Slowing the genetic change is the key to preservation breeding. Everytime a breeder takes a female out of the breeding program and starts with a new daughter, half of the genetic material is lost. The key to preserving a breed and genetic material is to go as long as possible before this final change.

I’ll explain a preservation breeding scenario of excellence for you in this short outline of some exceptional quality Norwegian Elkhound females.

This begins much further back in our program than where I am starting, but for this illustration we will start with the final litter of Tora. We held back two stunning young daughters from this final litter. They were held back just over ten years ago. Those daughters were Kai and Tika. Kai stayed here with me and Tika went to our co-breeders Wendy and Dale.

Years go by we are having litters out of both Kai and Tika and we are approaching the final litter for both females. Daughters were selected from each. Out of Tika Wendy selected Cedar and Aspen from the final litter. Out of Kai’s final litter I selected Rita.

Just this late summer, now ten years later, Rita has whelped and her pups are now just over 8 weeks old and delivered to the new owners. As well Aspen has her new litter of pups on the ground and they will be delivered this coming week.

This is Norwegian Elkhound preservation breeding at it’s finest, just over 10 years from Kai and Tika’s birth to their daughters first litter on the ground. This time frame can be stretched ever so slightly longer, but to do it with excellence and with two sisters and two daughters is really profound. Aspen and Rita will have further litters. Upon them reaching what we feel will be the final litter, we will then select daughters from them just as we had with Tika and Kai, or for that matter, Tora, or her mother Mia and those daughters will then carry genetics forward for preservation. By using this strategy of last litter daughters you maximize the amount of time between genetic change and minimize the genetic loss.

Using sisters also is an ultimate strategy only few breeders can accomplish, this maximizes the genetic material carried forward, limits the risk of loss of genetics if an accident should happen to one. Almost always the early daughter strategy is also employed so as to minimize risk at the later litters. Meaning, we almost always take a daughter out of an earlier litter, just in the event the final litter has no females, or something happens at that final litter.

So both Tika and Kai had other daughters selected in the program, Sage and Willow for Tika, and Letta for Kai.

Preservation breeding requires considerable investment in females of course, literally four times as many as other strategies, as well, planning is extensive as it covers decades of time in advance. Thus the reason Kamia Kennels is the last remaining preservation breeder in North America. The cost, the time, the dedication is basically more than all other breeders wish to commit to.

Thanks to our co-breeders it has allowed us to continue this preservation work for the Norwegian Elkhounds, and ultimately, Thanks in Huge Part to our clients who work with us to take the other pups and provide wonderful homes for them. In that way they are involved and assisting while having a wonderful dog of the finest quality. Many of our folks are on their third pups. Some of our folks were on the very first litter of this genetic, over the decades have participated with another, and some, now again another. This keeps preservation of the Norwegian Elkhound going for future generations.

So Hats Off to Wendy and Dale and all our magnificent Co-Breeders and especially our Wonderful Clients who all become our Friends!