Espen Engh

McEmn Great Danes

Nikki Riggsbee
Espen Engh (Jet Greyhounds)

Breeding Principles

813/654-3412 nriggsbee@aol.com

Espen Engh is a breeder of Greyhounds under the kennel name Jet. He lives in Scandanavia.

	Good brood bitch traits: strong, sturdy, leg in each corner, stood well on the ground, not overly refined or weedy
	Bitches are gold; a good foundation bitch is absolutely key to success..
	We don't repeat breedings. Either you get what you want, in which case we breed from those. Or we're not pleased, so there is no reason to repeat it.
	BreeThe essence of our breed is the overall picture, a combination of substance and elegance. It is also about proportions.
	The key to successful breeding is to be very selective and critical of your own dogs.. Select the best and breed them to the very best.
	We keep all the best bitches until we are sure about who is really the best and make the final decision at 12 - 15 monthes old.
	The bitch-line is most important.
	Don't look for the perfect male; he doesn't exist.
	Select the best bitch from each generation, she is called the alpha bitch and goes on the tail bitchline. Breed her several times to dogs she is related to The second best bitch - the beta bitch. She is bred to an outcross dog/line that has what you need. The beta bitch is bred once, usually; if the outcross is successful, she produces a male who could be bred to the alpha bitch.
	The tail bitch line is important. So is the father's mother
	Keep the dogs you need for your breeding. It is lazy to sell all your puppies and rely on someone else to raise them.
	We stick to line breeding: aunts to nephews, half-siblings or cousins.
	You can select (improving on) a few traits at a time. If you try to select 20 traits, you won't get progress in any of them. Mentality (temperament) and health come first.
	Linebreed on bitches.
	If a bitch isn't good enough to linebreed on, don't breed her.