About this episode
What separates a good breeder from a great one? In this episode, Kathy Rust of Kizmar Vizslas (South Dakota AKC Vizsla Breeder) shares how she built one of the most respected Vizsla bloodlines in the breed. It was not by chance, but through strategy, relentless research, and wise decisions - and using tail-male breeding theory. You will hear Kathy’s hard-won lessons on selecting foundation dogs, handling health setbacks, and establishing the mindset every new breeder needs to succeed. You will also learn about creating a tail-male bloodline to forming the breeder circles that enabled Kathy’s tremendous success, this conversation will challenge, inspire, and sharpen your vision for what successful purebred breeding will look like in the future. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:47 Meet Kathy Rust 02:14 Early exposure to dogs and breeding 05:09 Figure skating & competitive breeding mindset 06:38 First Vizsla and her early journey in the breed 08:21 Deep-dive research and pedigree analysis 11:19 Exploring form and function 13:14 Starting the Kizmar bloodline 15:31 Type-to-type breeding 18:09 The Lloyd Brackett breeding method 20:09 Selecting puppies to move forward with 22:50 The most notable Kizmar dogs 26:39 Building a consistent tail-male line 28:44 Theories behind a tail-male line 35:00 The biggest challenge Kizmar faced and overcame 38:41 Advice for unexpected health issues 44:09 Her relationships with puppy owners 46:36 What are breeder circles? 51:49 Defining your breeder identity and mission 54:07 The future of purebred dogs 56:30 Kathy’s message to new breeders 57:37 How Kizmar will be remembered in breed history 58:48 How to learn more about Kizmar #BetterBreederChronicles #KathyRust #KizmarVizslas #Vizsla #VizslaDogs #VizslaBreeder #DogBreeding #PurebredDogs #AKCVizsla #VizslaPuppies #VizslaLovers #PreservationBreeder #ConservationBreeder #AKCdogshows