Brackett Principle #5: Outcross--But Only for Definite Purposes!

Ch. Drum of Long Worth

“I will state unequivocally that ‘nobody but nobody’ amongst them is going to do constructive animal breeding or produce a satisfactory percentage of top specimens, and most certainly they WILL NOT build a strain within the breed.  This having been proved to be true innumerable times by geneticists and all successful animal breeders, regardless of variety, what follows can be of value or interest to those now doing such outcross breeding only for one reason:  to demonstrate why they are not getting the desired results.”[i]

Brackett emphatically stated that one must outcross only for a definite purpose!  In doing so, one may find that the first generation of outcross generally will prove successful.  However, the offspring of succeeding generations of outcross breeding will be a “heterogenous lot” which displays any lack of uniformity.  Breeders face the danger of losing any breed type they desire to retain.  This has the potential of being very notable in differing type in both size and proportion.

Furthermore, Brackett advocated outcrossing only for specific purpose.  This could be employed “to correct a fault or faults which may have shown up in his inbred strain.”[ii]  The more distant breeding undertaken, one can expect less uniformity.  Brackett rests this premise on the authority of Onstott who stated that “any virtues which may be added to a strain through outcrossing. . . . .cannot be looked upon as inherit in that strain until they have been purified and fixed within that strain through inbreeding.”

The Art of Breeding Better Dogs

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[i] Ibid., pages 14-15.

[ii] Ibid., page 15.

Successful Breeding

Last year I purchased an older book (first published in 1961 by Kaye & Ward Ltd, The Windmill Press, Kingswood, Tadworth, Surey, Great Britian with seven subsequent editions) by Nem and Percy Elliott entitled The Complete German Shepherd Dog. This is an entirely revised edition of The Complete Alsatian.

This title had been on a recommended listing of books about the German Shepherd Dog I had found in another book which I had recently read. In addition, I was particularly interested in this book as I had shown several German Shepherds under the co-author, Percy Elliott, while living in Kingston, Jamaica in the mid-1990s. Both Nem and Percy were international judges and recognized authorities on the German Shepherds.

There is much guidance to be found within this book on every aspect of the German Shepherd’s care to the establishment of a kennel and an accounting of training for character, the show-ring, competitive obedience and working qualifications. The novice and inexperienced breeder will find this book helpful. More experienced breeders will find essential information on important bloodlines listed of British, German and American award winning from the first shows ever held.

The contents of this book are presented in six (6) sections:

1. Breed History and Standard

2. Breeding

3. Modern Bloodlines

4. Care and Management

5. Showing and Training

6. Records of Champions (British, German and American)

In addition, you will find a well-written glossary and excellent index.

I would like to highlight briefly three (3) key ingredients necessary to be a successful breeder gleaned from the pages of Chapter 2: Practical Breeding. These elements that constitute a successful breeder are conclusions that the Elliotts have drawn based upon over forty years of breeding. Breeders normally strive to better their breed through the development of a guide or system of breeding which will undoubtedly produce better and lastly results.

The Elliotts postulate that breeders are always looking for a secret to success and that this is, in fact, natural and commendable. Many breeders seek to find  a formula, perhaps even scientific procedure, that they hope will work to aid them in being successful and competitive. The authors state unequivocally that there is no secret formula. Instead they simply outline three (3) ingredients which are necessary to be a successful breeder.

The first is breed knowledge.

“You must know what a good dog or pigeon is like, otherwise how can you hope to produce it (82).”

The second is ‘common sense’.

“If ever there was a misnomer, this is it! When one looks around in many walks of life, this so called ‘common’ commodity is rather rare isn’t it? . . .The ability to see to the core of anything seems to be beyond some rather clever people. I don’t think common sense can be taught, it comes naturally or not at all (82).”

The third essential is luck.

“Without this you get nowhere. You can plan all you want and be correct in all your assumptions but without luck there is nothing. The more knowledge and common sense that you possess the more you can cut down the odds and not rely on luck so much (82).”

Elliott continues to state that “it is my opinion that there is unlikely to be ‘scientific’ breeding in this hobby, and I suppose, to be honest, I hope not too. To breed scientifically one would need to keep many animals to carry through a programme. This would be too many for the good of the breed. Who would ever be able to keep the necessary number and give the correct environment a Shepherd deserves? I believe it is better to proceed in the old fashioned way but with one proviso. That is that breeders and ruling bodies exercise concern for the breed that we all profess to have, be less secretive about breeding results, make known anything of importance, good or bad. If we pool our knowledge and exercise such common sense as we have we ought to improve the ration of good ones. This is what breeding is about not the occasional good one and lots of faulty or insignificant specimens (82).”

Know the breed! Possess common sense! Be lucky! I hope that you have noted that the order of the key ingredients seems to be our importance. If you possess common sense, in general; but lack knowledge of the breed—you will probably fail! If you are lucky; but lack knowledge of the breed—you may obtain or breed a good one, but you will probably not be able to sustain your success in the future! Knowledge of the breed; first and foremost! Knowledge of the breed is at the heart of successful breeding. Knowledge of the breed is the bedrock of successful breeding! Knowledge of the breed must be at the center of your system; coupled with a good dose of common sense; with a bit of good luck and fortune sprinkled about!

This book will be well worth the very meager amount spent. You will be able to find it through Amaxon.com or other online book sellers. Here’s to a good, successful breeding program!!

Principles for Breeding & Showing GSDs by Jason Lyle

Lyloak's Sugar Maple, TC, PT

My introduction to the German Shepherd Dog began in Kingston, Jamaica. My father bought me my first GSD, Hychas Janel. I called her “Beauty.” My family owned a number of German Shepherds and Doberman Pinchers that protected the school compound on which we lived. I began showing dogs in Jamaica and was a junior handler there often showing German Shepherds, Doberman Pinchers and even Rottweilers. When my family moved to New York in 1996, we brought back with us a young German Shepherd which my father had bred and we showed him here.


In 2000, my father purchased a bitch puppy, Signore Amber’s Lucia Mia, for me while I was a college student at the University of Maine. In 2004, I bred that bitch to “Dallas.” From that very first litter I kept the only bitch in the litter, Lyloak’s Sugar Maple TC, PT. “Sugar” has become my foundation bitch. In 2009, she was the number 6 Futurity/Maturity producing bitch in the county. She has already produced three outstanding progeny: BIF CH. Lyloak’s First Knight, BIF CH. Lyloak’s Fresca, and RFB Lyloak’s Isn’t She Lovely. At almost 11 yrs old Lucia Mia has been retired for several years now and is my home protection system. To date, I have owned/breed 4 Champions.

I have learned so much since being in the breed. In the remaining portion of this article, I would like to share a few principles which I have gained from my experience and observations about German Shepherds and applied to breeding and showing of German Shepherds.

#1—I recently heard the following quote; “Just when I thought I knew everything is when I really started to learn.” This is probably the most accurate quote about breeding and showing German Shepherds. One never knows enough—keep striving for a higher level.

#2—Malcolm Willis writes that “an inability to see the faults in your own dogs while seeing numerous (both imagined and real) in everyone else’s dogs is a major failing in some dog breeders.” You need to be your worst (or in retrospect your best) critic.

#3—Don’t get too attached to any dog in your kennel. Too often, breeders get attached to a specific dog or puppy in their kennel no matter how good or poor the dog is. Attachment to mediocre dogs often locks breeders in to mediocre dogs. This results because most breeders have facilities for a limited number of dogs. When the potential for a better quality dog becomes available they have no room in the kennel to add a new dog or grow out a puppy.

#4— Don’t keep males unless they have potential to be a top-quality male. In other words, build your kennel on bitches, you can use any stud in the county on the day you need him for merely his stud fee.

#5—If you are considering adding a dog to your kennel, it is best to add an older puppy or young adult, preferably at least 9 – 12 months or older versus a young pup. The older the pup/young adult the better. With an older pup, you will be able to know the status of hips, elbows, bite, teeth, ears, show attitude, record, etc. This information, of course, is not available when buying a young pup.

#6—Know the Standard and bred to the Standard. Don’t get caught up in fads or trends.

#7—Breeders should want everyone in the breed to bred good dogs. Obviously, I want to be as competitive as I can and breed the very best GSDs I can. However, I want everyone to improve their breeding stock and not fail. Breeders should want other breeders to bred good dogs and improve the gene pool. Breeding good dogs will bring benefit to ALL of us. We all need good studs to go to which are from different lines. Let’s encourage each other and improve the breed!

My wife and I, along with our daughter Selena, enjoy getting together at club activities. It is truly wonderfully that, through the German Shepherd, we can meet and form friendships with such a diverse group of individuals and participate in activities such as herding, obedience, and showing!