This article was
originally written in the 1930s by Dr. Kleemann (by whom the German Kleemann Seiger
or KS tests were
developed and for whom they are named. It was first reprinted in the Kurzhaar
Blatter in August of 1962 then subsequently translated into English and reprinted
in the GSP News in 1963. Once again it has been reprinted here (after
being edited for
brevity) for your review.
What is the meaning of
"Motherlines?" The idea is too often confused by breeders with
"motherside" or the bottom side of a pedigree
... but Motherlines is the whole of the bloodlines of
all the mothers,
including the father's mother and the other mothers on the father's side
of the pedigree
- but always the mothers
...
[the success of Motherline breeding comes
from utilizing very important sex-linked genes present only in the additional DNA of
the X
chromosomes of great producing (Stamm) females ... since a male dog has 76 paired chromosomes plus an X and a
Y chromosome the only place a male can inherit these important sex-linked genes is
through his mother ... therefore; when this son becomes a father only his
resulting daughters (never his sons) get this valuable X chromosome back again
(along with another X chromosome from their own mother) ... in turn, when these resulting grand-daughters
become
mothers the art of breeding lies in selecting only the male offspring that
inherited this valuable X chromosome (as these great-grandsons will be able to pass
the important sex-linked genes on to
their get) ... in so doing we bring the influence of the Stamm female (through
this valuable X chromosome) to the topside of the pedigree and dramatically
improve our chance of producing great pups true to type when we breed to quality
females from the same Stamm line ... thus the importance of having an unbroken Motherline on
both sides
of the pedigree]
Pedigrees only serve as a guide to show us
what "blood" could be carried by certain animals. Only
through careful study
of a particular animal's offspring and intimate knowledge of its ancestors can
we determine what "blood" an
animal is actually carrying. It is necessary to breed both according to bloodlines and
performance to achieve success. We are looking for animals who are outstanding
performers within the same bloodline.
It is only by inbreeding that we can double
up on the good and bad qualities so we can see what we are dealing with. When
faults in the line come to the surface we can skim them off and get rid of them. By out-crossing
we only cover up the faults and reduce our knowledge of
what to expect in subsequent litters.
Anyone who condemns inbreeding must in turn condemn the detective who brings crimes to light as
well as the messenger who brings bad news.
A good broodbitch is feminine ...
of finer
build, a light and pretty head with a smaller and thinner neck, lots of nobility, but also
depth for growing pups. You should be able to recognize a good broodbitch at 100
meters and not find it necessary to look between her hips to tell her sex. Often I
have seen young bitches which looked like grown males receiving much attention and being
considered as future outstanding broodbitches. These bitches never lived up to
expectations.
And then there is Herta von der Maylust who
was considered a "cat" at shows because of her fine build and light bone
structure and was advised not to be bred because (it was thought) she would only produce
poor small puppies. Yet Herta is a Stamm (original ancestor) mother behind many of
our great dogs today.
If you have a bitch you must select a stud
with complimentary motherlines. It is much simpler if you have a bitch from a great
motherline so that you can profit from the long experience of breeders in that motherline
and have little difficulty in choosing a good stud dog. With a little known
motherline it is difficult to find the proper mate since there is but a small number of
dogs to choose from. Look for a pup with a continuous motherline from known
performers.
When sire and dame have the same motherlines
you can generally count on outstanding pups and you will have classy breeding stock. To
improve your motherline you must bring together matching bloodlines holding fast to the
good qualities and abolishing the bad. You then breed for performance, boldness,
conformation, nose and waterwork. The Shorthair must be able to hunt for hours
without tiring, he must have an outstanding nose and never give up on the retrieve of
wounded game regardless of the distance.
Our German Shorthaired Pointers>>
Dr. Kleemann had been dead
for 20 years when this article was first published which was nearly 40 years ago. We
all owe a great debt to Dr. Kleemann for his artistic ability to pick the right breeding
stock when the breed was still very young and his willingness to put his keen observations in
writing for the rest of us to follow.