Colby

The Colby Line

Mr John P Colby was an active breeder for many years and produced some of the best dogs of his time. Much of his foundation stock was from the Gas House and Burke strains, as were the dogs of many other breeders.
The difference in the quality of the dogs Mr Colby produced was the result of breeding principles he employed. Also, Mr Colby in my opinion possessed a very important attribute, which I refer to as a gift.

Mr Colby practised a simplified version of genetics, Best to Best, selective breeding

Best to Best does not mean performing dogs alone. It entails all aspects of the dogs, from performance to pedigree. The most obvious qualities would be gameness, biting power, talent, stamina and a great bloodline. A bloodline is the result of a breeders influence.

Over the years dogs bred by Mr Colby began to exhibit physical and mental characteristics such as conformation, colour and gameness which distinguished them. These dogs were then referred to as Colby Dogs. Thus we have the Colby Bloodline. People were proud to say, "This here is a pure Colby dog". This sounds simple; and it leads people to ask; why there were not more top breeders? I believe deciding on what is Best to Best is the key.

I'm not sure that every dog Mr Colby bred to was Dead game; and I'm equally sure he did not breed to every Dead game dog he owned. This is where the gift comes in. It seems to be an in-born sense or ability. I believe most outstanding accomplishments have been made by men who were endowed with a gift for their respective fields.

I do not believe that man knows enough about genetics at this time to produce great animals; and he most certainly didn't know enough in the days of Mr Colby. Race horse people spend millions of dollars a year, trying to produce great horses, with only marginal success. Similarly, there is no pattern for producing Great dogs.

The most essential qualities a breeder may possess are; dedication, a gift, a knowledge of Best to Best, and money might come in handy. If a breeder combines these attributes he is likely to produce, with luck, a great strain of dogs.

It doesn't take too much effort to recall the great Colby dogs of the past. These dogs were bred from the pit and for the pit.

But all of this brings us to a very important question; When a strain of dogs that were once highly regarded, such as Colby's, stops producing consistently good pit dogs, is this strain still to be considered good? I have heard people say, "I know he's a cur, but the blood is there". While this is true in many cases, I wonder how long we can continue to breed to curs and hope to produce game pit dogs.

What is good blood and how long will it remain good if we continue to breed to dogs, who do not possess the qualities of their ancestors? While great breeders can breed to dogs who themselves do not exhibit good qualities; can the average breeder afford to take this gamble?

I have seen strains of dogs that have not produced dogs fitting this description for many years, and people who are active in the sport refer to them as good blood or good brood stock. Many seem to proceed under the assumption, that once a bloodline is good it remains good forever. Many well-meaning people have continued to breed Colby dogs exclusively, thinking all that was necessary to preserve the quality of the strain, was to breed to a dog that had the name Colby on his pedigree.

I believe that we have to continuously strive to improve the strain, in order to keep it as good as it was or is. It's an accepted theory, that in order for an institution to continue, it must change and continuously seek to improve. To preserve a bloodline, there is more required than just breeding to dogs whose pedigree shows a particular name. Change is required in order to prevent change in the quality of dogs produced. The Colby strain was developed by change.

I have heard people say, that the dogs of yesteryear were gamer than those of today. Could it be, in some cases, because we have tried to play Pat and in doing so have lost ground. The people that have bred Colby dogs exclusively for these many years, thinking they were doing what was best, have perhaps underestimated their own ability to breed good dogs.

Many of them have bred dogs for 40 years or more and could have perhaps contributed much more to their own dogs, by using their own ideas and experience. New ideas are necessary in every field. Sports records are consistently surpassed by those not satisfied with repeating someone else's past performance. Last year's record won't win this year's meet.

Were the dogs of yesteryear really superior? I'm sure many dog men of the past would think we have it too easy, because we don't have to grow secret vegetables and cook our dog's food or boil their water. Penicillin has replaced many old remedies, making better dog care possible. I have read some diets that top dog men used. While some were good, none could compete with any good commercial dog food available in countless supermarkets. The poorest feeder today is able to provide better nutrition than the best feeder of yesteryear. We also have refrigeration and other conveniences.

It is not my intention to criticise old-timers and their methods. How many of us would be feeding as many dogs if we had to cope with the same adverse conditions? I think our mission however, is to pick up where they left off, emulating their objectives rather than their methods. The Colby dogs of the past, fit the description of good blood, as their pit records indicate. The Colby strain was developed on the principle of Best to Best. When that principle is no longer employed there is bound to be a drastic change in quality. In a very short period of time a great strain of dogs can be reduced to a strain that can do no more than refer to their pedigree and say "My great, great, grand-daddy was a pit dog....I think!"

http://heartoftheapbtiv.freehosting.net/catalog.html

John P. Colby (1875-1941) started his strain of American Pit Bull Terriers in 1889, from the best dogs from England and Ireland brought here by immigrants to such ports as Boston, Ma, Portsmouth, NH and New York. The Colby dogs have been bred continuously since then.

Now, some 116 years later, the strain is still known worldwide for tops in conformation, temperament, and gameness. A "Colby dog" would be readily recognized by breeders anywhere in this country, as well as many foreign countries.

The American Pit Bull Terrier has been referred to in recent years in many ways; some complimentary, some with negative inferences. Yet this breed is probably the most versatile of all breeds.

During the "Great Depression of the 1930's" the American Kennel Club added American Pit Bull Terriers to their registry under the name of Staffordshire Terriers. With this new name for the breed, they needed a standard. After visiting a few kennels, a committee headed by Wilfred T. Brandon chose Colby's Primo as a standard for the breed.

http://www.colbypitbull.com/

I love the Colby blood. Some of my best dogs were Colby bred. Contrary to what people say there are still some good Colby dogs left with that fire. I know cause i have owned and still own a few.

i have always loved primo he is a great looking dog

seems like there's always a debate about today's Colby lines. we consider living around my way"Colby Country" as Lou is only about 20 minutes from me. i've been lucky enuff to meet him and have him attend our Mass shows on a yearly basis=he always manages to set up a table, despite getting up there in age. He's a true gentleman and is still true to the APBT, despite what some people say...
as far as his dogs, i "hear" that many are under the conception that he only produces conformation/show dogs, but i don't pay attention to what i "hear"!

as far as this sentence goes: (1st post) regarding food
. While some were good, none could compete with any good commercial dog food available in countless supermarkets.
gutta STRONGLY disagree with this. feed bought in "supermarkets" primarly comes from manufacturer conglomerates who don't give a rat's ass about what they're producing! animal food manufacturing is a "side job" for them.
http://www.newstarget.com/012647.html
Three of the five major pet food companies in the United States are subsidiaries of major multinational companies: Nestlé (Alpo, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Mighty Dog, and Ralston Purina products such as Dog Chow, ProPlan, and Purina One), Heinz (9 Lives, Amore, Gravy Train, Kibbles-n-Bits, Nature's Recipe), Colgate-Palmolive (Hill's Science Diet Pet Food). Other leading companies include Procter & Gamble (Eukanuba and Iams), Mars Mealtime, Pedigree Sheba Waltham, and Nutro. As fas as i know, these companies don't even meet AAFCO standards. read the link above and find out what's really put into the process of manufacturing dog food. it's disgusting!
otherwise, nice thread about Colby.
nice bloodlines section all the way around
i enjoy reading these.

I have "spoken" to Mr. Louis Colby through email. He was extremely helpful...WHY? I was just some poor dumb redneck looking for a pet that would do nothing but sleep and eat. I wonder why he took the time to talk to me?

Boston is a LONG way from the swamps of Louisiana, but I would definitely make the trip to meet him.

Suki, if you know of a show he will be at, please let me know.

It seems to me that the colby strain isnt about the "performance" dog anymore but for mostly show. Maybe I'm wrong, but I was also wondering are there any breeders that are deep colby other then Mr. Colby?

Hey MidwestFire Stillwater's got some great true to form colby's nice hounds

Thats what actually made me respond to this. I was checking out there site and it looks like they had some pretty well bred colby dogs. I'm a huge fan of the colby line just seems like it's more for conformation. (I dont blame him, whatever sells) Thanks for the tip though pocketdunlap.

Love his dogs especially Jerry, he will always have the oldest blood out there

Fonzie - you on g-d too?

Also wanted to show some love for the Colby dogs!