Over the years, I think many of us in Europe have learned that importing new blood is about much more than pedigrees, COI percentages, or DNA panels.

(I have imported 13 Silken Windhounds to Sweden over the years…)

Those tools are valuable — but they are not the whole picture.

Some traits and problems simply cannot currently be DNA-tested away. They have to be followed through long-term observation of families, lines, and breeding outcomes across generations.

Things like:

…often require historical knowledge of lines, not just modern genetic reports.

And in an international breed like the Silken Windhound, this becomes even more important because cosmetic practices and different breeding traditions may hide or obscure information that later becomes relevant in countries where those practices are not permitted.

Rear dewclaws are one example many European breeders have now encountered unexpectedly, despite generations without visible dewclaws in Europe.

The same applies to certain reproductive or congenital issues that may only become visible years later, when lines are combined in new ways.

None of this means we should stop importing, or stop cooperating internationally.
Quite the opposite.

But it does mean that preserving and sharing long-term line knowledge matters enormously — especially in a small global population.

DNA testing is a tool.
COI is a tool.
Pedigrees are a tool.

But responsible breeding still depends heavily on honest historical knowledge, transparency, and breeders willing to discuss not only strengths, but also recurring weaknesses within lines.

Last, but not least.
A Pro tip

If you are going to spend money on an import with the intention of breeding, with all the extra costs that are involved, do yourself a favor.

Buy an adult. Not a puppy!

Yes it will be more expensive but there are several advantages

• You know what you get with an adult.
• If you can, buy a proven producer with puppies on the ground that can be evaluated

If you buy a puppy, it will be less expensive and honestly, a lot easier to find at all!
But with a puppy, the truth is that you have absolutely no guarantess when it comes to:

• Conformation as an adult, including basics such as movement, size, teeth, testicles etc
• Health
• Temperament
• Aptitude for training and performance sports
• Fertility

The puppy is but a promise.
The proven adult is a fact.

Trust me, you will love the adult import just as much as a puppy.

And very often the adult import, proven, just what you are looking for, is more often than not from a bigger breeder. Where this dog lived among many other dogs.

For such a dog, coming to a smaller household that does not have a large pack, where it literally becomes a family member, on your couch, in your bed – that dog will bond with you in ways only an adult dog can, once it realize it is HOME!