bullyMD: Kennel Blindness

Overview:

What is kennel blindness? it is a disease that affects breeders of typically pure breed dogs rendering them incapable of seeing faults in their own stock. Very often those affected lie to themselves and justify the quality of dogs they breed. Also, those affected typically only focus on negatives in others or competitor’s dogs.

 Symptoms:

  • Negative comments on everyone else’s dogs except their own.
  • Breeding sub-par dogs and believing they’re improving the breed.
  • Not knowing breed standards and breeding to their own “vision”.
  • Blaming the reason their dog isn’t winning on judging, politics, or association.
  • Not looking at their own dog as the reason they are losing.

Cures:

  • Ask a breeder you respect to give an open opinion about your dogs and listen with an open mind.
  • Develop the “breeders eye” so you look at every dog objectively including your own.
  • Learn to note the positives and negatives of every dog you encounter.
  • DON’T BE A HATER! haha

Final thought:

Kennel blindness is plaguing the American Bully community.  If allowed to continue deteriorating minds and kennels the overall well-being of our beloved breed is in danger. If your reading this and even think you may have a case of kennel blindness please feel free to reach out to me. I am always willing to give me an objective opinion about a dog compared to our standard.  If you’re too proud and don’t think this disease affects you, ask yourself this. Regardless of the time, effort, or money you’ve put into a dog, are you prepared to remove that dog from the program if it didn’t pan out?