True breeding

In the the hobby of animal fancy and in the professions and trades associated with animal husbandry, true breeding (usually used in the infinitive, to breed true) is the most important indicator of when a selectively bred group of animals have become a breed.

The offspring of animals that breed true can be guaranteed to have consistently replicable qualities. The young will look like the breed the parents are from, not like any of the ancestral breeds used in this breed's development.

Related topics

• Breed registry
• Cat breeding
• Dog breeding
• Mixed-breed dog
• Purebred
• Selective breeding