May be it is much too late to write and think about a thing like this, 
because it is well known: many great breeders in history spend their lifetime developing 
their "breederseye". But in Dutch there is a saying that says:" better late than never". 
So that is why I bother myself with this tricky subject. 
"Breederseye" what is it and does it really exists?
Well, it is hard to give a full description, but the existing is there, without any doubt.
It has to do with patience, experience, looking extremely well, writing down, learning your 
whole life, asking about breeding stuff your whole life and it is "getting to know it".
Lucky man that I am I have a videotape of a conversation with a very good breeder, 
when he is trying to explain it, without knowing of the question. 
It is really a kind of feeling you get by experience and by dreaming about it.
 
Just read: 
"I think I can see a lot. But I also know, I know nothing. 
But I have such a big confidence in my skills that when I buy a breeding animal or when 
I do a certain kind of combination I know it's okay.
Well than I'm probably wrong many times, but I'm also right many times!
And that is the difference with many people or colleague's: they are wrong many times and 
they are right sometimes."

A better and simpler explanation of the phenomenon "breederseye" 
I never have heard.The truth is that this intuition isn't without failures, but it gives 
you an enormous lead to the others. It is an obtained quality and between masters there 
can be a big difference in knowledge and quality in vision, but all of them, they are 
learning each day.We modern people are lucky people. We can use computers, databases, 
and videos and photos, so we can keep and rearrange al kinds of information. 
Not talking about modern DNA techniques that are used nowadays. 
Most of the historical "big breeders" had to do without these modern things.

Charles Darwin had his opinion on breedingskills and he wrote some 
lines about it:
"Not one man in a thousand has the accuracy of eye and judgement sufficient, 
to become an eminent breeder. If gifted with this qualities, and he studies his subject 
for years and devotes his lifetime to it, with indomitable perseverance, 
he will succeed and make many great improvements; if he wants (lacks) any of these 
qualities, he will assuredly fail. Few would readily believe in the natural capacity and 
years of practice requisite to become a skilful Laeken breeder"

Okay ……. He didn't mention the Laeken, but the rest is an original 
quotation. And we know it also counts for Laekenoisbreeding.

Apart from the breeder there is the system of breeding
Many lines have been written on that subject.
Breeding in and crossing out, family breeding, etc.etc. 
The system can be a great help in getting somewhere. But for the common dogbreeder it 
doesn't matter very much I think.
Nowadays we know that every system gives a lot of individuals that won't be good enough. 
So the "breederseye" that recognises the best dog for breeding and the best dogs for 
selling is the most important instrument in my opinion.
Of course there is a lot of knowledge in genetics that can help and spare a lifetime of 
breeding experience. 
When you know these things it will be easier and it will go much faster. 

There is a nice story about an expert in breeding, coming out of 
the Horseworld: On an auction of young horses in Kentucky 1982, a certain Mike Sangster 
bought one for the amount of f 11.000.000, -. (Dutch guilders) There was nothing on this 
young horse that wasn't examined genetically and veterinary by computers and so. 
When the examination was done and all potential qualities were taxed and made visible, 
an old man was asked to give his opinion and make the final decision.
The eighty-year-old Irish Vincent O'Brian from Ballydoyle. 
Maybe he never went to school, but…… he had been the trainer of "Sir Ivor" and "Nijinsky", 
offspring from Italian horses from Tesio. This man was the master of his time in knowing 
about horses and because his opinion about the young horse was positive, the deal went on.

Beautiful isn't it.

We ordinary people will never be as good as Vincent O'Brian. 
But maybe we can go on like we are doing now and use the Laekenzine to make a kind 
of virtual O'Brian for the Laeken Shepherd,  

That would be nice.

As always,
Ton v.d.Walle, your humble reporter.