PennHIP demystified
A fellow GSP breeder asked:
"A male that I am considering for a future breeding has PennHIP [University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program] scores of .32 LH and .36 RH. I was under the impression that anything .30 and under was ideal. My girl has OFA good hips so I'm wondering if I shouldn't use this particular male."
Any Distraction Index of .30 or less is ideal. There is as near zero lifetime chance of developing HD as one can get. However, that doesn't mean your potential stud's hips aren't very good. We're talking about a 1% to 2% lifetime chance of his developing degenerative joint disease. So if he's an exceptional boy, I see no reason to not use him. Here's a chart http://www.pennhip.org/djdprobability.html. GSP's aren't there, but I figure they are built more like the retrievers than the GSD's. At .30 - some chance. At .40 - 2% chance. At .50 - 10% chance. Depending on the breed, only 10% chance of developing problems could be considered very good.
According to Dr. Amanda, OFA has limited value. Her practice does not offer PennHIP (yet), but does re-screen OFA before each breeding takes place. They have seen a few dogs go from OFA good (twice) to OFA poor, having produced litters.
I bred Dove with .19/.22 to Tango with .35/.35 and the hips of the offspring that have been scored are in the .25 to .30 range. I'd have your bitch screened PennHIP. If her hips are in the .25 range, I'd say you have an excellent chance of throwing a litter all under .30.
It's a complicated topic and puppy buyers with a limited understanding might shy away. What I would do is advertise that I am breeding an ideal bitch to an excellent dog. I actually had one potential buyer who was nervous that my Luke x Dove cross would produce hips that were "too tight." Like they'd squeak when they walk. So you have folks who won't buy if either parent is over .30, and others who won't buy if they are both under .30.
Think of .30 as a 204 (highest possible) score at the Invitational. .36 is still passing and would get you a "VC in hips."
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