Breeding Terms

 

(A)

Afterbirth: The placenta and fetal membranes expelled from the uterus following the birth of each newborn puppy.

Aggregate Breeding Value: Also net merit. The breeding value of an individual for a combination of traits.

Allele: One member of a pair or series of genes that occupy a specific position on a specific chromosome.

Alter: To castrate or spay (an animal, such as a cat or a dog).

Anestrus: An interval of sexual inactivity between two periods of estrus in female mammals that breed cyclically.

Artificial Insemination (AI): A reproductive technology in which semen is collected from males, then used in fresh or frozen form to breed females.

Artificial Selection: Selection that is under human control.

(B)

Back crossing: (1) The mating of a hybrid to a purebred of a parent breed or line. (2) The mating of an individual (purebred or hybrid) to any other individual (purebred or hybrid) with which it has one or more ancestral breeds or lines in common.

Backyard breeder: A person who casually breeds purebred dogs with little or no regard to the breed standard, genetically linked defects or temperament.

Base Population: The population of animals whose parents are either unknown or ignored for the purposes of inbreeding and relationship calculation. Typically the individuals appearing at the back of the pedigrees of the original animals in a herd or flock.

BC1: Backcross one. The first generation of crosses between hybrids and-purebreds of a parent breed or line.

Behavior Modification: The use of basic learning techniques, such as conditioning, biofeedback, reinforcement, or aversion therapy, to teach simple skills or alter undesirable behavior.

Best in Show: During a championship conformation show, the dog with the most points and wins earned.

Best of Breed: As deemed by the judge, the dog that comes closest to meeting the breed standard among the competing dogs of that breed.

Biological Type: A classification for animals with similar genotypes for traits of interest. Examples include heavy draft types (horses), prolific wool types (sheep), large dual-purpose types (cattle), and tropically adapted types (many species).

Biotechnology: The application of biological knowledge to practical needs. Often refers to (1) technologies for altering reproduction, or (2) technologies for locating, identifying, comparing, or otherwise manipulating genes.

Bitch: A female canine.

Blooded: A dog of good breeding; pedigreed.

Bloodline: Direct line of descent; pedigree.

Breech Birth: A birth of a puppy whose hind end comes out first rather than the head.

Breed: A domestic race of dogs (selected and maintained by man) with a common gene pool and characterized appearance and function.

Breeding Objective: (1) A weighted combination of traits defining aggregate breeding, value for use in an economic selection index. (2) A general goal for a breeding program -- a notion of what constitutes the best animal.

Breeding Value: (1) The value of an individual as a (genetic) parent. (2) The part of an individual's genotypic value that is due to independent and therefore transmittable gene effects.

Breed True: Any animal breed true if two parents with a particular, simply inherited phenotype produce offspring of that same phenotype exclusively.

Breed Type: The look of an individual that closely meets the breed standard.

Breed: A breed is developed from a strain, which is simply the descendants of a single significant individual, and which in domesticated animals is also known as a bloodline.

Breed Standard: A breed standard (also called bench standard) in animal fancy and animal husbandry is a set of guidelines, which is used to insure that the animals produced by a breeding facility conform to the specifics of the breed. It is also used in competition to judge a given animal against the hypothetical ideal specimen of that breed. This article refers to breed standards in dogs.

Breeder: A person who raises a special breed/variety of animal, an individual who is the owner or lessee of his or her dam at the time of whelping, and in keeping with the accepted breed standards.

Breeding: the production of animals by breeding

Breeding Particulars: Sire, dam, date of birth, sex, color, etc.

Brood Bitch: Female dog (bitch) used for breeding.

(C)

Carrier: A dog who, though not showing any indication of being affected, carries a genetic defect or disease-causing organism that can be passed to other animals.

Characteristic: A specific phenotypic trait, such as crimp or fineness.

Close Inbreeding: A measure of the degree of relationship between ancestors. The more the relationship, the closer the inbreeding.

Close Mating: A condition where there is less than 4 months and 15 days between either (1) The date of mating of a previously registered litter and the date of mating of a newly submitted litter application for the same dam; or (2) The whelping date of a previously registered litter and the whelping date of a newly submitted litter application out of the same dam.

Closed Nucleus Breeding Scheme: A nucleus breeding scheme in which germ plasma flows in only one direction - from the nucleus to cooperating herds or flocks.

Closed Population: A population that is closed to genetic material from the outside.

Co-Efficient of Variation (cv): The variation around the mean expressed as a percentage.

Collateral Relatives: Relatives that are neither direct ancestors nor direct descendants of an individual--siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.

Colostrum: The milk secreted by the mother during the first few days following birth that provides the puppies with immunity to some diseases.

Concaveation: Milk production in a spayed female dog in response to the suckling of a puppy.

Congenital: Present at birth; may have genetic or environmental causes.

Corrective Mating: The mating of an animal that is intended to correct faults. For example; mating a dam with a bad bite to a stud with a good bite.

Crossbred: A dog whose sire and dam are representatives of two different breeds. A crossbred dog cannot be registered by the AKC.

(D)

Dam: The female parent.

Date of Whelping: Date of birth.

DNA: A unique genetic makeup. DNA testing is done to prove the actual parentage and/or identity of an animal.

DNA Test: A test to determine identity and/or verify parentage. Results must be processed by an UKC and AKC-approved facility to be accepted by UKC and AKC.

(E)

Embryo: An undeveloped fetus.

Entire: A dog whose reproductive system is complete.

Entropion: A complex genetic condition that results in the turning in of the upper or lower eyelid, potentially resulting in corneal ulceration.

Estrus: The periodic state of sexual excitement in the female of most mammals, excluding humans, that immediately precedes ovulation and during which the female is most receptive to mating; heat.

(F)

Fetus: The unborn young of a viviparous vertebrate having a basic structural resemblance to the adult animal.

Foster Mother: A bitch used to nurse puppies not her own.

Fresh Extended (Chilled) Semen: Semen that is extracted and extended by a licensed veterinarian. The semen must be extracted from a dog within the USA and shipped to a point within the USA only. This type of semen must be used within a specified period of time.

Frozen Semen: Semen that is extracted, frozen, and stored for future use by a licensed veterinarian. The collection must be reported to the AKC, and the collector/storer must be an AKC-approved facility and in compliance with AKC record keeping practices.

(G)

Genealogy: Recorded family descent. Pedigree.

Gene pool: The collective genetic information contained within a population of sexually reproducing organisms.

Genes: A hereditary unit consisting of a sequence of DNA that occupies a specific location on a chromosome and determines a particular characteristic in an organism. Genes undergo mutation when their DNA sequence changes.

Genetically Linked Defects: Problems with health or temperament that are passed to offspring by their ancestors.

Genetics: The science of heredity.

Genotype: The genetic makeup, as distinguished from the physical appearance, of an organism or a group of organisms.

Gestation Period: The time between mating and birth (it averages 63 days).

Get: Offspring.

(H)

Hallmark: A distinguishing characteristic.

Heat: (1) Seasonal period of the female. Estrus, in season. (2) Performance: A competitive running of dogs.

Hormone: A substance, usually a peptide or steroid, produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity, such as growth or metabolism.

(I)

In Whelp: Pregnant.

Inbreeding: The mating of two closely related dogs of the same breed.

Inherited: To receive (a characteristic) from one's parents by genetic transmission.

Interbreeding: The breeding of dogs of different breeds.

(L)

Lactation: Secretion or formation of milk by the mammary glands.

Line Breeding: The practice of mating a dog to a member of an earlier generation of the dog's bloodline.

Litter: The puppy or puppies of one whelping.

Litter Complement: The number of puppies of each sex in a litter.

Litter Registration: Recording a litter of puppies with a dog association.

(M)

Mastitis: Inflammation of the breast or udder.

Mate: To breed a dog and bitch.

Maternal Immunity: A form of temporary immunity passed from a mother to her offspring while in the uterus and after birth in the colostrum and milk.

Milk Teeth: The first, temporary teeth. Also called baby teeth.

Mongrel: See Crossbred

Mutation: A change of the DNA sequence within a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not found in the parental type.

(N)

Natural Breed: A breed of dog which occurred naturally without the interference of much selective breeding. This is usually a result of geographical and environmental conditions.

Natural Mutation: A genetic accident which permanently alters certain genetic characteristics.

Nesting Behavior: Behavior of a pregnant female who prepares a place to give birth and nurture young.

Nick: A breeding that produces desirable puppies.

 

(O)

Outcrossing: The mating of unrelated individuals of the same breed.

Ovaries: The usually paired female or hermaphroditic reproductive organ that produces ova and, in vertebrates, estrogen and progesterone.

Overage Dam: A dam over 12 years of age on the date of mating.

Overage Sire: A sire over 12 years of age on the date of mating.

Ovulate: To produce ova; discharge eggs from the ovary.

(P)

Pedigree: The written record of a dog's genealogy of three generations or more.

Pen Breeding: Unwitnessed mating that occurred because the sire and dam were confined to the same area.

Pinking Up: In a pregnant bitch, the changing of the color of the nipples to pink. Typically occurs 18 to 20 days after mating and is useful in determining if a dog is pregnant.

Phenotype: The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, as determined by both genetic makeup and environmental influences.

Proestrus: The period immediately before estrus in most female mammals, characterized by development of the endometrium and ovarian follicles.

Progesterone: A steroid hormone, C21H30O2, secreted by the corpus luteum of the ovary and by the placenta, that acts to prepare the uterus for implantation of the fertilized ovum, to maintain pregnancy, and to promote development of the mammary glands.

Puppy: A dog under 12 months of age.

Puppy mills: Term used to describe a facility that breeds purebred dogs for profit with no regard for the breed standard, temperament, genetically linked defects, socialization or the dog's overall health and welfare.

Purebred: A dog whose sire and dam belong to the same breed and who are themselves of unmixed descent since recognition of

(S)

Scent: The odor left by an animal or bird on the trail (ground-scent) or wafted through the air (air-borne scent).

Season: The cyclical period in which a female dog becomes interested in mating and capable of becoming pregnant.

Selective Breeding: Intentional mating two dogs in order to achieve or eliminate a specific trait.

Silent Heat: An unnoticed heat period that can be due to little swelling of the vulva, little bleeding, no attraction of males or no behavior change.

Sire: The male parent.

Spontaneous Mutation: A genetic accident which permanently alters certain genetic characteristics.

Standard: See Breed Standard

Standing Heat: The point during which a female in heat will accept breeding and can become pregnant.

Stud Book: Monthly publication of the AKC. A listing of dogs that have sired or whelped a litter for the first time that has been registered with the AKC. With this information, a person can use Stud Book volumes to trace a dog's lineage and to produce pedigrees.

Stud Dog: A male dog used for breeding purposes.

Stud Fee: Payment made for the services of a stud dog.

Teat: The nipple of an animal

(U)

Underage Dam: Dam under eight months of age at the time of mating.

Underage Sire: Sire under seven months of age at the time of mating.

Uterus: A hollow muscular organ located in the pelvic cavity of female mammals in which the fertilized egg implants and develops. Also called womb.

(W)

Wean: The process of making a pup eat solid food instead of its mother's milk. To accustom (the young of a mammal) to take nourishment other than by suckling.

Whelp Date: The date of birth of a litter.

Whelping: The act of birthing puppies.