Join Us! 2026 Nuggets of Wisdom – “Pedigrees to Pups”
Join Dr. Marty Greer and Laura Reeves at Harmony Ridge Lodge in Grass Valley, CA, for an advanced, hands-on retreat built for preservation breeders. This is Pedigrees to Pups, Advanced — bringing together the ART and SCIENCE of building a lasting line in ONE place.
Day One covers mission statements, defining your line in the sand, health testing, advanced breeding theory, and planning a lasting line. Day Two, the science with Dr. Marty Greer — gene pools and diversity, canine reproduction, and neonatal care. Capped at 40 and sponsored by Sirius Canine Fertility.
Cost: See options below.
+ $100 • Meals package
Limited to 40
(meals: dinner Fri + Sat, lunch Sat + Sun)
Location
Harmony Ridge Lodge
Grass Valley, California
Set in the Sierra foothills near Nevada City and Grass Valley, Harmony Ridge Lodge is the intimate home base for this advanced preservation-breeder retreat. Rooms are blocked for our group, each sleeping several so you can share with friends, and the lodge hosts our Saturday After Dark gathering on site. With the seminar capped at 40, the setting keeps the weekend close-knit and hands-on.
Address
Harmony Ridge Lodge
18883 State Highway 20, Nevada City, CA 95959
(530) 478-0615
Lodging Rooms are blocked for our group at $140–$180 each. Book by phone or email only at stay@harmonyridgelodge.com. Booking codeNuggets of Wisdom
The art and science of a lasting line.
Two days, built for preservation breeders. Day One pairs the art of building a line — mission, line in the sand, breeding theory and planning — with a health-testing deep dive. Day Two turns to the science with Dr. Marty Greer: gene pools and diversity, canine reproduction, and neonatal care. Historical husbandry and 21st-century science in one place.
◆ 6:00 PM
Welcome Dinner at The Willo
Gather at this longtime Nevada County roadhouse to open the weekend. 16898 State Highway 49, Nevada City.
Define Your Mission Statement
Mentorship begins with self-reflection: define a clear, personal mission statement that separates short-term competitive desires from a long-term genetic legacy.
- A mission statement is highly personal. There is no single right answer.
- Distinguish immediate goals (Best in Show), personal dreams (a National Specialty from Bred-by-Exhibitor) and broader genetic ambitions (a healthier breed).
- Explore master models: temperament-first (Sue Huebner, Cordmaker Pulik), type regardless of pedigree (Doug Johnson, Clussexx) or curating a healthy canine colony (Bill Shelton).
- View the work through the lens of “one great impossible quest.”
Take-homeCome prepared to create/refine YOUR Mission Statement.
Define Your Line in the Sand
Successful programs require absolute clarity on which traits are acceptable and which are non-negotiable boundary lines.
- There is no such thing as a perfect dog, but a rigorous ethical hierarchy must weigh health, temperament, structure and working ability.
- Dr. Marty Greer’s three tiers: Level 1 minor/manageable, Level 2 chronic management, Level 3 life-altering or fatal, the issues that must be cut.
- Know when to hold hard lines and when to allow soft contours, without discarding invaluable genetic diversity.
Take-homeInteractive discussion to identify and prioritize your line in the sand.
Health Testing Deep Dive
- OFA vs PennHip
- DNA: yes, no or maybe
- Breeding around diseases with no test available
- When/if type has to take a back seat to health
◆ 12:30–1:30 PM
Lunch at the Lodge
Advanced Breeding Theory
- Pedigrees are not lists of names but complex genetic blueprints. Read, analyze and build them to maximize consistency while preserving genomic health.
- Distinguish traditional pedigree-based COI from modern genomic COI.
- Debunk paint-by-numbers breeding: COI is a probabilistic measure of duplication, and chasing low scores can fragment co-adapted genetic systems.
- Understand the tail-female line: males inherit their X exclusively from their dams, so a stud’s dam and her maternal ancestors demand scrutiny.
Take-homeCompare and contrast genotype breeding vs phenotype breeding.
Planning Ahead, Back Up Plan and Starting Over
A master breeder never plans one litter in isolation, multi-generational planning paired with the necessity of flexible course correction.
- Set your internal GPS generations ahead with stepping-stone litters, breeding for genetic building blocks needed later, not immediate ring stars.
- Map a classic stepping-stone model across Litters A, B, and C and back again.
- Navigate wrong turns: outcross washouts, unexpected dead ends, and sudden health crises.
- Drop the ego and listen when the GPS shouts “REEEEEcalculating”, the courage to cut a dog or scrap generations to protect the line.
Planning Ahead includes Creating and Utilizing a Second Bitch Line
- Putting all genetic resources into a single dam line is high-risk, build parallel bitch lines to safely introduce traits and insure against disaster.
- The Alpha line: kept consistent and linebred to preserve core virtues.
- The Beta line: a second-best sister or half-sister used to safely test outcrosses without risking the primary line.
- Learn the science of the “nick,” and treat the second line as a built-in genetic lifeboat if a Level 3 disease forces retiring the Alpha line.
◆ 6:00 PM
After Dark
On site at the lodge — dinner and drinks.
Small Gene Pools, Bottlenecks & Popular Sire Syndrome
Modern breeds often navigate a gene puddle rather than a deep reservoir, advanced strategies for reversing bottlenecks and resisting trends.
- Gene puddle solutions: reject island breeding, openly test and tell, and build international bridges for diversity.
- Bottleneck mitigation: use DNA diversity panels to choose the littermate that maximizes diversity.
- Popular sire syndrome: any sire over 100 puppies narrows diversity sharply (a UK Golden study found only 67 unique individuals among 31,000 dogs).
- Breed to the standard, not the ribbons: top-winning does not guarantee top-producing.
Hot topicOutcrossing to another breed? If/when/how.
Bitches, amiright?
- Fertility and infertility in the bitch – the diagnostic workup & treatment plan
- Progesterone “funk”
- Pyometra
- Accidental breedings
- Managing the high-risk pregnancy
- Whelping – dystocia
- Whelping – emergencies – the unplanned c-section
- Post-partum complications: normal / retained pups / retained placentas
- Metritis / mastitis / agalactia / eclampsia / aggression / SIPS / diarrhea / weight / hair loss
Stud Muffins
- Fertility and infertility in the stud dog – the diagnostic workup
- Collecting semen
- Packaging and shipping fresh semen
- Semen delivery: vaginal AI / Mavic / TCI / surgical
- Semen analysis – 6 parameters
- Frozen semen
◆ 12:30–1:30 PM
Lunch at the Lodge
Advanced Neonatal Care
- Diagnosing the sick puppy
- Treat for the treatable
- Deep dive into neonatal resuscitation
- The sick puppy
- The art of raising baby dogs
- Puppy development – neonatal period
- Puppy development – puppies not potatoes
- Puppy development – explorers
- Puppy development – into the wild blue yonder
Preservation Breeding during a Pupocalypse
- Finding homes
- Evaluating puppies
- Co-ownership / guardian homes
- What bitch to breed and when to breed her
- Contracts in the 21st century
- 24/7/365/15 Tech Support
Take-homeBring your contracts for review.
Stay at the Lodge
A block of rooms is reserved for our group at the venue itself. With only seven rooms at the lodge and the seminar capped at 40, we recommend booking early, with a nearby option if the lodge fills.
Harmony Ridge Lodge
18883 State Highway 20, Nevada City, CA
Stay right where the seminar happens. Rooms are blocked for our group at $140–$180 per night, and each sleeps several, so you can share with friends. Just seven rooms at the lodge, so book early.
How to Book
Reservations are by phone or email only. Call (530) 478-0615 or email stay@harmonyridgelodge.com, and be sure to mention the booking code:
Nuggets of WisdomOther Nearby Options
Outside Inn
outsideinn.comJoin us in the Sierra foothills.
An advanced, hands-on retreat for preservation breeders. Choose the seminar on its own, or add the meals package for the full weekend. Limited to 40.
◆ Patron Rate
$187.50$250
Full seminar, 25% off for active Pure Dog Talk Patrons only. Saturday + Sunday.
Standard Rate
$250
Full seminar, both days. Saturday + Sunday. Open to everyone.
◆ Add Meals
+$100
All four meals: dinner Friday + Saturday, lunch Saturday + Sunday.
Not a Patron? Please select the Standard Rate. The 25% discount is reserved for active Pure Dog Talk Patrons. Any registration placed at the patron rate without an active membership will be adjusted to the standard rate, with the balance due before the place is confirmed. Want the discount? Become a Patron.
Adding meals? You’ll choose your Friday welcome-dinner entrée during registration: steak, halibut, or chicken.
Nuggets of Wisdom Registration
Secure your place at the 2026 Nuggets of Wisdom retreat, capped at 40 breeders. The patron rate is for active Pure Dog Talk Patrons only; everyone else, please select the standard rate.
Secure payment via Stripe. Your place is reserved upon successful payment.
Questions about the retreat.
Everything you need to know before November 20–22 in the Sierra foothills. Don’t see your question? Reach out, we’d rather talk it through than have you wonder.
What is the cost of attending?
- $250 · Full seminar (Saturday + Sunday)
- 25% off for Pure Dog Talk Patrons ($187.50)
- +$100 · Optional meals package (all four meals: dinner Friday + Saturday, lunch Saturday + Sunday)
Do I need to register in advance?
Yes, please register in advance to secure your place. The retreat is limited to 40 attendees.
Is there a presale or early-access code?
Yes. Sirius Canine Fertility clients and local kennel club members get early access to register before public registration opens on July 6. Sirius will share the details with their clients and the club directly.
If I add the meals package, how does the Friday dinner work?
The $100 meals package covers all four meals across the weekend. When you register with meals, you’ll choose your entrée for the Friday welcome dinner: steak, halibut, or chicken.
Who should attend this retreat?
This is an advanced, hands-on retreat built for preservation breeders. Both aspiring and experienced breed guardians will come away with new frameworks for building a lasting, healthy line, bridging the art of historical husbandry with modern canine genetics.
Where will the retreat be held?
The retreat takes place at Harmony Ridge Lodge, 18883 State Highway 20, Nevada City, CA 95959, in the Grass Valley area of the Sierra foothills.
Where should I stay?
A block of rooms is reserved for our group at the lodge ($140–$180/night, each sleeps several). Book by phone or email only at stay@harmonyridgelodge.com using the code Nuggets of Wisdom. The lodge has just seven rooms, so book early. A nearby option is the Outside Inn in Nevada City.
What does the weekend look like?
The retreat runs November 20–22, 2026:
- Friday, Nov 20: Welcome dinner at 6:00 PM at The Willo
- Saturday, Nov 21: Day One — mission statements, defining your line in the sand, health testing, advanced breeding theory, and planning a lasting line, followed by After Dark at 6:00 PM on site at the lodge
- Sunday, Nov 22: Day Two with Dr. Marty Greer — gene pools and diversity, canine reproduction (the bitch and the stud), advanced neonatal care, and preservation breeding through a “pupocalypse”
Full session times and the detailed agenda are listed in the schedule above.
Still have questions?
We’re happy to help. Reach out at team@puredogtalk.com and we’ll get you what you need.