The Hunter's Horn July, 1966 Page Forty-four Superstition Must Be Replaced by Principle in Hound Breeding I have always been interested in the subject of genetics, since we have been in the business of breeding registered Angus Cattle for over 20 years and also breed and raise between 250 and 300 hogs a year.   While I have not done much in the field of breeding hounds, I plan to raise a few litters in the future.  It's something that just gets in your blood and you cannot resist it.  There is something about trying to improve the performance of a foxhound through various principles of breeding, which makes it extremely fascinating. I am thoroughly convinced that anyone who breeds and raises hunting dogs should study all the latest information on the subject.  There are many silly superstitions, folklore, and old wives' tales--especially about line breeding and inbreeding--which simply are not true. First, you must have a "thorough knowledge of the ancestors" of the two hounds you plan to mate.  If they and their ancestors are good enough, as to both soundness of skeletal system and running ability, you can then start a close line breeding program, along with "very rigid selection."  Culls must be destroyed of course and only the very best bred to.  This is the best way to build a "prepotent strain" of hounds that can pass good traits on to their offspring. You have seen outstanding running hounds both male and female that just couldn't reproduce their running ability in their pups. One man who really knows the best in Walker bloodlines, by following a rigidly controlled program of inbreeding and line breeding for several generations with thorough testing and ruthless culling, could come up with a family of hounds that would be able to pass their traits on to their pups.  Then do the same thing with the Trigg strain, breeding for the same field qualities in each strain.  Then cross the best two pair of each strain.  He should get some very outstanding field performers, mainly because the inbreeding and line breeding with rigid selection would have rid both strains of many of their undesirable recessive genes and made them prepotent for their desirable characteristics which they revealed in the tough field testing. If deerproof hounds are bred, a system of linebreeding and inbreeding with rigid culling will be necessary to establish a family that won't run deer.  If the hunters that have outstanding foxhounds that are naturally deerproof would exchange bloodlines with each other, progress could no doubt be made in that direction.  They could make contact with each other through The Hunter's Horn.   At one time the success ratio of training German Shepherds for Guide Dogs for the Blind was between 20 and 25 percent.  However, after a rigidly controlled program of inbreeding and line breeding today 90 percent of the pups bred for the guide dog program are successfully trained!  So you see you can inbreed and linebreed for intelligence as well as conformation. I would like to suggest a book on the subject which deals with dogs, called "Planned Breeding" by Lloyd C. Brackett.  You can get it by writing to Dog World Magazine, 469 East Ohio Street, Chicago 11, Ill.  The price is $2.00. An outstanding and enlightening article called "Breeding Principles" by Dr. James G. McCue Jr. appeared in the June issue of Hunting Dog.  This magazine can be obtained by writing to Hunting Dog, Box 33, Greenfield, Ohio. I don't believe any breeder can afford to be without the latest information available on the subject of genetics.  I hope to see some good articles on this subject in The Horn soon. Darrel E. Udelhoven Bloomington, Wisconsin