Thinking of breeding...

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hayleymitch

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Can anyone advise???????????
I have seriously been thinking of breeding, i absolutly love dogs and we wanted another dog.
We have been offered a really nice 12 month old GSD bitch Pedigree, we have the facilities at home to breed, we have got a massive dog kennel and run in the garden, and have the time as we both work shifts.
Only one problem will she be funny with my other dog that is male, and would it work him staying as a house dog and her staying in the kennel outside, only because she has always been kept outside and from working parents, and dont really want my house over run will 2 massive dogs.
I know i will feel tight though and have to let her in she will be on my bed prob within a week.
What do you think?
Am i being mad ?
 
I think firstly if you dont want your house over run with 2 big dogs then how will u cope if say 2 pups have to be returned at 12 months old u will then have 4 dogs in the house, as a responsible breeder this should be part of your agreement when selling your puppies that they are to be returned to u if the need should arise, otherwise they could end up in rescues which really is not fair when profit has been made for them at some time or another.
It very hard work breeding esp if u have little or no experience, health tests for both breeding dogs for a starter or expensive, and putting atleast a £1200 contingency to one side as this is the average cost of a large breed cesarean should the bitch have trouble wheling.

I would say unless u are passionate about the breed and/or showing, and have the room to take any back should they require to be returned, or room for those that may not sell... then it's not such a good idea there are thousands of pedigree dogs packing the rescue centers at the moment.
 
I have got loads of experience with dogs but training more than breeding, but you have got to start somewhere.
I was only thinking of getting her as i was thinking of getting another dog anyway.
And thought it would be nice to get a litter of pups off her, i dont think i worded my first post correctly sorry.
Thanks 4 your advise, but i will get plenty of help and wont take it lightly.
As for the room i would have them back like a shot till i found quality and caring homes from them.
I wouldnt let them go to rescue centres thats not me i would have 10 dogs before that happened, and as i said i have got a massive 3 dog kennel and run in my garden that isnt Used apart from being a shed at the minute.
Thanks 4 your advise
 
We bred a litter from our English Springer a couple of years back, it wasn't done lightly, she had good breeding, and so did the stud dog, and they are both very good working dogs. The pups were born with no complications, and all found good homes, we still know where 6 of the 8 are, simply because we have a pet food franchise, and those pups are still on they same make of food! Only one was slow to sell, I think she was about 12 weeks when she went, which wasn't a problem, she just lived with her mother and the two dogs in the utility room.

I have to say, whilst my OH would like to do it again, it cemented in me what I'd suspected - I don't like young animals, give me the grown ups anyday. People say that puppies smell so gorgeous, no they really don't they smell of p**s and s**t and mushed up puppy food!

I do know of a person who bred a big litter of Labs, well bred, but they didn't sell. I think the last one went at about six months. The breeder found it incredibly hard to have all these boisterous dogs around, and became quite depressed - and skint, puppy food is not cheap.

Think it through, if you have ten pups, and they don't sell, what will you do?
 
I had a phone call today to ask if I could board 5 labs as the breeder needs a holiday and these are the 4 she could not sell they are 9 months old and the mother...she said she is being driven to despair and needs a break...it's a lot harder to secure good responsible homes for the bigger breeds and these are the ones that come inot out rescue at round about the 9 months mark
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I think you also have to think...if they are kept in home environments and they are returned...they are going to bark/howl the place down if placed in a kennel.

Im sure others will give u some good advice 2..there has been a few breeding posts recently.
 
I think you have to question your motives for breeding here. You say you don't want two big dogs in the house so presumably you aren't thinking of keeping one of the pups as well anyway?
I am not having a go at all, just having been through it recently I don't think you can have any idea of what to expect and how hard it is!
I got slated on the dog breeding forum for being irresponsible in breeding my GWP, I still don't think I was irresponsible but a lot of the stuff that was said was true.
If you take into account your hourly rate for care of both the bitch and the pups along with all other costs, the return in monetary terms is not so attractive. We didn't breed our bitch for making money, we will be keeping at least one maybe 2 pups.
They are just 5 weeks and we have all but 2 reserved now and still getting enquiries so I am relieved. I would be worried sick to hear of people who still have pups at 9 months old and as the GSD is a popular breed there will be plenty of pups about. Our breed is still relatively rare in this country.

I think if our bitch had had 6-8 pups it wouldn't have been so difficult. She had 12 and though they are all thriving we had many sleepless nights at the beginning.
I was told I would need to be at home the whole time, I didn't believe that and I have gone back to work because my employer wouldn't give me 2 months plus off. It has been really difficult as the pups really can't be left more than about 4 or 5 hours once they are weaned. My husband and I have managed to split our working hours so they haven't been left but as we both work 40 minutes away from home it hasn't been an easy task.
Even before they were weaned and Mum was still getting in with them, it was hard because there was always the fear that something would go wrong while you weren't there.
Our vets bill without any complications will be around £750 (we had them docked and they will be microchipped and vaccinated), the food bill is rising daily as they grow, we are using a £40 sack of Eukanuba in a week and puppy milk is £20 a tub as well as fresh chicken, mince, eggs etc. You can get cheaper food but I wanted to give our pups and their Mum the best possible start in life.

Sorry if I've rambled on, like I did you may choose to go ahead with your breeding plans. But forewarned is forearmed at least! I don't think it is something I would contemplate doing again, at least not if I am working.
All the best to you.
 
As I've said before on a number of these posts, it is expensive, can be heartbreaking and certainly not entered into lightly.
It is so much more than sticking a dog and a bitch together, there are so many numpties out there, GSDs can be difficult to own (you may get returned pups) and there are hereditary problems you will need to look out and screen for.
Have her hips been done?

We have breeding quality sheps and have no intention of breeding them for the foreseeable.
We have not bred a litter since the mid/late 80s because in our opinion, there is just no need for us to contribute to the number of GSDs already out there - they aren't going to die out anytime soon and there are tonnes of good breeders out there already, as well of tonnes of not-so-good ones.

But get the bitch and enjoy her, you don't have to breed her.
 
I don't know your kennelclub rules, but in Sweden bitches of allmost all breeds, have to be two years of age before beeing used in breeding. SKK have a hole list of demands on respective breeds that has to be fulfilled, then the special breedclub for your breed may have some extra recomendations that they prefer their breeders to follow.

And a good pedigree is a good start, but no guarantee.
I've had three purebreed bitches before the one I have now, I've allways bought my dogs (except the DobermannX) with the thought that if they where good enough I would like to breed them, two became Swedish champions but either there was something with their hip or their temperament that wasn't good enough.

Today with my fifht bitch I finally got one good enough, and the result is sleeping under my sofa as I type this, five weeks old tomorrow. Maybe you'll be lucky and your first bitch will be good enough, but are you really willing to put down all the time and money it will cost during the following year to prove that she is of breedingquality?
With a working-pedigree she needs to prove here quality as a working dog, do you have the time and interest it takes to own a working dog? You say you've trained dogs, but that could imply a lot of things that doesn't need to signify a working dogowner. Because after all, a puppybuyer looking for a working GSD, isn't looking for a dog with parents with working-pedigree that can't work or hasn't got'n the chance to prove they can.

I wish you good luck, but hearing strange crunching sounds from under the sofa I have to go now!!
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not another one, pardon the rudeness but what is with some people, dog breeding is SERIOUS!!!!!!!!!! not a game so just becasue one has a garden, kennel, pedigree bitch, one cannot simply breed, my family has over 60 years or breeding experience and are top producers, we put in alot of time, work and money to produce top show dogs BUT we only sell as to pet homes, full contracts etc so we are the only ones that can breed from our lines etc as there are far too many dogs out there already without homes etc so why make more!!!??!?!
 
HH, I wish there were more people like you in the world
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This is an issue that upsets me. Sadly, my sister wants to breed from her not so brilliant example of a Blue Staff......because they can fetch alot of money.
I have been trying to make her realise that this is not a good thing to do.....any advice?

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thanks 4 all your advise, oh sorry top horse for posting who said i wasnt serious bloody hell, is it only your parents that can breed dogs and people with 60 yrs experience.
thanks everyone else for your good advise and i have took in what everyone has said cheers .
 
[ QUOTE ]
HH, I wish there were more people like you in the world
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This is an issue that upsets me. Sadly, my sister wants to breed from her not so brilliant example of a Blue Staff......because they can fetch alot of money.
I have been trying to make her realise that this is not a good thing to do.....any advice?

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Oh dear another money maker....tell her to put over £1000 away for an complictionas as staffs have a high cesarean rate due to their big heads, and that no matter the colour, could she take them back when problems arise, if people can hand over a £1000 worth of dog into our rescue because they cannot cope then red, blue or yellow they will hand them to rescue or get passed around if problems arise.

we have had over 12 calls this weeks requesting us to take staffis
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they are the most popular breed packing the rescues.
good luck talking her out of it
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If I were you I wouldn't do it, fair play everyone needs to start somewhere but then everyone should have a valid reason for breeding - show lines/working lines and above all conform to their standards, have excellent temperaments and make fabulous pets.

You have to be prepared for the worse, you may not be able to sell that litter of 10 that your GSD has had. Yes they're a popular breed but you want them going into the right homes for the right reasons.

There's the case of emergencies too, are you prepared for the £1000+ vets bills because your bitch needed a c-sec? I nearly lost Mouse and did lose a puppy when she had to undergo a c-sec to deliver the last pup. Her bill was near enough £600 - she's only a Jack Russell so it'll be much higher for something like a GSD.

It's up to you at the end of the day. Good luck what ever you decide though
 
Noone looking at the numbers on Dogpages or the specialist GSD rescues can really want to breed any more without there being a very good reason. They are such intelligent loving dogs and they really suffer in kennels. And Staffs, dont go there, I think there should be a ban on breeding them at all for a year or two, rescues are sometimes 60-70% full of the single breed, and they arent peoples first choice, partly because of the media 'devil dog' scare stories.

I dont think wanting a single replacement for your pet is a good enough reason to breed, however nice the bitch. Thats probably not what you want to hear though, and its your choice, but please dont do it before you have good homes lined up for every puppy. Good breeders of in demand breeds of dogs have a waiting list, thats the way it should be.
 
Thanks for your advise guys i have seriously thought about it, and you will be pleased to know, i am going to get her and give her a good home.
But i am not going to let her have babies, she can just be a mummy to my other doggie.
Cheers guys
 
Well done Big Bud, great decision,you will give a good home to dog without adding to the huge numbers already in rescue!I feel strongly that there should be a 12 month blanket ban on dog breeding of ALL BREEDS in this country.I am a vet nurse and until you have had to hold a beautiful,perfectly healthy young dog in your arms as it is killed due to the rescues being full/the dog being unclaimed/temperament problems due to irresponsible breeding etc you have no idea what state this countrys' unwanted animals are in.The credit crunch is only going to make things worse for them.I have a house full of dogs I couldn't bear to watch being euthanised but I can't take any more now so I come home from work nearly every day broken hearted now.The problem is huge,and there is no solution unless puppies stop being churned out by irresponsible people.As for the breeders with waiting lists, at least they are knowledgeable, but why can't those people waiting go and take a poor dog from rescue instead?I know all about breed preferences/show dogs etc,but nothing justifies breeding yet more puppies when rescues are full to bursting.Humans can be so selfish. And if I never see another mare advertised as a 'broodmare due to injury' it will be too soon, there are so many ill bred,unwanted foals and youngsters around!Never mind the thousands of surplus racers that will never even see a racecourse.You can tell the state of a nation by the way it treats it's animals.....
 
[ QUOTE ]
Well done Big Bud, great decision,you will give a good home to dog without adding to the huge numbers already in rescue!I feel strongly that there should be a 12 month blanket ban on dog breeding of ALL BREEDS in this country.I am a vet nurse and until you have had to hold a beautiful,perfectly healthy young dog in your arms as it is killed due to the rescues being full/the dog being unclaimed/temperament problems due to irresponsible breeding etc you have no idea what state this countrys' unwanted animals are in.The credit crunch is only going to make things worse for them.I have a house full of dogs I couldn't bear to watch being euthanised but I can't take any more now so I come home from work nearly every day broken hearted now.The problem is huge,and there is no solution unless puppies stop being churned out by irresponsible people.As for the breeders with waiting lists, at least they are knowledgeable, but why can't those people waiting go and take a poor dog from rescue instead?I know all about breed preferences/show dogs etc,but nothing justifies breeding yet more puppies when rescues are full to bursting.Humans can be so selfish. And if I never see another mare advertised as a 'broodmare due to injury' it will be too soon, there are so many ill bred,unwanted foals and youngsters around!Never mind the thousands of surplus racers that will never even see a racecourse.You can tell the state of a nation by the way it treats it's animals.....

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Well said, we don't need any more unwanted dogs in the country nor any other unwanted animal because we all know what happens to them and it is not pretty!
 
We have just bred our bitch after my partner pressured me into it, saying she needed to have a litter to mature her before she was spayed, after many rows, I gave in and just thought get it over with and then I can have her spayed.

Anyway the pups are 6 weeks old now, all healthy apart from one is blind, very expensive, vets, worming, scans, hip scores, kc registration, feeding, oh I could go on.....

Heartbreaking now its time for the pusp to go, I want to keep two, one being the blind one, thats causing rows, as then we will have 3 dogs, I wished I had put my foot down at the start.

There are enough dogs in the world without us all adding to it.
 
Really sorry to hear of your experience, but sadly so many people find that breeding a litter isn't such a money making venture. And of course it is so unnecessary for a bitch to have a litter before she is spayed. Sounds like you have done everything right with your litter, how sad that you have a blind pup. If you are unable to keep it yourself Ihope you will be able to find it that one in a million home that it needs, a blind dog is quite a challenge.
I may seem a bit hypocritical advising people not to breed when I have just had a new puppy, but this is a very carefully bred litter which goes back several generations to my own line. I could not have got what I wanted in this instance with a rescue dog, although in different circumstances would consider one. At some time in the future I will hopefully breed from this little girl (as long as she is a good enough representative of the breed, hips scores are good etc) but this will be mainly to keep the line going, and I confident I will have potential purchasers before she is even mated.
big-bud, would love to see some pics of your new girl, how is she bred?
 
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