Prefix Blindness

What is it?

In dog breeders, it is known as "kennel blindness:" that determination that all the dogs in one's kennels are either God's gift to the breed and have no flaws, or that they are all so flawed that none are worth using. There can also be a tendency to completely write off another breeder or bloodline for flaws that may or may not exist in the dog in question.

In ratteries, I refer to this as "prefix-blindness," because I have noticed much the same trend. Some ratteries literally seem to think their stock is perfect, and when any imperfections crop up, they deny those faults to the detriment of their bloodline and the fanciers who are in contact with them. There can also be a tendency to exclaim that "XXR's rats are no good!" without actually having evaluated the rat in question.

But my rats ARE perfect!

The show standards of the club we belong to give us a basic blueprint for the "perfect" rat, but how that perfection is expressed is often left in the hands of breeders and judges to argue over. For example, the URS standards for a rat's head reads: "Should be evenly proportioned, with clean lines and a well-defined stop at the brow. The muzzle should be of good breadth, rounded and blunt, not narrow or pointed. The male head should project broadness and strength, while a female's projects strength and definition that is clearly feminine. Faults: Long face with pointed muzzle, head too narrow or too wide, no clear brow stop, male head appearing too feminine, female head having a masculine appearance."

Words like "evenly," "good," and "well-defined" mean that there's room for interpretation, what a dog breeder would refer to as "style." Every breeder should develop an eye for exactly what they want to express in their rats, and breed for that. Then it is important to see what is winning on the show table in your club or affiliation. Do the judges like what you like? If not, why not?

Prefix-blind ratteries tend to believe that the reason judges don't like their rats range from jealousy to favoritism. Take a more objective look, and ask more than one judge. Often, a judge will be happy to give you their time after the show for more in-depth discussion of your rats merits and faults, but don't expect them to remember which one was yours without being shown the animal. If more than one judge agrees that your rats have narrow, pinched noses, or that their ears are not set correctly, then it is time to re-evaluate your stock to see what you can do to reverse this unfortunate trend.

Also keep in mind that standards can change over time. Previously in the Great Lakes area, a "racy" body type was preferred, but now a more solid build of substance is favored. You should be prepared for these changes to occur, through involvement with your showing club.

Okay, my rats all suck!

A second type of prefix-blindness is to look in one's rattery and breeding stock and be overwhelmed by the faults of them. It can be hard, then, to select any breeding stock, since every rat looks so flawed that you would never wish them to pass their genes on.

It is important to look at your stock objectively. Again, a judge or two can really help with this. Maybe your stock is not as bad as you think, or maybe the faults can be corrected. Bad ears can often by corrected by breeding to a rat with very good ears, and then inbreeding. Sharing your problems with another breeder who is willing to be honest with you can also help; even though you may look for different ideals in an animal, all breeders who are working under the same set of standards should have the same idea of the basics.

Well, HIS rats all suck! And HER rats are the best thing EVER!

The third type of prefix-blindness is to assign the same unrealistic expectations to someone else's rats, simply because of their prefix. You may not like Breeder XXR, and you may think that they breed ugly rats… but not every rat who carries that prefix will automatically be ugly. Stock changes over the years; someone who started out with a few ugly rats can, through careful and selective breeding and judicious outcrossing, develop a beautiful animal. By immediately dismissing a rat because of its prefix or bloodline, you may be missing out on a really beautiful animal.

Conversely, some breeders can be so highly thought of that merely their prefix in front of an animal will vault that rat to an undeserved status. Just because Breeder YYR has produced some stunning rats does not guarantee they will continue to do so, or that every animal of theirs will be a winner. Some breedings simply produce mediocre babies, if the parents are not prepotent in passing down their best traits. Sometimes, a breeder takes a break or is hit with a disaster and loses their best breeding stock, and so must use animals that are not ideal.

It is always important to evaluate the animal in front of you as objectively as possible, irrespective of their breeder or bloodline. That is one of the reasons shows are so useful, as rats are entered onto the judge's table as anonymously as possible.

The judges don't like my rats because I'm not their best friend!

Very rarely are accusations of favoritism valid. There may be political pressure on judges to choose a certain "top" breeder's rats so that they can continue breeding, or to choose rats who are related to one's own breeding stock, but most judges will do their best to maintain a fair and impartial view of the animals on the table before them. For a judge, the specter of such an accusation is deterrent enough, since one will not be invited back to judge another show if the club's organizers feel the judge lets favoritism interfere.

If certain rats - or a style of rat - are consistently winning under multiple judges, take a closer look. It is likely that these rats all share a common set of traits which match the showing standards in the eyes of multiple judges. These are the animals one should strive to match, and if possible, do better than. Judges are not always individually correct, but taken as a group, they set the trends for the future of the fancy.

Who is most at risk for prefix-blindness?

Breeders who are overly emotionally attached to their breeding stock can continue some serious faults. They simply refuse to believe that their "best buddy" is anything less than perfect in every way, and feel personally hurt when anyone suggests it. Being overly attached to a rat's personality and temperament can be natural, but should never be a reason alone to breed that animal. A rat must have as much of the "whole package" of temperament, health and conformation as possible to be breeding stock.

Breeders who have a very small selection of animals to work with can become blinded, since they have no other animals to choose from. They can select, and continue to select, substandard animals without access to better. Without seeing other, better animals, they can come to believe their own stock is far better than it truly is.

Some may be blinded by certain characteristics of their animals - most frequently color, markings and ear set - and ignore other serious faults of the animal. It is for this reason that American Blue has often been riddled with health problems, and some Dumbo bloodlines have a light, substance-less bodyset, because breeders have been more interested in continuing the color or earset than in developing the entire rat.

Some breeders simply don't have a good "eye" for what makes a good rat. They read and understand the show standards, but simply can't put it together in their minds with regards to their own animals.

Breeders who have had a long string of wins and popularity, or those being mentored by such breeders, are probably at the highest risk. Enough judges, adopters and sycophants who want breeding stock have told these breeders they are the best, until they believe they no longer have to try in order to produce perfect rats. While resting on their laurels and not paying attention to the quality they are producing, their stock may take a sharp downward curve that they simply will not allow themselves to notice. Breeders must constantly be looking to improve even their best rats, not simply to repeat old successes.

Well, how do I see the light?

First, take a look at your stock. Are you over-specialized? Are you focusing too much on a trait or two and neglecting the rest of your rat? Are you breeding a bunch of bird-boned Dumbos just because they are Dumbos? It is natural to be drawn to and prefer certain features of the rat, even though we'd like to focus on all of it, but keep in mind that perfect ears on an ugly rat still won't win the show table. Try to strike a balance!

Next, ask someone else to take a look at your stock. Another breeder or a show judge are the ideal candidates for this, but a breeder who "co-breeds" with you frequently, or is a personal friend, may not be. Remember, you want an objective and honest opinion. In that vein, remember not to lash out at someone who points out the faults in your animals. Remember that they are doing you a favor, and that no one will give you their honest opinion if they think you're going to be angry at them for it.

Be prepared to cut animals from your breeding stock. Even if they are your favorite friends, or descended from a long line of rats you love, if they're not up to scratch, they should not be used. In order to devise a new plan and start to produce really quality animals, rats who are not going to further your goals should be eliminated from your breeding program. Goals change over the years: are you still looking to breed the kind of animal that you started out breeding?

Being open to advice, flexible, and with a firm grasp of the kind of animal you want to be producing will help you avoid prefix-blindness. Be objective about your own and others' stock, and dedicated to the goal of producing the whole rat, no matter what the prefix is!