Over the years, I think many of us in Europe have learned that importing new blood is about much more than pedigrees, COI percentages, or DNA panels.
Those tools are valuable — but they are not the whole picture.
Some traits and problems simply cannot currently be DNA-tested away. They have to be followed through long-term observation of families, lines, and breeding outcomes across generations.
Things like:
- allergies and immune-related issues
- fertility and whelping patterns
- neonatal survival
- structural tendencies
- dewclaws/rear dewclaws appearing unexpectedly generations later
- congenital anomalies, including historical cases of Lotus Syndrome and megaesophagus
- temperament patterns
- longevity trends
…often require historical knowledge of lines, not just modern genetic reports.
And in an international breed like the Silken Windhound, this becomes even more important because cosmetic practices and different breeding traditions may hide or obscure information that later becomes relevant in countries where those practices are not permitted.
Rear dewclaws are one example many European breeders have now encountered unexpectedly, despite generations without visible dewclaws in Europe.
The same applies to certain reproductive or congenital issues that may only become visible years later, when lines are combined in new ways.
None of this means we should stop importing, or stop cooperating internationally.
Quite the opposite.
But it does mean that preserving and sharing long-term line knowledge matters enormously — especially in a small global population.
Ask before you act!
Anyone planning an import or a breeding must ask questions before making decisions. Not afterwards. Extensive experience in other breeds, decades spent breeding other breeds, being a veterinarian, judging qualifications, sporting and training experience, DNA results and a clean-looking pedigree do not replace knowledge of Silken Windhound lines.
Contact several people who know the dogs, their close relatives and the lines behind them—not only the person selling the dog or owning the intended stud. Ask what has occurred in siblings, half-siblings, previous offspring and related litters. Never assume that silence means there is nothing to know. Information cannot reach someone who never asks for it.
Research carried out after a puppy has been purchased or a litter has been born is too late. By then the decision has already been made, the risk has already been taken—and the puppies may be the ones who pay the price.
DNA testing is a tool.
COI is a tool.
Pedigrees are a tool.
But responsible breeding still depends heavily on honest historical knowledge, transparency, and breeders willing to discuss not only strengths, but also recurring weaknesses within lines.
Susann Stjernborg
Silken Windhounds since 1998
