What is your Definition of a Line?

[lvoss]

I think temperament is one of the traits that can make a line distinct from others. There is definitely an inherited component to temperament but it will also be influenced by environment especially early socialization.

This year, I leased TC who is primarily a blend of Kenset and Tamsala lines. I see in her many behavior traits that she has in common with my own dogs who all have Kenset lines behind them. Such as, TC and Nicky both love to open cabinets and go exploring. They also rub their faces on their beds the same way after eating certain meals.

[nomrbddgs]

Oh, that's funny Lisa! Shadow opens cupboards and doors and Sugar is the rubber on beds! So again, Kenset lines.

[YodelDogs]

To me, a "line" is created through multiple generations of linebreeding and inbreeding which is generally accompanied by a distinct "type" that is discernable by experienced eyes.

For many years, in my area, it was easy to tell who the breeder of a dog was just by looking at that animal. Kenset, Serengeti, Candu, and UnderCover each has their own unique look that set them apart from everyone else. Today, it is not so easy to tell.

I had my first litter 16 years ago and my 6th generation is currently "in the oven". My dogs are closely linebred yet I do get a range of overall type. Do I fit my own criteria for a "line"? I am not sure I would say yes at this point but I plan to continue to work towards it.

[tanza]

However, you need to keep in mind when you are tightly breeding a line you can keep developing poor conformation faults, just line temperament. One of the biggest problems I see in Basenjis today is poor fronts and in particular, straight fronts, with poor movement.

[Kebasmom]

Has there been loss of "body since the late 70's?

[tanza]

@Kebasmom:

Has there been loss of "body since the late 70's?

What do you mean by loss of body?

[Robin_n_Jack]

Thanks so much! It is really interesting to read the opinion and thought that goes in to all of your breeding plans.

[Quercus]

@nomrbddgs:

And, Andrea, do you find similarities?

Yes, particularly with Querk…great ear shape and set, nice shaped head, lots and lots of wrinkle. There is a lot of other lines mixed in there with him...but I aways thought I could see a lot of the Prune in him.

[tanza]

Prune was an outstanding lovely dog…

[sharronhurlbut]

So you would say that temperment is passed down in some like nice fronts or ear sets?

[tanza]

@sharronhurlbut:

So you would say that temperment is passed down in some like nice fronts or ear sets?

Nope… can have terrible fronts and/or ear sets.... since that is conformation... temperament is temperament .... can come in Basenjis that do not have correct conformation.. or ones that do.... but in breeding you have to consider all... health and temperament at the top of the list... and then you figure in conformation... it comes as a package when you are breeding correctly.. IMO...

[sharronhurlbut]

Ok, I said it wrong, I understand you can correct ear set or physical "whatever" with adding a new line to help…but with a bad temperment...does that also correct? Or is it likely to be passed on by breeding a bad temperment b to one who is mellow?

[sharronhurlbut]

Heavens, that is even worse.
I am asking, with a bad temperment but correct b, can you mellow the pups out by adding a correct and sweet line to it?

[lvoss]

Just like some dogs are prepotent for a certain physical trait they can also be prepotent for their temperament, good or bad. So if you breed a dog with an iffy temperament to a good temperament it could go either way. But the problem is that the bad temperament could pop up in later generations even if it is not in that generation.

[sharronhurlbut]

Resessive trait then?

[YodelDogs]

Temperament is partially inherited and partially created through how the dog is raised.

Sharon, if I understood your question, you are asking if you can soften a strong tempered line by crossing to a mellow line. Yes and no. Crossing extremes such as a very dominant animal to a very laid back animal will not give you a litter of "middle of the road" pups. You will get all areas of the spectrum. For example, my foundation bitch Keiko was a headstrong pain in the butt. Not aggressive or dominant, just headstrong and determined. I bred her to a male Hawk who was calm tempered and had many easy going relatives. I had two total pain in the butt pups, one leaning towards pain in the butt, and two easy to live with pups. I took the easy to live with bitch and bred her to a Kenset male Hans. Hans had many generations of selective breeding for mellow temperament behind him. Linebreeding on the easier to live with dogs has helped to set this type of temperament in my dogs but they are still Basenjis and can be a handful at times.

[lvoss]

@sharronhurlbut:

Resessive trait then?

It is more complex, temperament is a combination of several traits. So it sort of depends on how it all comes together.

Like the Kenset temperaments are mellow and I am very happy with my my Kenset descendants but Nicky has never really liked his crate, in talking with Andrea I think that Querk is much the same. I think this is may be inherited, both Nicky and Querk have Prune as a common ancestor. And yet Rally, Nicky's niece has always loved her crate so it isn't all the descendants who have it.

[sharronhurlbut]

Thank you, yes, that that was what I was asking.
Ok, next uneducated question…if you have a mean, but show b, and breed him to mellow, mellow, mellow, is there ever a point where the recessive doesn't show up? say 3 or 5 generations later...
Or can it always show up..

[lvoss]

The thing with a recessive trait is that it "hide" for many generations and then crop up. Also because temperament is influenced by socialization, good socialization can help with some issues so that it can be difficult to assess exactly what you have genetically.

[sharronhurlbut]

Thank you, that is what I was asking and had a tough job of it.
I appreicate you all being kind to me re this subject.