It seems that many of us think we know what the heck we are doing in respect to things that in all actuality we know very little about. I am certainly guilty and I listen to others just about as silly as I was. Here is what I mean.

I recall Michael Kemp (he won BIS at Westminster Kennel Club with a Wire Coated Fox Terrier named Lacy, very knowledgable and has been around a long time) responding with some disdain  to my critisim of a dog that I was in fact a fault finding judge of dogs. My response (to myself anyway) was ... yea, and your point being? He wanted me to see the beauty of the dog otherwise and I completely missed it! I was so focused on the one flaw that I didnt see the essence of the breed that the dog posseessed and the near perfection otherwise. I did not forget this seemingly simple comment however and have reflected upon it so many times over the years that have passed.

Yes, I can stand ringside and pick a dog apart and say... yea.. but that dog has a ugly head, bad coat...  as well as anyone, but after breeding a bit and looking for mates for my dogs, I have learned something well. You do not throw the baby out with the bath water or you will run out of babies! I now look at dogs completely differently than I did at that time when I was only showing dogs and not working to improve my breed. There are some things I can not live with... bad temperaments for one, but then if I were to get a great dog with a fluffy coat, I would not hesitate to include him/her in my breeding program. I now look at the beauty that dog has to offer and see how it can benefit my breeding program or the breed in general. I determine the possibilities of the negatives, and the positives. Can I over come the negatives? Will I get the positives? Breeding the perfect dog is impossible but breeding great ones is not though it is not easy. DNA will trip you up and never ceases to offer surprises. Guess that is what I find so fantastic about dogs. I am never bored. There is so much to learn!
 
The advise I have for the people I mentor is; stay true to your standard, but most importantly and above all else -always.. stay true to your convictions. You can recover from a litter that did not produce well. You are not God adn you do not have a magic wand and a crystal ball no matter how much the scandelizers would like you to be to blame, but you often cannot recover from lowering your standards or going against your good judgement. Believe in yourself and hold your head up high. These are the people I want to walk with now and hope to leave behind in the future.

I believe that everyone that breeds dogs needs to show up and do their homework. I am talking about real experience with a good mentor. Period.