Strongbred Dog

American Dirus™...
the World's First STRONGBRED™ Dog!
Finally, a new definition for a new standard among dog breeds!

The purebred dog no longer defines us!

Finally, a new definition for a new standard among dog breeds! The American Dirus will no longer be considered a purebred, but a strongbred™. Read more below for a description of why the switch and what it means to be strongbred™.

Background

The earliest known use of the term purebred was in 1882 when the word used then was "pureblood."1 The word shifted to "purebred" around 1890. Prior to this, purebred dogs were not defined and most dogs were bred with one another based on their working abilities no matter their pedigree. As a result of the leisure time afforded to those of status and wealth, purebred dog breeds became wildly popular for the first time around the turn of the 20th century. Showing dogs with superiorly pure pedigrees was a favorite past-time of many noblemen and women who took pride in their well-bred dogs. This seemingly innocent practice of the past that mimicked the popular eugenics ideas of the time has now produced purebred dogs of such high inbreeding that many of the once healthy dog breeds now suffer unfathomable diseases and extreme structural abnormalities. Only 150 years have passed and now these once proud dog breeds have become subject to ridicule by many in and out of the dog breeding world. With the highly watched two part video series produced by the BBC called "Pedigreed Dogs Exposed," many of these purebred dog practices have finally been uncovered for the first time on a global scale. It is a world foreign to most people, but now we can get a rare glimpse into the very prestigious, highly revered world of the purebred dog.

Strongbred American Dirus

Dire Wolf Project breeders had initially sought to encourage the breed's development and advancement as an internationally recognized purebred dog, but our definition of a purebred never seemed to fit with the overall world view. After many years, we have finally come to realize that Dire Wolf Project breeders ultimately don't agree with the outdated, archaic, and aristocratic idea of what creates a pure dog breed. Therefore, in order to separate our dog breed from the rest of the purebred dog breeding population, we have redefined our breed as not pure of breed, but strong in breeding.

Strongbred™

Strongbred refers to a dog of a modern breed with a documented pedigree in a permanently open studbook that is regulated by unified breed clubs in which all breeders intentionally breed toward a common standard of health, temperament, and sound conformation promoting the strength of the dog species as a whole.

The Finer Points

A PERMANENTLY OPEN STUDBOOK

Dire Wolf Project breeders and active club members believe that there is strength in openly acknowledging and utilizing regular and specific crossbreeding at exact intervals that will enhance the breed as a whole in vitality, genetic diversity, and vigor. With this responsibility, we believe that crossbreeding should be highly regulated by the breed club as a whole and only introduced within the breed one crossbreed at a time. This then equates to a perpetually open studbook.

DOCUMENTED PEDIGREE

Dire Wolf Project breeders and active club members agree that a strongbred dog breed is one that has a recorded pedigree. These pedigrees should be openly kept for the general public and truthfully reported and recorded. Each dog documented should include several pictures and registration with the unified breed club. If any pedigree is found to be false, the breed club should perform the research needed to determine the correct lineage.

REGULATED BY UNIFIED BREED CLUBS

Dire Wolf Project breeders and active club members agree that only by working together can positive and lasting change happen for the strength of the breed as a whole. All breeders of the American Dirus are organized by a breeder's association that strictly regulates breeding practices based on solid research and evidence of a need for intervention within the breed toward better health, temperament and viable conformation. No breeder may stand alone without the support of the breeder's association and the breed club as a whole. The breed club then has a very important role in the continued development of the breed. All breeders producing puppies within the breed must adhere to these guidelines and play an active role in challenging their breeding practices in order to create a thriving population. A breeding association within a breed club should regularly collect health information, temperament testing results, and openly take an interest in the breed's conformation in order for the breed to perform the duties it was created to perform.

INTENTIONALLY BRED

Each breeding should take place solely for the advancement of the breed toward its common goals in health, temperament and/or viable conformation. The intentionality is evident when breeders follow the guidelines laid out by the breeder's association within a breed club. The guidelines for breeding should be based on solid evidence and research within the breed as a whole to determine the best course of action for the breed at any given time.

COMMON STANDARD

With unified breed clubs, there should also be only one common standard, which should include both temperament and sound conformation. It should be explicit and workable, detailing all of the most important aspects of the dog breed. Specific wording is the hallmark of a strongbred dog breed's standards, leaving little room for misinterpretation or judging based on the popular look of the day. Judges should adhere to these standards or be disciplined and barred from any further judging by the breed club. The American Dirus also has many books and pamphlets from the founder which help correctly interpret the standard. The strongbred dog should not deviate from the original intent of the founder's ideals, lest we create a completely unintended breed of dog and lose the original breed to the whims of human progress.

HEALTH

Dire Wolf Project breeders and active club members agree that health, above all, is the most important aspect of any dog breed. We must breed for health first, no matter the consequences. This is one reason why we allow regulated crossbreeding. But, we must also work toward a longer lifespan within the breed as a whole. Breeders should be rewarded for producing puppies that live longer than the average longevity of the breed. Within this health category, we also give our attention to a sound conformation. We never breed a conformation feature that decreases, or potentially decreases, the breed's overall health. This may include such conformation traits as cow hocks, excessively sloping back, roached back, pink skin, etc.

TEMPERAMENT

Dire Wolf Project breeders and active club members agree that temperament standards should be added and adhered to in the official standards of the breed. Furthermore, temperament should be tested and scored according to each dog breed's temperament standards and no dog should go on to breed if its genetically inherited temperament is severely faulted. The overall temperament of the breed as a whole should be researched, recorded, openly reported and monitored. Breeding away from temperament faults within the breed should then be regulated according to the needs within the breed at any time.

SOUND CONFORMATION

Dire Wolf Project breeders and active club members believe that conformation should reflect strength and vitality of the dog breed. Extreme conformation is frowned upon if the result is a dog breed that suffers in health or strength of character or movement. The dog breed should not require human intervention in order to procreate, give birth, walk, trot, run, see, breath, eat, drink, or regulate its bowels.

STRENGTHENING DOGS AS A SPECIES

We believe it is the duty of every dog breeder to promote the overall strength and well being of the dog as a species and not just single-mindedly focus on any one particular breed or specimen. Consistent with our ideals of a permanently open studbook, no breed can be considered in isolation. Rather it is our belief that every breeder must accept the grave responsibility of the role they play in the future of the species.