Bellwether Collies

  Bellwether Collies was founded on a 3 strain foundation. A 3
strain rotational crossbreeding system from bovine theory was
adapted for this purpose. Breeding Strain A( closely linebred) to
Strain B ( product of the union of two related substrains at Chelsea)
and then breeding Bitch A/B ( called a double hybrid) to Strain C
creating litter A/B/C (called a triple hybrid). At this point cattle
breeders send the get to market. Dog breeders, however, change
breeding systems and either continue to outcross using positive
assortative mating or linebreed on the gene pool they have gathered
together.
Strain A: Gold Hill Mother Lode 'Josie' , closely linebred McMaur
strain
Strain B: Ch. Chelsea The Crown Prince 'Bailee'; Premier stud,
Chelsea strain .
Bitch A/B: Bellwether Golden Princess "Pippin"
Strain C; Ch. Caerleon's Prince of Pennylane 'Caspian'; Premier stud,
Caerleon strain .
Bitch A/B/C; Bellwether Queen Bee 'Punkin'

So let's translate what happened along Bellwether's evolutionary
path so far by couching it in terms of the excerpt below from Darwin.
( at this point it will profit the reader to read the excerpt below
from Darwin to get the most out of what I am about to relate).

--"certain species possess a prepotent power over other species with
which they are crossed (distinct from their fertilizing power) of
impressing their likeness on their hybrid offspring." This is the
foundation philosophy behind my outcrossing ideas.
--"This difference in prepotency has not been proved to exist in
varieties" This is why I picked three *carefully linebred* strains to
hybridize.
--"the power of one species reducing another in fewer or more
generations depends not only on its specific difference, but on that
of the variety or even on the individuals used,". This is why ,
after vetting all three strains for health, I cross matched the
premier studs from each strain for genetic balance in the areas of
Temperament, Type, and Structure.
--"& likewise whether the species has been long cultivated" This is
why I picked *veteran* carefully linebred strains. Each of the three
strains had at 20 -30+years work behind it.
--"in complex crosses of two species, the appearance of the hybrid
depends on the proportions in which the parent -species have been
blended together. " Proportions *are* important. All the strains had
to be *strong* strains, of good genetic intensity. In the
Bailee/Josie breeding, though Bailee had 30+ yrs. of linebreeding
behind him, he was the union of 2 superb dam lines. Bailee's sire
lines were *not* quite as closely related as Josie's so he threw his
qualities with a little less intensity overall in the litter. Josie
was the latest generation in a very close multigenerational
linebreeding program based on the McMaur Gambling Theme litter. Thus
she derived ( per Dr. Jerold Bell) almost all her genes from the
three siblings ( McMaur's take A Chance On Me ( bitch), McMaur's
Blackjack (dog), Ch. McMaur's Dealer's Choice(dog). therefore more
puppies in the litter were blends or favored Josie phenotypically.
One exception was the male who later became Ch. Swan's AU N Phoenix
Rising "Yankee", who inherited and passes on a preponderance of his
sires virtues. On the roll of genetic dice, the double hybrid bitch (
Pippin) I kept from the litter was a nice blend of the 2 parents,
though favoring Josie. In evaluating this litter, it became apparent
Josie was passing on(except for one male, "Yankee", pup) head flaws
inherited from a concentration of genes from the Gambling Theme
litter. While these skull gene didn't show up in all the pups of the
Gambling Theme litter, they were recessive and the *triple up* on
the Gambling Theme litter caused them to manifest in Josie. That's
why you won't ever see any pics of her. That same triple-up also gave
her robust health, superb intuition and working temperament , plus
excellent maternal instincts which is why she is my foundation bitch.
We are breeding from the inside-out.
Now we come to the litter which produced Josie's
granddaughter, "Punkin". Josie's daughter, Double hybrid "Pippin" was
bred to a third strain (C). There were 10 puppies in that litter.
As alike as peas in a pod. Sharon and I tried for years to figure out
why. No one had answers and the ones we did find , never seemed to
quite fit. Ill-fitting answers were 100% heterosis, a *producing*
bitch, and wise choices on the parts of the breeder. Then I found
these pages from Darwin and everything clicked.
--"But the result is wholly different when a hybrid is fertilised by
the pollen of a third pure species, ( Karen: Bitch A/B bred to Strain
C), for in this case the triple hybrid always closely resembles
(though having only half blood) its pure father, (Karen: Stud C) so
closely that it might often pass as a mere variety of it: ( Karen:
C=Caspian, Strain C= the melded Vennessee/ Highcroft/ Elsinore gene
pool Sharon and I called the "Caerleon Strain"). Those 10 pups were
so alike, looking like Stud C, Sharon had to have them microchipped
to tell them apart when she took them in to have their eyes checked.
Now take a look at this, how interesting:
--"On the other hand, in the exactly reversed case, namely of a pure
species fertilised by the pollen of a hybrid from two other
species, the triple hybrid does not take after its pure mother or
after its hybrid father" What does Darwin mean by this? If we follow
the logical extension of our discourse so far, he is saying that
taking a closely linebred bitch to a double hybrid stud to create a
triple hybrid won't result in the *sameness* just previously
discussed.
Now I am musing. I wonder if the reason some folks say repeated
outcrossing doesn't work is because they tried this latter coupling
instead of the former which resulted in sameness. If they did not
know the theory behind the variation they saw in their triple hybrid
pups, then I can see why they say repeated outcrossing doesn't work.
I think I shall go back and take a look at the top winning dogs who
are a result of outcrosses. I wonder how many were the result of a
double hybrid bitch bred to a superlative Strain C stud. If this is
so, then maybe I ought to breed double hybrid Pippin to the most
perfect collie I can find who is a 4 generation outcross from a
carefully linebred strain? Hum...
copyright 2007
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http://tinyurl.com/2djskb
"Charles Darwin's "Natural Selection: Being the second part of His
Big..."
On Hybridism , excerpt from Pages 450 and 451.
"Gaertner has clearly shown that certain species possess a prepotent
power over other species with which they are crossed (distinct from
their fertilizing power) of impressing their likeness on their hybrid
offspring.(super3) To give one single instance from Gaertner of
Nicotiana(super4) paniculata and vincaeflora are crossed, the
character of N. paniculata is almost completely lost in the hybrid;
but if N. quadrivalvis is crossed with N. vincaeflora, this latter
species, which was before so prepotent, now in its turn almost
disappears under the power of N. quadrivalvis. It is remarkable that
the prepotency of one species over another in transmission is quite
independent, as shown by Gartner, of the greater or less facility
with which the one fertilizes the other. This difference in
prepotency has not been proved to exist in varieties, owing as I
believe, to the fewness of the experiments tried; but it holds good,
as we shall see, with the varieties & apparently even with the
individuals of animals, & I cannot doubt that it does also hold with
plants; for this prepotency is closely connected with the power of
the one species reducing the other by successive crossings; & the
power of one species reducing another in fewer or more generations
depends not only on its specific difference, but on that of the
variety or even on the individuals used, & likewise whether the
species has been long cultivated (super5)
Some of the special cases of resemblance of hybrids to their parents
are curious. If we put aside the species having a prepotent power of
transmitting their likeness, then in complex crosses of two species,
the appearance of the hybrid depends on the proportions in which the
parent -species have been blended together. Thus in Dianthus barbato-
barbatosuperbus, in D. barbatosuperbobarbatus, & in D. barbatosuperbo-
barbatus we have two species differently mixed, but in the same
proportion, namely with three-fourth of the D. barbatus in each &
they closely resemble each other. (Gaertner Bastardz. s. 504) But the
result is wholly different when a hybrid is fertilised by the
( notes for Page 450):
3. Bastardz. s. 290 256. (Karen : or 200 instead of 290?)
4. [The addendum sheet is sheared off at this point, presumably for
use in "Variation under Domestication" (II, 67), from which the
continuity of text is supplied.]
5. Gaertner Bastarzeug s. 458, 461, 465.

end page 450. Begin Page 451
(But the result is wholly different when a hybrid is fertilised by
the)
pollen of a third pure species (for instance Lobelia fulgenti-
cardinalis fertilised by L. syphilitica), for in this case the triple
hybrid always closely resembles (though having only half blood) its
pure father, so closely that it might often pass as a mere variety of
it: Kolreuter says he was almost as much astonished at one such case
in Nicotiana, as if he had seen a cat born with the form of a lion.
(I Fortsetz, s. 42. Gartner Bastardz, s. 511. gives several cases. M.
Regel quoted in Journal de la Soc. Imp. d'Horticulture vol 1855 p.
251. makes a similar remark on some hybrid Achimenes.) On the other
hand, in the exactly reversed case, namely of a pure species
fertilised by the pollen of a hybrid from two other species (for
instance, Lobelia fulgens fertlized by L. cardinali-syphilitica),
the triple hybrid does not take after its pure mother or after its
hybrid father (Gaertner Bastardz s. 507).
(end excerpt)

  Addenda on 3/15/08; It should benoted that Bellwether Collies never, *ever* outcrosses without forethought. All our sires and dams are carefully selected and matched for the finest possible balance of genetic merit in the abstract. We use pedigree research, Darwinian and Mendelian genetic principles of heredity and variation, Percentage of Line Inheritance pedigrees, Coefficients Of Inbreeding,  and extensive study of breeding principles and systems to set up our matings. All of our matings are part of a multiple generation Master breeding plan to create a new strain of  show quality smooth collie service dogs.