question on breeding

[nb11]

Forgive what may be a dumb question.....
A male and female have different fathers, but share the same mother. Are they too close to breed?

I've always bought running dogs. Right now, I just own two dogs that are the best two dogs I've ever owned. Can't help but think about crossing them, but am afraid to.

Thanks.

[Ky. Hunter]

It is done all the time half brother and half sister cross. look at a lot of Branko's dogs and they were good ones.

[tickledblue]

I'm going to breed a daughter of Jackpot to a son of Jackpot just as soon as she's ready. I really like the bloodline and especially these two individuals. They are getting old but will still give it all they have. I want to keep that blood around awhile longer.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Don't concern yourself with the relationship of the dogs.Follow the ability first and foremost.If the two dogs are everything you think you want in the pups then by all means make the cross.
Whenever we breed dogs it is up to us to select the best and/or cull out the rest.We should be doing that regardless of the relationship of the animals bred,whether it is a brother x sister,father x daughter,mother x son,half brother x half sister,etc.cross or a complete outcross.
When we breed close we are compounding the genes that dictate traits/charecteristics.If the sire and dam and grandsires and granddams are free of glaring faults then your pups basically should be free of them also.You can't get what isn't there to begin with.Just because the dogs share a close relationship does not automatically mean they will have genetic faults.Most of your outstanding lines whether it be dogs,beef cattle,dairy cattle,horses,game cocks,etc.are the result of linebreeding which also can include some closer in-breeding.
You can get a top dog through outcrossing just as you can get a top dog through family breeding and one being just as good as the other in their rabbit running abilities but as far as the reproducing power of those two dogs the outcross dog can seldom reproduce his likeness with the same degree of certainty as the linebred dog percentage wise.This is called pre-potency [the ability to "stamp" their off-spring with the traits that you are seeking].A pre-potent stud or bitch will "stamp" their pups time after time even when bred to different mates.
As humans we are subject to the taboos of sexual relations with our close relatives. In the animal world there are no such barriers so I would follow the ability where ever it leads and not worry about the relationship.Just because a pair of pups are littermates does not mean they are necessarily closely related genetically.Just look at most any litter and you can see brothers and sisters that look nothing alike.If the phenotype [how they look] is not similar what are the chances that their genotype[traits/charecteristics how they act] are different????Performance proves pedigree------------pedigree does not prove performance!!!!
As always JMHO

[PLATEAUBEAGLER]

Shady Grove.

[PLATEAUBEAGLER]

Shady Grove.

[mybeagles]

The mere fact that you have reservations about making this cross is a measure of proof that it isnt wise. There is a greater potential for genetic defects, trouble with the whelping, higher percentage of culls, you might also see a decrease in the size of your dogs. It seems by your post that you are an inexperienced breeder. I would reccomend finding another male that could improve on the minor faults your gyp has. Another consideration would be how close the parents are bred. With consecutive inbreedings the potential for problems increases.

As you see from the other posts, there are no absolutes with breeding. I consider inbreeding an unecessary risk for someone that just wants a few good hounds to run with. Breeders that have big breeding programs that are looking to the long term for line improvements utilize this as a tool, but the benefit is often not seen until the subsequent breedings.

Im sure this will provoke some "your an idiot" responses, but thats how I feel about it.

[tiffinis]

Have you taken your kennel blinders off and truly looked at their individual weakness? Do you have a plan/goal for what you are trying to produce? What are you planning to do with the litter? Keep them all? Cull? This topic has been covered and covered. Do your homework and be honest in your assessments.

[RiverBottom]

You been given some very good advise, everything Shady said is right on the money. Even Mybeagles made some good points The biggest thing to remember is "Follow the ability first and foremost." Problems with inbreeding and linebreeding usualy come when people forget this in favor of making the pedigree look the way they think it should.

The standard advise everyone gives about inbreeding is "be ready to cull heavy". This is good advise, but I can't understand why they think it only applies to inbreeding? It should be followed ANY TIME your breed dogs with the intention of creating more breeding stock, inbred, linbred or outcrossed.

One thing I have noticed from my experience is the closer you breed, the less likely you will be to see any improvement in the pups. Outcrossing can produce pups that are better than the parents, inbreeding rarely does. On the flip side, dogs that are closely bred sometimes throw pups that are much better than they are.

Bottom line is, the only way to know for sure how this cross will work is to try it. Trying to predict the results ahead of time is like trying to predict the weather.