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