The ICDCA is a club that involves itself
in creative projects to benefit the breed. One such
plan, now underway, is the Stud Dog Project.
As a general rule of thumb, biologists
recommend the establishment of a breeding population of no fewer than 500
individuals as distantly related as possible. We
are currently very far from that in Canaan Dogs. A serious problem for many
dog breeds is that the number of breeding males used is too small (the
"popular stud syndrome"). In the interest of conserving the Canaan Dog gene
pool, we want to make sure that as many healthy, show quality Canaan Dogs of reasonable
temperament, are used for breeding as possible.
In order to further this goal the ICDCA
is creating a list of available intact males. Owners intending to breed
their bitch will be able to check this list, for a reminder of available
males that otherwise might be overlooked and whose genes may not be preserved,
and to obtain contact information for their owners. Listing of a dog will
by no means constitute an endorsement by the ICDCA. Breeders
interested in using a particular dog should contact the owner for details
of health and pedigree, etc. The list will be updated annually. While our
initial efforts are directed at dogs in the
There are web sites that
list
One unique aspect of the project is the
attempt to create an exhaustive list of intact males. We
need to list as many males whose owners would consider breeding them as possible.
Another aspect is that the stud dogs
will be listed by location. Unfortunately, distance
is an obstacle to many breeders and one consideration in stud selection
is therefore accessibility.
Another unique and important feature
is the inclusion of the approximate current number of intact offspring sired
by each male. The rationale is as follows: Over-reliance
on a small number of sires, no matter how superior, produces loss of genetic
diversity. Dogs with no descendants, who complement
the bitch being considered, are highly desirable. Each
offspring carries 50% of a parent's genes. Therefore,
at least 2 descendants that will be bred are needed to conserve the genes
the parent was carrying. A minimum of 3 or 4 intact
offspring would be preferable, due to unforeseen circumstances that could
drop the number of breedable offspring below two.
Only a small amount of additional data
will be presented for each dog in order to keep it simple. Links will connect to sites providing more data on each
dog, when available. Owners of bitches will need to
contact the stud owner for details of the dog's size, color, full pedigree,
health evaluations, titles, stud fees, etc.
What information is needed?
Male Dog's registered name
Birth date
Approximate number of intact offspring
Sire's registered name
Dam's registered name
Owner(s)
Country and state of residence
Owner's
contact information (e-mail address, or phone number, and/or web site).
I'm interested, how do I
sign up my stud dog!
First, if this is new to you, please
read the links provided on stud dog ownership
and breeding. You do not
have to be an ICDCA member to participate (although why wouldn’t you want
to belong to such a progressive organization?).
By submitting the information, on your
dog, you are agreeing that you would consider using your intact male for
breeding, although you are under no obligation to do so, and agree to have
your contact information listed. Do not submit your
information if you (1) do not have an intact healthy show quality male Canaan
Dog, of reasonable temperament (2) would never consider breeding your dog,
(3) do not ever want to be contacted. (We will contact
you once a year, using the information you have provided, to ascertain that
your dog is still alive and intact, whether you still wish him to be listed,
and to update the number of his intact offspring.)
To list your male dog, please send the above-listed information needed to Lee Boyd