What is a Preservation Breeder? Purposefully Breeding Purebred Dogs.
Preservation breeders are dedicated purebred dog breeders that strive to protect their breed and to continue its existence.
Purebred dogs have been created to perform a specific function and each breed has a unique history. The preservation breeder honors this history by trying to produce the best specimen of the breed and in this sense, "improving it", but also trying to maintain steady the qualities that make the breed recognizable, able to perform its purpose, and steadfast in appearance and character. So, in improving the breed, the goal is the more perfect example, not to change the look, function or temperament or to create something new or different, but rather to preserve that unique set of qualities that sets the breed apart as a distinct breed of dog.
In our case, the AKC Standard is the description of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog we are preserving and we strive to produce the closest dog possible to this description. Even though most of our dogs primary "purpose" today is to be our companions, sometimes even in totally different environments, like a city environment, we still try to keep the dogs true to their original purpose.
Many breeds recognized by the AKC, including the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, have been at one time on the verge of extinction. And without the commitment of preservation breeders, the number of dog breeds would certainly decline. Not only are we preventing the dogs from becoming extinct, but even more importantly, because of our commitment to health, like all AKC Breeders of Merit like ourselves, we are producing and maintaining the happiest healthiest family of dogs known in existence. We have a focus on multi-generational health testing to try to continuously improve the health of our purebred dogs.
