Advice please - Breeding from our Shitzu

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Helbert

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Hi
My OH's Mum has the most wonderful Shitzu dog (see profile picture).We look after him all the time, and we completely adore him.
I've always had labs, but now I want him because the horses love him and we have a real giggle together. Obviously I can't have him (short of killing off the Mothering Law) so we are thinking of breeding from him as my sister wants one, as does a few of our friends. Shitzu's seem to be awesome dogs and actually great at the yard.
Now I have never bred dogs, and I don't really know where to start... I understand that if you have a well-bred dog (ours has all the papers and is KC reg) you can take them to a breeding bitch, let them do the deed (as they say) and then our payment will be getting the pick of the litter.... and the bitches owner gets all the hassle and obviously payment for any they sell. Is this about right???

Mucho advice needed, like I said never done this before, only ever purchased well-bred labs from a friend who is registerd KC breeder, so she has always held my hand. Feel a bit lost with the Shitzu world.

Our dog is just turned 2, a little large for a dog (but apparently that is because we never got him chopped and he does a lot of exercise). Every week someone stops us in the street and asks if we bred from him, he is very handsome and (touch-wood) incredibly healthy.

All help and advice welcome!

(And before someone tells me off for cutting his long hair so short, he is at the stables and in the woods all the time, he has a particualr liking to the muck heap and I just can't bath him daily. Plus he seems to prefer it.)
 
Someone with a quality bitch has the choice of any champion, fully health tested, proven dog for less than the cost of a puppy so why would they want to use your pet quality male?

Cuteness is not reason to breed and please at least try to spell the breed correctly.
 
I would advise against this course of action for the following reasons:

A good breeder will not just let any dog rock up and mate with one of their bitches, KC registered or not. They will want to breed excellent specimens only, with show / working potential. Therefore they will want to use proven show or working dogs only. They will plan for their litters carefully, not just let anyone turn up and use their bitch as a incubator.

There will most likely be several pups in the litter, what will happen to them? Toy dogs are already ending up in rescue because people get them for their handbags then can't cope - and the type of breeder willing to offer this kind of deal to you is unlikely to be all that bothered about where the other pups end up.

There is no guarantee that a pup would have the sire's characteristics anyway.

Like I said, there are lots of small dogs ending up in rescue, so I'm sure you will be able to find what you're looking for without adding to the problem that we have in this country, with too many puppies being bred for too few good homes, and give a lovely little dog a second chance in life:)

ETA the Dogs Trust has 150 small dogs in rescue right now, like this little guy:
http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/mowgli1059897.aspx

This little man:
http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/milo1050909.aspx

Or Lottie the Shih Tzu (apologies if the breed is mispelt!)
http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/lottie1052277.aspx
 
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could not say better than 2 posts above, other than if I have £1 for everytime I was stopped and asked if someone could breed from one of my dogs/a rescue I have in/ a boarder I have in, I would be rich, some folk will breed from anything that has the organs to do so:rolleyes: and most don't know one end of a dog from the other.
 
We might in the future breed from our Lancashire Heeler bitch, but that will only be if she has a successful show career and is fully health tested. The Stud dog we choose will also have to have the same criteria, if she dosnt come up to our expectations she will be spayed and as she is a pet she will be going nowhere.


I agree with s4sugar, the only people who are going to be interested in your dog as a stud are backstreet breeders, would you be happy for your dogs puppies to be sold to god knows who and possibley bred on again breeding substandard dogs with no health testing.

Why dont you go back to your m-i-l dog breeder and see if you can get a full brother or sister from the same mating.
 
Apart from all that has already been said, breeding him can change his temperament, dogs that have been used can start defending their territory or they may start wandering to find a bitch. It's not as easy as just putting a bitch and dog in the same room, your dog can be injured if the bitch panics, you will have to know how to hold them both and maybe help him. Also, are his KC papers endorsed by his breeders? Have you spoken to his breeder to see if they think he is a suitable stud? Also, any puppies may not turn out like him, I'm saying this from 1st hand experience, my bitch is lovely, friendly with all people and other dogs, very intelligent, picks things up really quickly, competes at agility (came 4th at Crufts this year), very pretty (I'm always getting comments), so after having all the health tests I bred a litter from her and kept a bitch, she's got her mothers lovely temperament and she's also very pretty, but that's where the similarity ends, she's not the brightest bulb and it's taking her ages to learn agility, I'm sure we'll get there, but it's not easy.

I'm with everyone else, if you think he's such a great dog go back to his breeder to buy a puppy related to him.
 
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Sorry if we seem to be raining (rather hard!) on your parade, but most of the guys above are involved/help with rescue and the situation is just desperate right now. There are some of these dogs already in rescues. I also googled and found the following

http://www.southernshihtzurescue.org.uk/index.htm

and would try them as a first port of call. This way you are offering a wonderful new life to a dog, that for whatever reason is now looking for a home.

And as for people stopping you in the street - I get that with mine - who are all staffies (rescue, neutered) but the dog is very very pretty. I do point them back to the rescues but the immediate reaction is always "oh can you breed from him?"
 
Helbert, I had a Border Terrier who was a delightful dog, after he died, I missed him so much and hated the house without him. After some months I contacted his breeder to enquire about any puppies. She had a litter due imminently and I eagerly reserved any males. I now have Bertie, who is just as delightful as Sonny, but an entirely different personality. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you can breed from your dog and add to the already excessive population of dogs with no guarantee that he will replicate your current dog. Contact the breeder, there are enough wonderful dogs in this world looking for loving homes.
 
Lucio7 your link was lovely and so sad it moved me to tears, I had no idea so many were in rescue, if I wanted this breed I would be contacting this rescue site.

All my Dobermanns are rescue and have been/are wonderful dogs,all very different in temperments and yes they have /are often admired in the street and even If I could I would never breed from them.
 
I won't comment on the breeding bit as it's all been said! I have a puppy from a small rescue and its the best thing I've ever done, we're always getting offered quite large sums of money for her and commenting on her looks. I, myself thinks shes lovely and in a hypothetical world would love Lola puppies!! but then, I think of how she ended up where she is now and it makes me think more than twice!! there are so many fantastic doggies of all shapes and sizes in rescue that would love new homes, please dont add to the already stretched resources x

eta - Id also be scared of where the puppies may end up. The lady Lola came from has had phonecalls wanting puppies dead or alive! and asking for runts :(
 
I have a puppy, a very well bred puppy, I decided to seek an opinion from an expert as to what he thought of my puppy. If he had said he was a lovely pet quality dog then i would have neutered him and loved him dearly as a pet. As it was the expert has said my pup is show quality and has the potential to go far. So in order to retain his testicles my pup has to prove himself as a show dog. If at any time the decision is made that he is not as good as he should be then he will be neutered. If i do decide to breed from him that will only be based on his success, his copper tox and the suitablity and compatibility of the bitch. I love my pup, he is first and foremost my pet, and I hate this view that just because a dog has a womb/balls then they should be bred from. A neutered dog is no less happy than an entire dog, in fact often they are happier as no hormones to drive them demented, There are hundreds and thousands of dogs out there who deserve a second chance. I have had rescue dogs and loved them, breeding is an inexact science, you may well breed a lovely dog, but you may actually breed something poor. Why not as some have suggested go back to the breeder and see what they have.
 
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