Chophel, Danba and Ananda
Posted: December 27, 2010 Filed under: Gompa Lhasa Apsos 2 CommentsBobbie sent this photo in her Christmas card, taken two days before I picked up Chandra’s puppies…
Chophel lives in Minnesota with Val. Danba and Ananda are with me.
Kunza at FleetFire Timbers 
They are beautiful! . I knew they were due, from your website posting, so great to see them. I would love to know your thoughts on how you chose which pairs to breed. What traits you were hoping for from the pairs. Congrats, Cathy
Hi Cathy,
I let my perfectionism get in the way of answering this post. “You don’t have time (to do it right.) Flylady wouldn’t be happy with my perfectionism! I planned on responding when the Participation Process was complete on the GLAPP website. Don’t ask me why! As I type this, that reason seems very silly. Somehow, someway, I was going to weave the answer to your question in the material I’m developing.
Breeding pairs within this gene pool are selected with different criteria than used for the FFT dogs. The three main factors are COI (inbreeding coefficient), patella grades and number of incisors. There is also an attempt to use every member of the population.
Almost ten years ago, when a large group of Gompa dogs was delivered to me, I set about developing a breeding plan for the entire population – including the east coast population that was under the direction of Ceese. She had a wonderful concept, Kennel Without Walls, and had placed the others in homes of Ligmincha members. The thought was the dogs could live as a beloved family member and, yet, contribute to the gene pool. It was a wonderful idea that was better on paper than in practice. People found it difficult to live with intact dogs. For example, even cooperation with a dog’s veterinarian could be challenging. Many veterinarians are not pro-breeding and recommend spay/neuter for their clients. Even simple things – like boarding a dog or attending training class – became an issue. Timing of breedings was another huge factor. Inexperienced caretakers didn’t seem to realize that ovulation and fertilization waits for no schedule. The challenges were hard for me, as an experienced breeder. Ceese summed it up one day, “these dogs are not easy to breed!”
As time went on, there were less and less dogs available for the breeding program. It was next to impossible to manage breeding dogs that weren’t in my geographical area. My well-honed breeding plans for the entire population, utilizing as many members of the population as possible, wasn’t going to work.
Choosing which pairs to breed morphed over the years, going from ideal to practical. Chophel, Danba, Ananda and their half-siblings Rishi and Tigle, are the first 100% Gompa puppies born here in five years. The dams of these two litters, Nagpo and Chandra, did produce puppies sired by Keeper. While his entire lineage dates back to Tibet, he is not a Gompa dog. I do call his offspring Gompa dogs, as he was brought here for that breeding program. Each carries 50% Gompa genes.
Because number of lower incisors and patella grades are two of the three criteria I’ve chosen, I was hoping to see improvement in those traits.