2. The correct conformation. This is not limited to what we visibly see and must also function properly. It includes the skeletal system, muscles, nervous system, internal organs and all other functioning of the body. Without this the animal can not remain a healthy stable individual. Every part of the body must be working in harmony.

3. And Temperament. Most people understand the importance of a great temperament. Bad temperaments are unreliable and usually are inherited although environment can some times play a part. As a show dog it is highly sought after and is some times unfortunately over looked or sacrificed for great looks. It’s a big price to pay. Each breed has its own traditional temperament and plays a big part in the makeup of a particular breed.

Some steps to take in planning your breeding program.

1. Decide on a few traits that are essential and a few that are absolutely intolerable. When deciding on essentials, health, fertility and with out genetic abnormalities should be on the list of essentials. You can also include here color, ear set, and other conformation aspects. Intolerables that should be included are viciousness, extreme nervousness, and psychotic tendencies or severe quirks.  Only the true working abilities or inbred instincts of the particular breed should be passed on to future generations. There are plenty of good dogs to be able to choose which is suitable for breeding and which is not.

2. Set up a scoring system which can be rated. List the positive traits you are looking for and score them as to which are of most importance to you. Then do the same with the faults. Rate them in accordance with (a) their importance in your breeding program or your purpose. (b) their rarity in the breed as a whole or in the showing population of the breed. Desirable traits that are well established within the selected breed and are present in most of the population need not be rated. Once new traits begin to establish within the lines, you may want to switch your attention to traits that need more
improvement.  Or concentrate more on the traits that are less desirable and work on improving them.

3. Line-breed consistently to the best puppies produced until you produce one that is even better and continue to line-breed to that pup. Once you have established a dog of excellence by line-breeding do not breed to a totally different bloodline, as you will loose all the work you have just gone through. Rather breed to a dog of the strain that has been sired by an unrelated female.

Disagreeableness of Genetic Traits:
Severe Traits

• Disorders that cause pain to the animal (i.e. glaucoma, CMO, hip dysplasia, entropion, distichiasis, luxated patella, Legg-Perthes)
• Disorders that disfigure, maim or otherwise render an animal nonfunctional (i.e. cataracts, retinal dysplasia and detachment, chondrodystrophy).
• Disorders that require treatment for the life of the animal (i.e. Grey collie syndrome, diabetes, inherited hypothyroidism).
• Disorders that require surgical correction for the animal to survive (i.e. esophageal achalasia,  anasarca, ventricular septal defects).
• Disorders that are difficult to control (i.e. multigene traits, abiotrophic traits).

Less disagreeable genetic traits:

• Disorders that require one time surgery that is highly successful and principally cosmetic (i.e. inguinal hernia, umbilical hernia, monorchidism).
• Disorders that prevent an animal's use for the purpose for which it is bred (i.e. albinism,
• correct color, mild bite/dentition or gait abnormalities).

   In short, the breeder must do his best, in acquiring all available knowledge, use common sense and realize that breeding results are not always completely fore told. The laws of nature and the Mendilian laws of odds take over to produce the best he can hope to expect.