Selection Pairing Methods and Technical Key Points for Autumn Mating of Tibetan Mastiffs

In order to promote the breeding, purification and quality improvement, it is not enough to only pay attention to the selection of Tibetan Mastiffs; attention must also be paid to and the mating of Tibetan Mastiffs must be strengthened. But it is not the natural mating of Tibetan Mastiffs in their place of origin, but rather people purposefully and meaningfully selecting male and female dogs with certain distinctive features in terms of trait expression, performance characteristics and even kinship for mating. Selection pairing can not only consolidate the trait inheritance of the sire and dam Tibetan Mastiffs in certain aspects, but can also create and cultivate excellent Tibetan Mastiff individuals. This mating method or mating form is called selection pairing of Tibetan Mastiffs. Selection pairing of Tibetan Mastiffs has the following types.

 1. Grade selection pairing  That is, grade evaluations are conducted for the male and female dogs to be paired according to comprehensive evaluation grade standards; after the grades of the male and female dogs are determined, the pairing or mating of the male and female dogs is then determined. Usually the evaluation grade of the male dog should be higher than that of the female dog; in each generation the main stud dog should reach special grade and not be lower than first grade. While the foundation female dog, or the female dog to be paired, should reach first grade; individual female Tibetan Mastiffs with unique performance or characteristics may be allowed second grade. The grade of the male dog is required to be special grade or first grade because the male dog has a broad influence. Selecting male Tibetan Mastiffs with excellent breed performance or characteristics for mating is conducive to raising the overall level of the dog group and making the traits of the dog group uniform and consistent in expression.  2. Maintaining bloodlines  The significance of maintaining bloodlines lies in maintaining different dog types characterized by bloodline. According to surveys, Tibetan Mastiffs have 6 basic coat colors, and each has its own characteristics in head shape, muzzle shape, tail shape, coat distribution, temperament and quality, etc. Selecting male and female dogs for mating according to bloodline can effectively combine the traits and characteristics of male and female dogs of different bloodlines, create ideal Tibetan Mastiff individuals, and can also stabilize and preserve the excellent performance and characteristics of Tibetan Mastiffs of each bloodline.  The bloodline-maintaining selection pairing method should be scientifically combined with the method of retaining breeding stock by family line. On the one hand, breeding stock is retained by family line, stipulating that in generational replacement, 1 son must be retained for each stud dog to inherit its bloodline. It is also stipulated that 1 daughter be retained for each female dog to maintain its heredity. In this way the characteristics of each family line can be preserved. On the other hand, mating between male and female dogs among bloodlines or within a bloodline is not excluded.  As for the latter, a certain scope and degree of inbreeding is allowed. In order to expand or stably inherit the unique quality and performance of a certain family line of Tibetan Mastiffs, or to eliminate possible recessive defects in a certain bloodline, the most effective method is to implement a certain degree of consanguineous mating, namely inbreeding, among Tibetan Mastiffs of that family line.  According to measurements, Tibetan Mastiffs have extremely strong resistance to inbreeding. Using inbreeding forms with inbreeding coefficients of 3.125%-12.5%, such as aunt-nephew, uncle-nephew, or even half-sibling mating, can effectively reproduce in offspring Tibetan Mastiffs the morphology and characteristics of outstanding ancestral individuals; the offspring Tibetan Mastiffs do not show decline in vitality, disease resistance, adaptability, growth and development, etc. In fact, the Tibetan people also believe that "dogs with kinship mating produce good puppies." Furthermore, an exhaustive review of the breeding history of all livestock and poultry in the world shows that almost all used inbreeding to varying degrees.  Inbreeding can promote homozygosity of trait genes, consolidate the heredity of traits, expose harmful genes, and effectively form uniformity and consistency in the dog group. Therefore, as long as there are clear goals and correct measures, flexible methods, and strict selection, it is not only possible to prevent the possible adverse consequences of inbreeding and achieve no decline from inbreeding, but also to establish as quickly as possible a Tibetan Mastiff group with stable traits and pure quality.  Theory can also explain that in the nearly thousand-year history of the formation of the Tibetan Mastiff breed, it experienced the severe pairing of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the tempering of the natural environment and the extremely strict selection of the Tibetan people. In the Tibetan Mastiff population, it should be said that the possibility of recessive harmful genes being expressed is very small; any individual with poor expression will be eliminated, and the retained individuals almost do not carry recessive harmful genes. Therefore, in inbreeding the possibility of recessive harmful genes coinciding is even lower, and even with inbreeding there is rarely any decline.  But this kind of mating can most effectively promote the homozygosity of genes determining excellent traits, fix excellent traits and preserve the bloodline of certain excellent individuals, turn the quality and performance of a certain very excellent Tibetan Mastiff into something shared by the group as quickly as possible, and achieve the goal of creating and cultivating excellent Tibetan Mastiffs.