Decisions have been made

2 months ago by Linda

About seven months ago I was out of patience and was truly in despair. Trying to change the way we breed is a tremendous job, and I was about to run out of energy. However, I have such great people around me, and they gave me the strength I needed to hang in there. My Erövrarens-family, breeders from across many different breeds and various people wrote to me, cheered me up and stood by my side. I am forever grateful for that.

So, one day, a few weeks ago, I got a phone call from our Kennelclub. My dog Gard (F2 outcross) had been approved! The phone call actually came exactly 1 year and 2 months after I applied. To wait for more then a year was really a challenge. I decided to wait until I could see him in the system, having learnt the hard way that very few people in this business can be trusted. Anyway, the Kennelclub stood by their word and on the 9 of April Gard showed up in the database of the Kennelclub. Approved, finally! I picked up his registration papers from the post office yesterday. As I posted a video of Gards approval in social media the love and support felt endless! People from across the world has sent their congrats and shared the video, many many breeders from various breeds was celebrating with me that day because this isn’t just about Gard, it is much bigger than that. This shows that our Kennelclub has taken the step towards a more modern breeding, based on science and not on old fashion ideas. Today I feel very proud of my Kennelclub. We still have a long way to go, for sure, but the first steps have been taken and we have endless of possibilities in front of us.

About future litters – I will not be in a hurry. A lot of people have been asking for a puppy from Gard, and breeders from around the world have been asking if they can use Gard. I often see great males being used to sire several hundred puppies around the world and in Sweden it is rather the rule then the exception that breeders turn their males in to popular sires – I won’t do that because it is harmful to the breed in a long-term perspective. I could, if I only was counting the money, but I am not. In fact, I do not need to breed at all, I live perfectly well without those money. I breed because I find it interesting and fun, and because I would like to contribute to healthy and happy dogs. So yes, I will continue as a breeder and yes, Gard will most likely have a few litters in Sweden and a few litters around the world, but I am not in a hurry. He is only 3 years old. I need to find the correct females for him. I do not wish to yet again increase the level of inbreeding, he has 13% which is still high, even though the average inbreeding level of the White Shepherd is 28-30%. My goal is to breed healthy dogs with a solid mentality that looks like White Shepherds, with an inbreeding level below 5%. It will take time to get there, for sure, but time I hope I have in abundance. I would be very happy if I could find an unrelated F1 or F2 female with other ancestors then Gard, and of course, with great health and mentality. I will search until I find them because I am sure there most be some out there.

So, if you are looking for a puppy, keep hanging on to this website. It wont be a bunch of puppies, but hopefully we will be able to produce a litter during 2025.