‘Moderate’ or Take a Chance? Who do I breed to?
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CH Walmar’s Kismet v Boondox
When I am showing pictures of dogs on the Internet that I want people to study and appreciate, I often hear breeders and exhibitors talking about the dog’s picture and saying they would use him because of how moderate the dog is. That sort of made my mind wander and I wondered if I, too, had ever thought about breeding for ‘moderation’ for my next generation in my line and I can say that ‘moderation’ was nothing that I ever strived for, because, the breed we are breeding is really not moderate anywhere and, when we breed for moderation, we wind up with a dog who is not so low, not so level and not so long as I wanted them to be in my Boondox line and that also goes against the AKC Standard . Moderation is something I stayed far away from in choosing dogs that I wanted to breed to because, when I picked a dog to use at stud, I demanded him to be far from moderate and wanted him to be very strong on what I wanted to add to my line of dogs and wanted his offspring, again, to be far from moderate and wanted them to just show that they are all Dachshund and are long AND low AND level and excellent movers as well. That might make me different from other breeders, but it did, indeed, make my dogs the epitome of what I was breeding for and why I always went far from moderation to get that Dachshund look that I, for one, wanted to see showing as a Dachshund.
CH Karlstadt’s Lionel ROMO
When I started breeding, I had a Harvest daughter that I loved and bred her to CH Karlstadt’s Lionel ROMO, the sire of my first Champion, CH Rose Farms Choo Choo ROMX. Lionel was an extremely outstanding Special who really just owned the ground he stood on. He had a presence that I loved and it was NOT moderate. In the litter, the Harvest daughter provided the front and he provided the style and rear and I got really one of my best, CH Boondox Anka v Zencor who was a Specialty BV and BB winner from the classes and also a Group winner. I got that bitch from NOT breeding for ‘moderation’, but instead breeding for a standout who came down from dogs who were extreme in so many ways that I wanted. In Dachshunds, which are an extreme breed, moderation is what we all fall back to if that is our goal and I was never going to be one of those breeders willing to settle for average. Most people would not have gone there, but I did, and that sort of set the tone for my breedings from then on. Breed to the dogs with what you need and get the qualities you want and then choose the best ones to show and breed from. That was my philosophy in breeding and I am glad I decided that early in my career breeding Dachshunds.
CH B’s Javelin de Bayard L ROMO
After I finished my Smooth’s Championship, Dee gave me a longhair and I wasn’t really interested in LHs at all, but as soon as Lardi walked off the plane, my whole family fell in love with her. She had a knot in her tail so, when breeding her, I was very aware of that and so picked out Hannelore’s longhair Special, CH B’s Javelin de Bayard ROMO, who had the best bone structure that I had ever seen and so getting that bone structure got my longhairs on the right track. Personally, Java was not my favorite, but that bone structure was what I wanted. Anyway, Lardi’s type and style with Java’s bone structure fixed that in my breeding program and their very best pups were CH Rose Farms Zesabel v Boondox ROMO, CH Boondox Beggars Banquet, CH Rose Farms Boondox Spritzkof, CH Rose Farms Dolly v Boondox and CH Rose Farms Dudley v Boondox ROM. What a line up and all by taking a chance on good structure and then keeping the best ones that had what we were really after. Did you notice that I was looking for ‘moderation’? Well. I wasn’t and it was far away from what I was breeding for. I wanted good points and was always very willing to take chances to get them in my line if the dogs were healthy, outstanding in quality and from a great producing family.
CH Moffet’s Georgi ROMX
The next one I wanted to breed was my CH Rose Farms Choo Choo who was really outstanding everywhere, but, to me, she needed a little more forechest and that is what I was on the lookout for. My favorite Smooth was CH Moffett’s Harvest ROMX and, since he was lost , I decided to use his full brother, CH Moffett’s Georgi ROMO, and, as you saw from the pictures, was from a family that had a lot of forechest and always produced it. I became great friends with the Moffets and we got the breeding done and, in the end, got even typier Dachshunds with enough forechest and, once that forechest was there, it stayed there when bred correctly. That was my goal and maintaining that forechest was what I always wanted to show. Remember, I was not breeding here for moderation as Georgi was moderate nowhere, but was always a Dachshund that had everything I wanted. The litter produced two really top ones, CH Boondox Chuckie Bunyan ROMO and CH Boondox Country Pride, both great winners in the Show Ring and Chuckie was the one that showed he could pass on that forechest and was pretty full of himself as well. Again, not breeding for ‘moderation’ was again something I didn’t think about.
CH Gerolf das Zwerglein L ROMO
My next litter breeding Lardi to Hannelore’s new Stud Dog that I instantly fell for as, to me, he was just what I wanted my Dachshunds to look like. Ch Gerolf das Zwerglein L ROMO was the epitome of being so flashy that your mind wandered to the fact that he was also a damned great Dachshund himself. When he moved around the Ring, he really filled my eye and made me love the Breed even more. I bred both Lardi and her niece, CH Rose Farms Country Girl L ROMX, to him and, from Lardi, got CH Boondox Emma v Walmar ROMO, CH Rose Farms Jerry v Boondox and CH Rose Farms Elite v Boondox L ROMX. From Pammy (Country Girl’s call name), I got CH Rose Farm’s Orchid v Boondox L ROMO and CH Boondox Opium v Walmar L ROM. If you don’t remember these bitches, click on their names and see how they showed and what they produced. Trust me, these dogs were not bred to get moderation back into the Boondox line. I always wanted my line to go forth and have people remember them for what stuck out and made them memorable, not ‘moderate’.
CH Moffet’s Midas ROMX
I then bred Choo Choo to another great dog of Russ and Thelma’s line, CH Moffett’s Midas ROMX, who was a big dog and VERY extreme in the type department with that long head and neck and lots of forechest. He also was a nice producer and, in this litter, I got CH Boondox Flora v Candachs ROMX, CH Moffet’s Fallon v Boondox and CH Boondox Fern Fahne who were all great to show and had that far from moderate look that I always went after.
CH Rose Farms Hannelore Boondox L ROMX
Then, I bred Country Girl to the great structured Java again and got two great puppies, CH Rose Farms Hannelore v Boondox ROMX and CH Rose Farms Honey v Boondox ROMO. Again, that structure combined with Pammy’s style carried them far from that moderate looked that fills everyone’s eye now and instead showed the body and style that I went after myself. I make no apology, but I never wanted moderation, I wanted each addition of virtues to be head and shoulders above other people’s efforts. These were basically the dogs that I used before I started breeding to my own dogs, thanks to the quality that I added with all the great bitches that I had on hand.
CH Han-Jo’s “Xtra Copy L ROMO
My next litter was the one that really changed the way that I bred dogs in that I finally got the dog that opened up the Boondox line when I bred my Gerolf/Lardi daughter, Emma. to one of the nicest longhairs that was being shown back in the early 80s. I totally loved the dog that Hannelore had sold to Lorene Hogan, CH Han-Jo’s ‘Xtra Copy L ROMO and wanted to use him so bad, but, since his father had been a victim of disc disease, I would not use him until he turned five years old without any Disc incidents. When he did get past five yo and still healthy and showing, I sent Emma to him to be bred and she produced an All Champion litter of four: CH Boondox Panama Jack ROMO, CH Boondox Pumpkin ROMO, CH Boondox Pandemonium ROMX and CH Boondox Promise. What a litter that one was and finally getting a male I could use on all the Java and Gerolf bitches that I had made my day. His sister, CH Boondox Pumpkin, who I co-owned with my great friends, Wally and Mary Jones, was another great producer and she always produced better than she was herself…and let me add that she was already a mighty nice one herself. Moderation, again, played no part in doing this breeding and, when I used him and saw what he produced adding more virtues what I was after, not going for moderate and settling for less.
CH Boondox Panama Jack L ROMO
PJ gave me the spirit to try and be more adventurous in my breeding and, at that time, I had a whole kennel full of Java and Gerolf bitches to breed to him. Seeing the quality that he produced made me happier and happier to have always been adventurous in my breeding and never go for the moderate. Seeing the quality that he produced from all those girls made me happier and happier to have been one to try new things and take some chances because what the Java and Gerolf bitches produced made me realize that trying new things helped me expand what I had in my Kennel and how all these related dogs helped make each new generation even better. From PJ, after I started using hm, I got all these great looking males that I loved and so I started using some of them and loved what they produced as well. I did not use them because they were ‘moderate’, I used them because they had what I wanted to add to my line and these dogs did pass those things on and so I was using CH Boondox Sting v Kanawha L ROMO, CH Boondox Astaire L, CH Boondox Forrest Gump L ROMO, CH Boondox Fortunate Son L ROMO, CH Boondox Polo L ROMX as well as CH Walmar’s Kismet v Boondox L and CH Walmar’s Kodiak v Boondox L ROMO .in my breeding program and, again, not for their ‘moderation’.
CH Delldachs Roolls Royce L ROMX
After PJ’s litter was on the ground, I bred Emma to a dog of Orville and Arnett Wright’s, CH Bayard le Fantome, who was hauled around and never finished until at about five years old they sent him to DCA where he did indeed finish with a bang. Seeing him with Hannelore showing him made me realize that he should be Emma’s next mate. He was down several times from CH Delldachs Rolls Royce ROMX and he did indeed have the look when Hannelore got him groomed and ready to show. I was amazed at how great he was in that big ring and so I wanted to use him right away. Anyway, that litter was another Jackpot and she produced CH Boondox Quicksilver ROMX who went on to be a top Producer in her own right. These well bred bitches were always my foundation in dogs, When you see the name underlined on this page, click on that name and you will see a picture of the dog and a listing of what they produced. That is what I always do and it does make it more enjoyable.
CH Lostdogs Black Bart L ROMO
Lastly, I had Emma, PJ’s mother, that I wanted to breed again and chose a West Coast dog, CH Lostdog’s Black Bart L ROMO, who was all Boondox breeding and, when I saw what he produced, I had to use him. Bart had a great outline with a lot of neck and a full, sound body that just screamed Dachshund to me. I was quite taken with him and so Emma, when bred to her little nephew (yes, Bart was out of Emma’s litter sister, Elite}, produced most importantly CH Boondox Yorktown L ROMX who went on to be a great Special and an outstanding producer. Again, he got that look of that long neck and stout body with great movement as well from Bart. Yorktown was a great one to breed those PJ daughters back to and kept that quality going. He was a dog that came from taking chances and not breeding for ‘moderation’.
CH Boondox Ipsy Pipsy ROMX
I hate to go on and on about it, but when you see a dog that I posted on the website, please appreciate that dog’s great qualities and try to see what I am pointing out to all the current breeders. Most importantly do NOT say, “Oh, it is so moderate!”. If you breed ‘moderate’ to ‘moderate’ for a few generations, you lose all the great qualities that the Dachshund needs to be a healthy, active, great-moving dog and tells me that you aren’t getting the whole picture of how we should be breeding Dachshunds.
CH Boondox Sting v Kanawha L ROMO