Breeding

[paul69]

Hey everyone,

Have not been on for a while, but my Macy is doing very well and is nearly 2.

I am to to advise that me and my wife are looking at breeding Macy soon, and wanted to know if anyone had a good, healthy, male Westie that they are aware of or had that could maybe be my Macy's boyfriend for a short while.

Sorry for the ignorance, I am new to the whole breeding thing, and any advise would be more than welcome.

Hopefully speak soon.
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thedandydon1903

Luigi follow only the Ferrari!!!!

[kendal]

hey

glad the wee girl is doing well. can i ask why you want to breed from her, will it be just the once.

have you looked in to and done any health checks that are specific to westies.
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microchiping and grooming www.chipnclip.co.uk

[Lorna]

Could I suggest if you seriously intend to breed, that you read the advice on the Kennel Club website?
Your dog will need to undergo health checks, some specifically for her breed if you want to register her puppies. Kc registered breeders must meet certain requirements.
Your breeder from whom you get her as a puppy should also be able to give you advice.
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Regards,
Lorna, Basil & Poppy
Great Danes are not substitute children. They are much more important than that!

[shirley c]

All I can say is.......dont do it!!!!!!!!..........imagine having 9 lurcher puppies wrecking your house....fun but very, very hard work and I wouldn't do it again

Westies are a lot smaller than lurchers but it is still a lot of hard work and expensive, Macy will need a special breeders dog food with plenty of things in it that she will need vitamin wise and Im not sure you can get these at pets at home you would need to order it from a pet shop.
You will need good relations with your vet and let them know when she is due in case you need to call the emergency no...our vets are great and Allan called them during it at one point as he was worried about the time between pups, they advised him over the phone and kept him right
Once the pups are born and starting to eat you need to buy....on now I have forgot what its called .......... but its bloomin expensive to keep 9 pups on it at the start of weaning
There is other stuff but cant remember at the moment.

I def. would not do it again
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lurchers Pixel and Zev and whippet, Fen
3 cats, Greebo, Yu and Lexx - 2 ferrets and Dales pony Jazz and adopted pony, April

[Jack]

Lorna beat me to it. KC website is a must, especially if you're new to it.

Given the HUGE amount of unwanted dogs in shelters I would urge caution from that standpoint too unless you have loving and forever homes already lined up for the pups.
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Staffies are my life! Visit us at www.staffies.co.uk

[Louise13]

Does your bitch have endorsements on her pedigree?? if so these need to be lifted by her breeder before breeding..

You need to have her tested for breed specific problems..(Stud dog should also have had these tests)
You need to research her lines and the intended sire's lines to make sure they are compatible
You need to make sure you have the resources and the space to keep 5 or 6 puppies for not only 8 wks but for life..as if a new owner can't cope it is your DUTY to take back those pups..
You need to be prepared to lose your bitch due to pregnancy complications or caesarian complications
You need to know everything there is to know about a whelping bitch BEFORE mating her, could you help her in the middle of the night should she whelp and a vet can't get to you?
Ideally you should have shown her against dogs of her own breed to prove she is a good example of her breed by breed specialists..

Breeding is not for the feint hearted and should not be gone into because "my dog is great with kids so I want a pup from her" or "I can make £250 a pup, so why not" or "dogs are supposed to have pups" etc etc..

Breeding should only be done by the people who KNOW what they are doing or have the backup of excellent mentors/breeders behind them..and only the best of dogs should be bred from..
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[kerry]

personally i think if you have done all the checks( some breeds need very little), vet the male dog, thought about it seriosluy , breeding for the right reasons ( which are different to everyone) and have a few homes lined up then why not. Breeding shouldnt be restricted to only a select few, everyone has the right to enter it, i hate the attitude of dont breed there are so many dogs in homes, that may be true, but as long as you are doing everything to hopefully avoid adding to that then you are doing nothing wrong. After all if you say only experienced breeders should breed, well we may as well say good bye to the millions of mixed breeds I understand everyone has mixed feelings on this, and this is only mine.
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We are forever responsible for what we have tamed

[steve young]

Just curious as to what people would think are the right reasons to breed their dog/bitch?

I would have thought 95% of people do it to make money, or if you love your dog and want another (or 6) 'just like her' then maybe that's another
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Steve Young
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Dogs: Sasha (10 yr Lurcher, male) and Mylo (1 yr Shepweiler, male)
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[Suzanne H]

Our dogs are KC registered, but any offspring would not be - it's in their papers. I wouldn't breed from them because I love the breed and don't feel I know enough to be able to protect the breed. Best left in the hands of experts I reckon.

I personally would not buy a pedigree dog that wasn't KC registered and had not had all the necessary health certificates for that breed - in our case hips and eyes. Good breeding is no guarantee of a healthy dog of course, but I do think it is a measure of quality and gives an indication as to how healthy they are likely to be and their temperament.

Certainly mine are textbook and that made them a lot easier to train and handle and much more predictable.

Saying that, I do think there is a lot of snobbery about it. Our breeder would have been classified as back street and has had to battle the system to be recognised, but she shows hers and now has access to some quality dogs.

[kerry]

i think a lot of people are out to make what they see is quick money, but i feel you get the misguided ones that think their dog is such a good well behaved dog that they will have young the same.
I feel its different if you are dealing with Kc dogs, or just a mixed breed i feel with regards to novice breeding. For us, if we breed ours the right reasons would be to own 1 or 2 of their pups only if the parents proved themselves to be good running dogs or did well in the show ring,( maybe one day i would like to do that:) ). I guess everyone has different views on the right reasons. To have thier young be kc registered we have to prove to the breeders that say Koda was worthy, had his checks, and was being shown or ran in a team. I think that is fair , as you will then have the support from a knowledgeable breeder that way. However that been said, Koda is Kc but he has his flaws that would make him an unsuitable stud dog, so by no means is Kc an indication of good exapmle of the breed. I wouldnt register with the Kc even if we had a litter now after seeing the show about pedigree dogs, i think there is worse problems out there than novice breeders getting it wrong.
i do think there is far to much snobbery in the breeding ring, and that may be for a good reason, but who are they to decide who enters that world, some people want guidance and help and all they get is , dont do it..
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We are forever responsible for what we have tamed

[Lorna]

I must be honest. I am a volunteer with Scottish Great Dane Rescue. Therefore my views will reflect my experience here.

Perpetuating health problems of a particular breed is to be avoided. The extensive health checks on both prospective parents and checking their history are both vital if you are to avoid having puppies which are unacceptable to buyers of pedigree dogs. Many dogs which are bred, even by experienced breeders do not fulfil the breed standard and are rejected. THESE are often to be found on rescues. Specific breed rescues are FULL of dogs who do not make it when judged against ring standards, are unsuccessful at shows, Mis marks, are not quite what the new owner expected...

Good breeders will take back any dogs, at any time. Your puppies are like your children - they are yours FOR LIFE.
My friend has taken back a bitch she bred - at 8 years old!

If you want to breed, it should be morally required of you to think very carefully how you would care for the puppies if they are returned to you. In addition, the costs of properly caring for a breeding bitch can be very expensive, several thousand for a Great Dane who has problems. Ill bitches in whelp are also frequent arrivals in rescue!
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Regards,
Lorna, Basil & Poppy
Great Danes are not substitute children. They are much more important than that!

[Jack]

Again I find myself agreeing with Louise and Lorna.

I don't feel breeding should be for the select few but it should ONLY be done by people who have done extensive research first, into the breed, the health tests, the genetic abnormalities that MAY crop up and have the funds to care for both mum and pups should ANYTHING go wrong and also by someone who has some knowledge of births of pups too, perhaps be there at another litter to see them delivered so you have an idea what to do if a vet can't get to you.

The amount of dogs PTS every single day of the year is horrifying and not all of those come from Back street or novice breeders! MANY come from excellent pedigree backgrounds and are absolutely healthy with great temperaments but nobody wants them so their lives are snuffed out - are you prepared for that to happen to one of your pups? Their owners may have given them up due to ill health, change in circumstance, death or even just because they lost their puppy "shine" and blithely move on to the next one til they get fed up of that too. In the current financial crisis there's a hell of a lot of dogs being abandoned as their "owners" claim to be unable to afford them any more - this should be born in mind when thinking of breeding your own dog. Could you sell the puppies? Would anyone have the funds to pay? Would those willing to pay be able to offer the sort of homes you would be happy for the puppy to go to? So I DO feel it's a valid point to make.

DogFighting is endemic and pups are often sought to use as bait. Shelters are getting wise to this, puppy farms don't give a damn but the novice to breeding needs to be aware that their pups COULD end up being used for this - especially those advertised at "bargain" prices or "free to good home" (that goes for adult dogs too). The KC website also gives guidance as to how to screen potential buyers to assist not only novices but experienced breeders.

The question was asked so please don't take offence at the points I have raised that I feel are VERY valid to consider IF you are thinking of doing this whether professionally or as a one off.

Steve.....I can think of no good reason to breed from my girls. Staffs make up over 70% of ALL dogs in shelters throughout Britain - they need homes far more than I need to put my girls through the mating (Staffie sires are VERY rough with the dams and damage is often caused both to their reproductive systems AND because fighting can break out at this time) and far more than I need the money. Also given their breed I could never be 100% sure of the homes they would go to anywhere along the line, although it is written into your contract (usually) when you buy a pup that IF you have to give it up for any reason you should return it to the breeder this so often does NOT happen! I couldn't live with myself if one of MY pups ended up being used by some scumbag Add to that that I could have never ever have parted with any of the pups anyway it made sense for us not to go down that route. I don't judge those that do of course or I wouldn't have my beautiful girls but it's not for me and if someone asks advice or my opinion on it I will give it honestly.
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Staffies are my life! Visit us at www.staffies.co.uk

[Lisa/Colin]

[Suzanne H]

One of Rudi's siblings was brought back after 2 weeks. And that was after they'd been well vetted.

Apparently it barked too much!!!!!! Obviously thought puppies were quiet and perhaps only viewed them when they were asleep.

To our breeder it is like giving away her babies and she keeps in touch to see how they are getting on and we take them back to see her. She would rather have them all back than see them in bad homes (and she have 5 of the beggars already!!!). I think I'd put trackers on them if it was me

[Lorna]

I love the tracker idea, Suzanne. I would put trackers on the rescues too if I could just to make sure they are ok. Although Auntie Jean or Karen do keep in touch and wee surprise visits can happen.
As long as there are Danes in rescue I wouldn't be breeding.
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Regards,
Lorna, Basil & Poppy
Great Danes are not substitute children. They are much more important than that!