Canton Pomeranians

The ideal is to buy the perfect Pomeranian…or breed to a perfect Pomeranian.  The realistic side is…is there such a thing as a perfect Pomeranian?  Does this specimen really exist at all?  Most likely, it will be perfect in the eyes of one person but if I were to do the picking, I am sure I will find some faults…at least 3 things I would like to improve on.  Really, evaluating a Pomeranian should be based on the overall package.   It’s all a compromise!

There is always the ideal and there is the realistic side in buying or  breeding a dog.  It is all a compromise!

matter of fault finding but rather whether the virtues  of  the dog is sufficient to compensate for the faults. Can you live with  those  faults?   It is a matter of compromise!

Now, when such a  rare specie of Pomeranian is found, what are the negative recessive genes that is secretly hidden in the eyes of the beholder?  Will such a dog have a compatible pedigree with one’s breeding plans?  Will such a dog be for sale or available for stud service?  Oftentimes, it is not…and if it is, will the prospective buyer be willing to pay the price asked for either the dog or for its stud service.  More often than not, there is a limitation in the budget of the person involved…or the person simply will not spend that kind of money.  There is usually a very unrealistic expectation.  The  person involved wants a best in show dog but is only willing to pay a pet price.  It is a double whammy because the opportunity of having access to good dogs is very limited and when it does become available, I do not think the owner will just give it away for a song.

It is expected that everyone wants to get the best deal available.  There are some who will go to the extent of rationalizing of getting a potentially producing dog with less quality or probably some avoidable faults….. in preference over one that is of better quality and of less faults for a lower price.  That is a compromise which I prefer not to take.  It is true that the lower priced dog can possibly produce good quality puppies but a better quality dog of a similar gene pool would be superior for breeding because though he may carry the same fault in the recessive background, he himself does not have it.  There is always that hope that in the process of breeding, if he does carry this recessive fault, that it would be washed out in the next generation.

In short, what I am saying is that if you have the fund resources to get a better dog, do so because it will optimize your breeding quality in a shorter time.  On the other hand, if you choose a Pomeranian of lesser quality for a lesser price because of fund limitation, there is still hope for you because by breeding to a better quality stud dog and line-breeding or even inbreeding on the good genes, eventually in time, you too can produce show puppies…it may even be better than the first option if you played your cards right….breeding to the right stud dog.    So, this is the compromise:  In exchange for the monetary savings, you will have spend more time, more blood, sweat and tears ….but you will get there.  You may have to wait one, two, three generations  more  before you come up with show quality dogs.  You will have to be linebreed or better still inbreed … to cement the quality in your litters and you have to be selective.  Personally, I do not want to grow too old before I see the dog of my dreams.  I want to make the most short-cut means available to me.  I do not think the money saved is worth all the waiting, waiting and waiting.

From the foregoing, we go to another premise…in my opinion, there is no such thing as a trash or useless

bitch.  There is always hope.  The compromise is the generations and generations of waiting to clean up the

faults and put in the breed type.  A bitch, no matter how poor has hope of having puppies better than her if

she is bred to the right  prepotent stud who could put his stamp of quality on the puppies.  It might not be in

the first generation but with dynamite breeding…inbreeding, you can accelerate the improvement.  The

compromise is, if and when you double up on this awful bitch, though distantly,  you also increase the chances

of resurrecting the quality of this lousy dog.  So what do you do?  Avoid the duplication of this lousy bitch in

the pedigree of your future litters and keep it as distant as possible.

……ooo……

Part II:  My OLD Janshar Experience

I remember when I was new in  Pomeranians, I was fascinated with Eng Ch Hadleigh Shining Star.  And so, I invested so much money buying buying and buying Japanese champions and grand champions….they were sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters of Shining Star.  My mentor taught me that only this line was good and anything else was trash.  So,  why  put in inferior American bloodlines and depreciate the value of your bloodline? WRONG!  WRONG!  WRONG!  I was led in the wrong direction.   I inbred my stock out of existence such that by the first and second generation of my breeding, the pups eventually had fertility problems.  From here, I learned my lesson for the need of new blood for hybrid vigor.  This principle was later verified to me by US Top Pomeranian breeder Janshar’s Sharon Hanson.

You see, I come from a family that does not really have a dog background.  Unlike many people who have animal background in their culture, they have the advantage of experience and practice.  But now, after 31 years in Pomeranians, I suppose, I now have my diploma in Pomeranian breeding.  And so, I tried to learn by studying pedigrees, pedigrees, pedigrees.  I try to verify the principles that I have learned/concluded by extensive interviews with various breeders most  specially during my foreign kennel visits when I hunt for puppy/breeding stock.

I recall, that in the early 90s, I thought that Janshar Pomeranians were sort of similarly typed as the Hadleigh Pomeranians.  They looked liked distant cousins of Hadleigh…not as pretty but were really sound, fertile and very stable.  I thought that this would be a good combination to my Hadleigh-Derronill stock and so I started buying them.  Eventually, majority of the old Janshar stock went to me in the mid 90s.  They did very well for me. This combination served as my foundation stock…using my three Maxamillion boys on Janshar/American bitches …and linebreeding on the Maxamillion side to a limited extent.                   

Left:    Eng Ch Derronill Maxamillion

Right:  Am Ph Ch Janshar Harley

           Davidson

At that time, Janshar Pomeranians was basically a mix between the foundation male Am Ch BevNor N Southland Rambo and brood stock of the likes of Dolly Parton, Jesse Coulter, etc.  This kind of combination produced the base stock of Janshar such as top producing bitches like Janshar Big Mama.

Left:     Am Ch BevNor N Southland 

            Rambo

Right:   Janshar Big Mama

Basically, Janshar inbreeding was based on Rambo, and to a certain extent, the brood linebreeding females. Sharon produced very sound fertile dogs and these were the bitches that I used since I could not get Maxamillion bitches.

I noticed that Janshar dogs were very sound and did a lot of good winnings.  The previous breeders, that is, BevNor and Southland from where Rambo came from were also producing show poms but they were not as sound as those of Janshar.   They were very tightly bred with practically nil outcross.   I felt that they were not as fertile compared to the prolific Janshar bitches.  The principle of hybrid vigor confirms this.

Prior to this, in my inexperienced eyes, the likes of the broods of Sharon were like trash…poor quality pet bitches that had dirty blood.  But they did produce nicely when linebred on Rambo.  Breed type was easily improved on because of the presence of

good gene background behind these broods…and the resulting litters were of good breed type and structurally stable and sound.  Somehow, I could relate this with two principles that I noticed in human pedigrees.

The first is the European nobility.  The European princes and princesses intermarried amongst themselvescontinuously with very little common stock until they became very weak.  The superiority of their previous ancestors seem to have been vanished and many

were fast becoming a washout.  But their bastard children seemed to be superior specimens compared to their legitimate half brothers and half sisters.

The second is what is happening here in the Philippines.  We have plain looking local ladies in a certain areas with a lot of American GIs but somehow most of our Philippine movie stars are from this mix or similar mix.

…and so, this is what I think of Pomeranian outcrossing can do at the right time.  This is also the basis on my theory that there is no rabish Pomeranians bitches because like the plain Jane locals or peasants, bred to the right studs with a clicking combination should produce that movie stars and show poms.

Outcrossing can quickly straighten up a defectively inbred Pomeranian.  Generally, by infusing completely new blood on a seemingly unsound bitch, there is that strong possibility immediately correcting the said fault in just one generation.  The downside is when you breed different breed types or totally unrelated dogs, there is also that chance the puppies will fall to pieces.  There is such a big variety of breed types  and features in the Pomeranian. For example, the muzzle could be long or short…short muzzle is the correct type…but there are also different shapes…you have the V wedged shaped and you have the U bear shaped.  Below on the left is Ch Hadleigh Superman who has a V-shaped Foxy wedge shaped muzzle.  Below on the right, is Westminister BIS winner Am Ch Great Elms Prince Charming who has a U shaped Teddy Bear muzzle.

Both are very nice but this are two different breed types.  Breeding two different types of muzzles MAY produce bad bites INSPITE OF the fact that both parents have good bites.

Another example, is the difference types in rears…you have the well angulated rears of the Japanese Pomeranians and you have the lesser angulated rears of their American counterpart.  By mixing two different rear types, problems do arise.  You end up with some stifle problems even though both are absolutely sound. 

The key to all this is selective breeding.  Ideally, select and cull.  If not, there is still hope.  When you linebreed this problematic outcross to their superior relative, they usually straighten up.  It is all by trial and error.

I am a firm believer in dynamite breeding….selective inbreeding.  The very least and safest is distant linebreeding like 3-3 or first cousin breeding.  The secret is whilst you linebreed and inbreed, specially if you do it continuously for several generations, you need to have need blood…at least 25%.  You linebreed and inbreed.  It is natural to see some faults coming out in your close breeding…that is why it is said that selective breeding is very important. You cull or pet out.  By trial and error, if you see that your in or line breeding is resulting to deteriorating quality instead of improving quality…then outcross. Or, after linebreeding one, two or three generations, outcross.  The big BUT is you go back to your line otherwise you wash out the hard work you have done or the work done by the earlier breeders you got your stock from.  Outcrossing continuously for two or more generations, oftentimes results in the loss of breed type reverting back to the original natural spitz Pomeranian.

I recall that in the early to mid 90s, because of my bad experience in line and inbreeding of Shining Star, I was so afraid to do the same thing.  I recall the new things that I have been learning such as fertility faults like thyroidism. Accordingly, I did very little linebreeding with no inbreeding at all.  Most were outcrosses. 

And now, after more than 10 years and having bred so many dogs and bitches, I realize that my best dogs today came from the limited bitches that I linebred on.  To name the most important…

…Canton Sparking Coral and littermate Ph Ch Canton Sparkling Amber (linebred on Ph Ch Derronill Billionaire 1-3) 

…Canton My Sweetheart and littermate Ph Ch Canton My Wild Heart(linebred on Eng Ch Derronill Maxamillion 2-3)

Most of the Canton Champions today will have these bitches in their pedigree one way or another.  Ph HOF Am Ch Canton the Gigolo, Ph HOF Canton Braveheart, Ph HOF Tha Am Ch Canton Bravestar, Ph Ch Canton Gladiator, Ph Ch Canton Raichu, Ph HOF Canton Harry Potter, Ph Ch Canton Golden Goblet, Ph Ch Canton Flaming Love….and so on.

The top Pomeranians in the Philippines for the past three years are all very tightly bred.

…Number 1 Pomeranian 2006   Ph HOF Canton Britestar is a half brother half sister

            breeding of Gigolo 2-2 (Pictured above left)

…Number l  Pomeranian  2007  Ph HOF JanLe Don’t Make Me Laugh is a father to

            daughter breeding bred back to a half brother.  Inbred on Am Ch JanLe Dash of

            Millamoor 2-2-3 (Pictured above Center)

…Number 1 Pomeranian 2008  Ph HOF Am Tha Ch Canton Bravestar is a half brother

            half sister breeding of Gigolo 2-2 (Pictured above Right)

…and so, this is my experience with DYNAMITE inbreeding.  SELECTIVE QUALITY BREEDING.

The bottomline is whether it is outcrossing, linebreeding or inbreeding, you have to know what you are doing.  You cannot indefinitely linebreed and inbreed.  You outcross only once and in the next generation you go back to the line whether in or linebreeding.  ]t is all a matter of trial and error.   You should have new blood available all the time…at least 25%.  Just like a vampire, your breeding needs new blood.  So, this explains my unending interest in looking for new stud dogs to breed to.  Better still, is a stud dog that is partly from my breeding.