Inbreeding - fooling nature

"Breeders walk a tightrope between needing to reduce genetic variation to maintain uniform breed type and needing to maintain genetic diversity " I think this statement hit the nail on the head!

There is no fooling mother nature. There are things you can do to twist and turn it, but she always comes out on top. If you try to hard to control her, she lashes out. Look at what has happened to breeds with unnatural characteristics and what nature is doing to them. Short life spans, extreme ailments, inability to procreate naturally etc... She always wins.

All things in moderation.....

First Post I chose this forum because it always comes up in search engines with the particular keywords I look for and it is bilingual, which appears to have international input. At the outset, I have watched the Presa for decades grow into a respectable breed despite all the controversy. It is still one of the best dry mouth breeds for personal protection. My thread is intended to reach out to the older breeders and trainers with personal experience to share with a fellow enthusiast who will appreciate the input greatly. My intention is to retire with a legacy that will last longer than me with all of the knowledge I have gained about working dogs throughout my life. That legacy will be a new breed named the Vorax. This breed will receive the same investment as would my own family if I had one. I'm sure those of you who have always had a dog in your life know that they are like your children. I have always personally preferred the Rottweiler for it's intelligence, energy and bite force. As has been seen with some "rare breeds" over the decades the Rottweiler has been incorporated in the breeding program. Bite force as some of us know is not breed specific, but the size of a particular dog's head. This is why monks in the Swiss Alps bred a dog to drag a man through mountain snow and the result is the St Bernard. Considering the consistency of the Swiss from Banking to watches and the Swiss guard and foreign legions, this breed has gone untapped except by Alaskan weight pulls. Rather than the Neapolitan, English,Japanese, Brazilian or French Mastiffs so widely crossed, the St Bernard is the obvious choice for bite force. (The Boerboel at 23-27" and 110-175 lbs. appears to be an even better choice than what has been used.) Following this line we find the Newfoundland, a dog bred to drag a man through rough seas and still in use for water rescue. Coincidentally the Newfoundland and St Bernard made the Guiness Book of World Records, obviously being more athletic than it's Brachycephalic cousins. The Newfoundland also appears to be more obedient than the St Bernard, probably from Retriever crossing, still it is not incorporated in these "recreated breeds" of legend. Some of you may already be thinking instead of using a Retriever for intelligence use an intelligent guard dog. Ironically Jack London, author of Call of the Wild thought of this already when he wrote about Buck, the St Bernard/German Shepherd cross. Interesting the Tibetan Mastiff originated in California as well. I was fortunate enough to speak with the creator before the filming of one of his dogs in the horror movie Man's Best Friend. Intelligent and powerful, yes, just not so attractive. I have decided on a 75 lb. American Pit Bull Terrier stud, most weight per pound champion, to bring down the height and weight closer to that of a hog catcher(22" 90 lbs.) for my Rottweiler/Newfoundland cross. I have seen that crossing in the Pit Bull will make it hard to breed true as the Pit Bull eventually comes out down the line, as seen with Bandogges. The Cane Corso, Argentine Dogo, and originally American(Pit)Bulldog appear to have solved this problem, although they do produce some dogs that look more Pit Bull than others. The Presa on the other hand does have a unique look. I remember when they first appeared in the states looking very much like Bully Pits and am happy to see they did not stay on that path. What would be of great help to me and prevent unwanted pups is a breeding program that would result in the Rottweiler's double coat and character with the Newfoundland's head and webbed feet with the Pit Bull's proportions and endurance.

Lee, Thanks for the post. Surprising to see a familiar name replying. Brings back memories of when I first learned of Bantu and the problems Dr. Swinford had trying to breed the Bandogge true. If I remember correctly he said that eventually a Pit Bull was produced and not a very good one. Hindsight I don't think the Game dogs were the best choice, nor the Neapolitan Mastiff, the former not being as strong as the bigger non-game dogs and the latter not being actively used. I think if Dr. Swinford could do it over he would have used the Boerboel for the bite force and the red nosed Pit Bulls(Leri Hanson's Capone)for performance in French Ring, Schutzhund, Hog Catch, and Most Weight Per Pound. I did notice your reference to epigentics at the outset and it is an honor and great pleasure to have your input after all you have invested in your breed.

MD, Yes and i was going to upload more than one photo and start my own thread but I am not allowed to do so yet by the site settings. I was also disappointed that Chimera Kennels "Swinford K9" was not in the list of breed profiles. At this point I am only at the Rottweiler/Newfoundland cross and have yet to see if my standard will breed true. If I were to make a breed profile it would not be from experience but copy and paste from parts of the standards for the Schutzhund 3 Rottweiler, Water Rescue Newfoundland, and Southern White American Bulldog Pro Catcher. Basically a Newfoundland head and Rottweiler coat on an American Bulldog with the Rottweiler temperament for Schutzhund 3 and French Ring Sport Level 3 as well as Hog hunting, weight pulling, agility and water rescue if need be.