My breeding goals are to produce healthy, well-tempered Chinooks with excellent structure and working ability that will make a wonderful addition to any family. The most beautiful dog in the world does no one any good if it can't be walked in public or trusted to behave with the family, or be kind to visitors. The importance of good health is obvious.
In addition, the appropriate conformation will both prevent injuries as time goes by, and support the dog's ability to do chosen work- whether that be sledding, agility, obedience, or holding down a corner of the couch. The willingness and ability to do whatever is asked of them is an essential part of the Chinook personality, and therefore it is important to preserve that alongside these other critical factors.
Keep in mind that months of planning go into a breeding- evaluating the strengths and areas for improvement in my dog and working to find just the right dog with complementary strengths. It is important to me to focus on the role genetics plays in the inheritance of disease and the strengths and weaknesses in the pedigrees of my dog and potential mates for health, temperament, and working ability. Ultimately, the litter represents my hopes of how the best of all of these things will be combined to create puppies even better than their parents.
I continue to learn from formal education (classes, seminars, reading), the experiences of others, graciously shared via various Chinook and other dog forums, and personal experience. I volunteer as a training assistant at my dog training school, and being able to observe different instructors and dogs provides enormous insight into what makes dogs (and their owners) tick, and also allows continuous flow and discussion of new ideas and experiences.