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KENNEL
BLINDNESS
by Claudia
Waller Orlandi,
Ph.D.
As part of the
critical process
of choosing a
sire and dam, as
well as deciding
which puppies to
keep, below we
address the
topic of kennel
blindness.
"The breeder, to
be successful,
must look his
dogs ....not only
in the face, but
in the body,
front and
running gear....
Even to
themselves many
breeders will
not acknowledge
their failure
when they fall
short of their
objective, and
in an effort to
convince others
of the
perfection of
their dogs,
[they]
convince...usually
only
themselves." Onstott
DEFINITION
Found in many
kennels of
purebred dogs,
kennel blindness
is a "disease"
which renders a
breeder
incapable of
seeing faults in
his own dogs.
Kennel blind
breeders tend to
twist and
distort the
standard to
justify the dogs
they breed.
PROGNOSIS
Because serious
faults can
become set in a
couple of
generations,
unless quickly
diagnosed and
treated, kennel
blindness can be
fatal to a
successful
breeding
program.
SYMPTOMS
An inability to
see and
appreciate the
good qualities
in a
competitor's
dogs.
Kennel blind
breeders tend to
focus on
negative
features in dogs
other than their
own.
Suggestion:
Re-read your
breed's standard
keeping in mind
that most
standards
delineate the
essential
aspects of a
breed, allowing
breeders the
freedom to
express their
own concepts of
the
non-essentials.
In this way a
range of
excellence may
be produced in a
breed without
sacrificing each
dog's ability to
fit into the
standard.
The belief that
you have bred
the "perfect"
dog.
No "perfect" dog
has ever or will
ever be bred in
any breed. Even
your best can
always be
improved upon.
Suggestion:
Realize that
your concept of
what is ideal
may change.
Experience with
a breed may
gradually change
the priority a
breeder gives to
certain
features. A
stickler for
correct heads
may gradually
start
emphasizing
angulation and
movement,
realizing that
the latter are
also essential
aspects of the
breed.
Blaming the fact
that your dog is
not winning on
bad judging,
politics or
anything except
the possibility
that there may
be something
wrong with your
dog.
Kennel blind
people always
have an excuse
for why their
dog didn't win.
While some of
their reasoning
may be
legitimate,
consistently
losing under a
variety of
judges usually
means a dog does
not fit the
standard in one
or more
important
aspects.
Suggestion: If
your dog is not
winning, ask
several
knowledgeable
people to
evaluate your
dog. Tell them
to be honest and
listen with an
open mind.
RISK FACTORS
Kennel blindness
is more apt to
be a problem for
the following:
Breeders who do
not have an
'eye' for a dog.
Some breeders
are simply not
born with an
'eye' for a dog.
Despite having
read and studied
their breed's
standard, they
are incapable of
correctly
evaluating
structure and
movement.
Novice breeders
who are strongly
affected by a
dog's
temperament and
personality.
Many kennel
blind people
think all
puppies are
cute. These
owners usually
decide to breed
their dog, not
to improve the
breed, but
because they
love his
personality and
want more
puppies just
like him.
Breeders who
have produced
quality animals
in the past but
are now
struggling to
stay on top.
Many successful
breeders who
have had past
super stars are
usually looking
for their next
big winner. They
may be more
prone to
over-looking
faults in their
animals.
Breeders working
with small
numbers of dogs.
Because small
breeders have
less to choose
from, they may
not want to open
their eyes to
problems in
their breeding
program.
Breeders whose
every waking
moment revolves
around dogs.
Making dogs a
"live or die"
situation can
affect
objectivity.
CHARACTERISTICS
OF PEOPLE WHO
ARE NOT KENNEL
BLIND
They are truly
objective and
rarely satisfied
with their own
dogs,
criticizing them
more harshly
than others
would.
Regardless of
time and effort
already spent,
they are ready
to remove from
their program
dogs that do not
pan out, even to
the point of
starting over
with new
foundation
stock.
They have an
'eye' for a dog
and can
appreciate a
beautiful one
regardless of
who bred or owns
it.
TIPS FOR CURING
KENNEL BLINDNESS
If caught in
time, kennel
blindness can be
cured before it
has a lasting,
detrimental
effect on your
breeding
program.
Following are
some tips.
Avoid
over-emphasizing
a certain
feature in your
breeding program
to the detriment
of overall
correctness.
Although most
breeders try to
emphasize the
excellence of
the whole dog,
it is human
nature to
over-emphasize
certain
features. In
fact, the
importance we
give to a
particular trait
in our dogs is
how we express
our "breeding
personality" and
create what we
feel comes close
to our ideal.
One breeder may
be a stickler
for fronts and
another for
toplines. The
danger here is
that by focusing
on just one
feature we can
become "blind"
to other faults
that may be
creeping into
the breeding
program.
To assess your
kennel blindness
level, ask
someone whose
opinion you
respect to
objectively
evaluate your
dogs.
Some of the best
people to ask
are
knowledgeable
breeders who are
not kennel blind
themselves. Be
sure this person
really
understands the
standard and
request that
they honestly
critique the
virtues and
faults in your
dogs. Ask more
than one
qualified person
and compare
their
evaluations with
your own.
If you are
falling short of
your objectives,
it is most
important to
admit it to
yourself.
As difficult as
it is to admit
failure, the
realization that
our dogs do not
possess certain
virtues can be
the first step
in devising a
plan to obtain
what we really
want.
References
Byrne, G. 1989.
Der Deutsch-Kurzhaar:
The German
Shorthaired
Pointer. Western
Australia,
Austed
Publishing.
Harris, B.J. F.
1993. Breeding A
Litter. New
York, Howell.
Onstott, K.
1980. The New
Art of Breeding
Better Dogs. New
York, Howell.
Seranne, A.
1980. The Joy of
Breeding Your
Own Show Dog.
New York, Howe
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