"regress toward mean"

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JoshHaker
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"regress toward mean"

Post by JoshHaker » Wed May 01, 2013 8:35 pm

"Canines regress toward the mean very rapidly" I copied this from the Berg Bros site.

Can this just pop up in any litter? Or is it passed down from the parents?

Is it more typical in certain breeds? I have only been around a few brittany's but more than one has been a little nasty towards people and dogs. I assume this isn't typical. I have also heard of a setter my friend had that was great in the field but he almost left him out there more than once( if you know what I mean).

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Sharon
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Re: "regress toward mean"

Post by Sharon » Wed May 01, 2013 8:37 pm

The word "mean " has nothing to do with dog meaness when used in this way. It is talking about genetics and how there is always that drift towards the middle ( mean). Complicated subject that has to do with population size, inbreeding , line breeding etc.....

"In the law [of reversion toward the mean, or average], experiments carried on extensively have given us scientific proof of what we already guessed by observation: namely, that plants and animals all tend to revert, in successive generations, toward a given mean, or average . . In short, there is undoubtedly a pull toward the mean which keeps all living things within more or less fixed limitations."—*Luther Burbank, Partner of Nature (1939), pp. 89-99.

http://www.pathlights.com/ce_encycloped ... tm#Reduced Fitness

http://www.seppalakennels.com/articles/random-drift.htm

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RoostersMom
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Re: "regress toward mean"

Post by RoostersMom » Wed May 01, 2013 9:01 pm

Josh - you made me chuckle here. Like Sharon says, in this example, mean = average. Meaning as you breed dogs, they have a tendency to "return to average" more than a tendency to produce better dogs year after year after year.

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JoshHaker
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Re: "regress toward mean"

Post by JoshHaker » Wed May 01, 2013 9:26 pm

Ok that makes sense! I didn't think of that definition! I'm laughing now too!

"Disposition has a marginal effect on their performance in the field, but they are pets 365 days/year and we wanted dogs that were a pleasure to be around." this was a quote from the sentence before my previous quote. That is why I thought this was about disposition. It was the last sentence in the preceding chapter. Now I got it!

KCBrittfan
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Re: "regress toward mean"

Post by KCBrittfan » Wed May 01, 2013 11:42 pm

Glad you figured it out and can now laugh about it. :) I also thought I was about to read a post concerning a statistical analysis. You had me thinking I was going to have to search through a textbook and study linear regressions. :P

Sorry you've had a bad experience with a few Brittanys. They usually have the opposite reputation. However, I bet there are bad examples in every breed. The many Brittanys I've known have all been extremely friendly. :D

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Hattrick
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Re: "regress toward mean"

Post by Hattrick » Thu May 02, 2013 5:03 am

I think britts suffer from a little big mans complex. At are NAVHDA training days i've seen it over an over they are the first ones to snap, bite or get sassy for no reason. I always warn new members with puppies to avoid close contact with britts it seems puppies are on there hit list. Im sure i will take slack for saying this but its the truth at least from my limited esperence. Not saying other dogs dont act like that cus some due. Its just seems the norm from britts.

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Chukar12
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Re: "regress toward mean"

Post by Chukar12 » Thu May 02, 2013 6:26 am

I am looking for polite ways to respond to Hattrick s observation. I will just say this it is either an anomaly, ignorance or inexperience. You will not find a single study of aggression that ranks a Britt more likely to bite a person or dog before the brred in his avatar. And frankly neither breed is a major concern unless handled poorly...and the more people handling that are not learned the more likely the mean is to move. Pun intended...
and please don't take any puppy on a lead to a chain gang of unknown dogs of any breed.

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Hattrick
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Re: "regress toward mean"

Post by Hattrick » Thu May 02, 2013 1:54 pm

Chuckar
I did not intend to bash or belittle the breed just speeking from what ive wittness. It could just as easly be the handlers. I have been around a lot different breeds in many different situations. I have not wittness agression toward people but i have towards other dogs and puppies many times as i said could be the handlers. I personly like a little fire in my dogs but you have to no how to handle it.

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