Breeding

There is this concept espoused by the clubs in the country of origin that has been dubbed, “The Eurasier Way”. In essence, “The Eurasier Way” as a breeding philosophy boils down to the following points:

• Eurasiers are first and foremost household companions. If they fulfill the regulations for breeding, then the owner may breed as a “hobby”. If they don’t fulfill the regulations, they remain as cherished family pets.

• Retired breeding bitches remain as members of the family, and are not rehomed.

• Unless there are extenuating circumstances, most Eurasier owners get their dogs as puppies, as the practice of rehoming dogs is exceedingly rare.

• Breeders should work in close cooperation with their clubs to ensure that pairings are carefully selected.

• Owners are strongly encouraged to health test their dogs and report any abnormalities back to the clubs.

There is some additional nuance related to the country of origin, but generally speaking, as a hobby breeder, we also strive to follow this philosophy as closely as possible.

As such, I will not and do not plan to have litters very frequently. I do not plan to have more than three dogs in my care at any point in time, which will limit how often I plan to breed. For me, my dogs are first and foremost my companions, and my priority is enriching their lives. As a extension of their enrichment, we might participate in sports on occasion to see how our training is coming along. Breeding comes after all that, once my dogs have had a chance to mature and I have a good grasp of their character, and they’ve been proven in their breeding potential.

Our dogs are evaluated by third-parties to ensure that they have sound structure and correct breed temperament, in addition to possessing the correct breed phenotype. This is done through conformation showing, temperament testing, performance pursuits, and other professional evaluations when and where possible.

Breeding is only a tertiary and occasional endeavor. We only have litters if we feel that that it is the correct time and place to do so. Our girls may only have a few litters on occasion, and only if there is a suitable male to pair with, to allow the them time to recover and enjoy other activities. Generally, this translates to one litter every couple of years, because we’ll usually only have one girl who will be eligible for breeding.

All of our breeding prospects receive the full slate of health tests designated by the United States Eurasier Club Policy No. 1 - hips, elbows, thyroid, eyes, patella, dentition, and DWLM. All health test results are published to OFA and publicly accessible.

Per USEC policy, thyroid is retested before every breeding attempt.

OFA eyes are also updated every couple of years, though this is not required by the club explicitly.

Yes, with a caveat. We strive to title our dogs on both sides of their name, which translates to both conformation and performance or companion titles.

In terms of conformation, it is our goal to earn a Certificate of Merit (while the breed is still in Foundation Stock Service and not fully recognized) with each of our dogs. In addition to that, or possibly in lieu of it, we also strive to obtain third-party evaluations of our dogs outside of the show ring. This may be with breed experts, or dog conformation experts.

In terms of performance, titling is not necessarily our ultimate goal. If we feel that we have sufficiently trained our dogs such that they could achieve a certain title, we will certainly try for it as a way to test our training. Ultimately, titling is just one part of our training journey, and it’s more important to me that my dogs are having fun training with me. If we’re able to earn some titles on the way, then that’s just a cherry on top.

I pick my pairings to complement the strengths and supplement the weaknesses of my girls. I take into account conformation, temperament, and health when researching males to pair with my females.

To reduce the chance of producing health issues, I'll look at the health pedigrees on both sides to ensure that there aren't health issues common on both sides in close generations.

I'll look for males with conformational qualities that supplement the weaknesses of my females (for example, if my girl has a lighter build, I'd want to make sure the boy I choose has suitable substance to him to offset that).

Temperament wise, I'm always looking for nice, stable, adaptable dogs. Neutral with other dogs and people, and can easily acclimate to new environments is important to me as someone who participates in sports. If my personal dog is slightly weaker in one of these areas, I’d want a boy who is strong in that same area to compliment her.

Lastly, the USEC’s Policy No. 1 on breeding also sets forth some minimum requirements for pairings. I won’t list all of them here, but some notable points include:

• Pedigree COI (coefficient of inbreeding) of 5% or lower

• Mild or worse hips are disqualifying for breeding prospects

• TgAA positive dogs are not qualified to breed

• Dogs with conformation DQs are also disqualified from breeding

Each potential pairing is carefully selected to meet both the United States Eurasier Club’s policies and our own standards with regards to health, temperament, phenotype, and conformation. It is our goal with each pairing to balance the strengths and weaknesses of each parent to produce healthy, sound, breed-typical puppies.

My dogs are all my personal pets first and foremost, and are not and will never be up for placement.

In general, it is exceedingly rare across the board in the United States for there to be non-puppies available for placement. The vast majority of Eurasier owners acquire their Eurasiers as puppies. It is not a practice in the breed for breeders to hold back dogs as show or breeding prospects and place them if they don’t work out - washed prospects or retired breeding dogs almost always remain as pets in the breeder’s household.

On rare occasion, some breeders may have a dog returned to them due to incompatible placement, but it is up to the breeders to handle the rehoming. Dogs may occasionally be rehomed through the United States Eurasier Club’s Rescue, but this is also fairly rare, at a cadence of maybe one dog per year.

Generally speaking, if you are looking for an older dog, your chances of finding one are pretty slim.