A Breeder’s Analogy By Patricia Doescher I watched a man peddling his bike down the street with no hands on the handlebars. He had a cell phone in one hand busily making conversation and in the other he held packages. He had no control, overly much, with regards to steering, but by peddling steadily and balancing carefully he was making headway toward his destination, oblivious to the traffic around him and the fact he could be just one slip away from a nasty spill. It occurred to me dog breeders are pretty much on the same ride as the man peddling the bike. Most breeders are often times unaware of what lies ahead and even the most prepared have little control over what may crop up in their path out of nowhere. A good breeder uses knowledge and education to help evaluate the results of each litter and will balance the good over the bad and calculate what is beneficial for the breed and what possibly could be detrimental. Although they will never know what or when a problem will arise they are dedicated to assessing whatever “might” transpire and accept the challenge, resolved to do their best for the breed. As Shiba breeders, we can encounter some stumbling blocks from inherited defects that are prone to the breed. Bites that look perfect at eight weeks can suddenly go undershot (lower sticking out too far) when the teeth start to change into adult teeth. Deciduous teeth (baby teeth) can linger too long and cause the new adult teeth to grow in behind them causing all sorts of problems with bites and alignment. Missing premolars and incisors are not uncommon and will take several generations to set a mouth with full dentition, if it can be done at all. Structurally, luxation of the patella is a nasty little defect. Puppies born without a deep enough trochlear groove (groove in which the knee cap rides) will need surgery early, six to nine weeks, if they are to recover full use of the leg. Adults can develop the problem as well which leads to choices for even the most stringent of breeder. Although heart murmurs usually are not serious and disappear with age they seem to be prevalent in some lines. Other families of Shibas have neurological problems causing compulsive spinning and circling. Hip dysplasia rears its ugly head at times too, much to the detriment of the breed. Like the biker using no hands, most breeders are busily going along with hopes of a wonderful journey. Problems, when they arise are met with total abject horror by some or considered totally insignificant by others. Then there are those who will dust themselves off, evaluate the path just ridden and try another route. They will acknowledge the ruts they encounter and help others to become aware of the bumps in the road. Getting up from a fall and hiding it out of embarrassment doesn’t help others avoid the potential hazards along the way.