MY PHILOSOPHY ON BREEDING

My life has been inspired by loving, showing & breeding my dogs. Therefore, when I breed, I follow the Great Dane Club of America's Color Code of Ethics: breeding color-pure FAWN & BRINDLE DANES only. Health, temperament, and structure are the goal of the SierraDanes' breeding program.  If the three aren't there, I don't breed. A commitment to the breed is also essential to build a reliable reputation among other Dane breeders across the country.

Shadow and Me

• HEALTH - SierraDanes screens for healthy hips, hearts, eyes, thyroid, and for the absence of vonWillebrands Disease.  Danes with any known genetic health problem are eliminated from my Breeding Program.  Studs' health results are publicly recorded online through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. To see Shadow's health certificates, click here to see his records on the OFA's site.

• TEMPERAMENT - Both parents must have an oustanding temperament to ensure the breed's reputation remains as loving and loyal as it is intended to be.  This helps ensure you will get the finest quality companion or show prospect for your family. The pups are raised indoors with 24/7 care and appropriate socialization with people and other dogs in my family. Families are given resources to understand the natural social structure of a "pack" and are taught about the Alpha in the family.

• STRUCTURE - It's essential to study pedigrees from generations far beyond the typical three-gen pedigree to understand the structure that a particular lineage may produce. Using important visual tools such as the Great Dane Club of America's Illustrated Standard, current and past issues of breed magazines such as Daneworld and the now out-of-print Great Dane Reporter, researching the Nuttree's Ancestor's Index, visiting and videotaping dog shows for later playback, along with watching the American Kennel Club's Breed Video, breeders can learn so much about the functionality of muscles and bone assembly.

• COMMITMENT TO THE BREED - Any Dane selected for the SierraDanes Breeding Program will have to show its potential through a variety of ways.  Health, temperament, structure are the resounding themes you will hear at SierraDanes.  A good pedigree is important and so is the desired AKC championship title. But it goes beyond that... Can a dog produce his or her "Type"? What did the parents & grandparents produce? Did they have the health, temperament, & structure necessary for consistency? What health problems did other breeders face when using the chosen stud? So much research goes into planning each and every litter before the actual breeding takes place. 

LITTER #1 - Sierra X Rocket

My first Dane breeding matched my Sierra with an outstanding nationally-ranked male, Rocket, [Am BIS/BISS (4x) Ch. Can BIS/BISS Ch. Lagarada Reach for the Starz, CGC, AOM]. This breeding produced my champion male, Shadow, his sister Rosie (who remains with me) and five brothers (Tai, Jack, Chief, Luke, and Hunter) who found loving families across the country.

My Foundation: International Champion NUTTREE'S SIERRA SNOWDANCER