[Riot]

Theoretically mares should play more of a role in stamina. Theoretically, but I would back this guess with some convinction because those genes in the mitochondria code for some very important enzymes that affect efficient use of oxygen by muscles. I do not have any numbers to back this up. But the mare side should be super important.

The old horseman's saying is, "Stamina from the mare, speed from the sire".

In pure bred coursing dogs (performance, running dogs), the maternal line is incredibly important to me, for at least 3-4 generations, but further back than that, also. Again, the tail-female line.

I'm basically looking for a sire that is safe enough to not screw up what's there, by adding health and conformation problems It's difficult in a small numbers "purebred" breed, consisting essentially of dogs inbred within the US for a hundred years, that are rarely actually tested for performance nowadays.

Sounds not so different from the Jockey Club Stud Book, and the history of a horses' lifetime racing career, really.

I'll take a proven performance-laden pedigree over a hot, young, popular sire. I look heavily at coefficients of inbreeding, and I breed on paper via pedigree analysis, then try to find a sire suitable (see what males are out there from what I want)

But with dogs, vs horses, you get several chances within a litter to see what comes through.

The guys that breed longdogs and lurchers out on the prairies of the west, strictly based upon performance - the non-pedigree performance dogs (greyhound, saluki, borzoi combo types) - interesting that they don't characterize it as scientifically as I do, but they do essentially the same thing. It works.

It worked for the Hancock family, too.

posted earlier in the thread.

I'm a bit slow some times, sorry ... exactly what you said I'll look and see if I have anything interesting regarding non-published work hiding in my file cabinets.

I think Pais makes an excellent point, also, one that must be considered.