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Seeking knowledge 1st breeding

5K views 27 replies 9 participants last post by  lhczth 
#1 ·
Last time I posted here it turned into a war when I sought guidance. So please don't waste my time or yours. I am breeding my girl in Sept with a reputable breeder from Germany. Both dogs are N/N on DM test, A stamp rating from the German SV on hips & elbows.
SG Darkwing Von Twinks Trinity BH BN CGC RN
2 of 3 legs toward CD
Wallaby Feetback BH AD FH
I want to be prepared to have a healthy litter of awesome pups! My girl gets a Raw/ kibble mix, Longevity & coconut or safflower oil plus fish oil. Is there anything else I should give to help her?
Vet just checked her out yesterday to make sure she was in optimal health. We discussed her std test, & vaginal swabbing for the best time to make the drive to the male.
Once she is bred is there anything extra I can give to being it the pups mentally or physically? Vitamin A?
Once pups are here I plan to see vet to check pups. I will vaccinate, worm & plan to have pups micro-chipped before they leave at 10 weeks . That way I can keep track of them in case they are list or ever end up in a shelter!
I will also have a contract guaranteeing health of pups.
Is there anything else that I could or should do that I havnt thought about? I'm freaked out & just want the best for my girl. & her pups! I do have 5 pups already spoken for & I'm not advertising before I know she is bred.
 

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#3 ·
why would you go out of your way and provide safflower oil , which only adds pro-inflammatory omega 6, almost no omega 3 which IS what you should be adding Safflower oil: (1 tbsp)
Total Omega-3 fatty acids 0 mg
Total Omega-6 fatty acids 10073 mg (too much! Omega-6s)


to add to this safflower largely GMO , chemically extracted and hydrogenated.

Do not give vitamin A --- much different than providing a beta / alpha carotenoid which converts to A , water soluble , body takes what is needed the rest is eliminated .

Animal sourced Vitamin A is fat soluble which means it is stored in the tissues and can accumulate to levels which are toxic , effects of which can be liver damage, bone loss,
mental confusion , altered hair or coats - sparse .
The most common "animal" form which people give with good intentions is Cod Liver oil. Fish oil is not cod liver oil .

Vitamin A sourced from precursors , greens (chlorella/spirulina) carrots etc , contributes to eye function and respiratory health ... and more -
 
#4 · (Edited)
I rotated between coconut & safflower oil because she gets dry skin . Especially in the winter because we heat with wood . So it's extremely dry in our house. I just never took her off of it.
Thank you for the advice & I will stop the safflower immediately.
Is salmon oil safe?

I'm also curious once she is bred, how much exercise? I train weekly with my IPO club, & Dock diving every 2 wks. Should she not do any if this after bred? She is high drive so could be frustrating for her.
 

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#6 ·
"Do you prefer cod oil over salmon oil ?"
NO -- no cod liver oil , explained in my post about accumulating fat soluble vitamin A - which can be toxic .

I don't care for salmon oil that much either -- if salmon is chosen then it has to be wild caught - farmed salmon is higher in omega 6 .

I like deep clean cold waters herring
 
#7 ·
btw i do not think a pregnant dog needs more nutrition than a high quality food

if you feed raw do not give kibble with it and vise versa

the most i would give a pregnant dog is high quality kibble perhaps with a squirt of salmon oil appropriate to the dogs size

after puppies are here you can give a few tbs of yogurt or cottage cheese and free feed the kibble so she can peck at it all day if necessary
 
#8 ·
since you are concerned about the health of this litter
i would reconsider using this dog as a stud
Wallaby Feetback
i realize he is stacked but his back slopes off badly and i think you are going to have such exaggerated roach your puppies may suffer

i am a fan of show lines btw esp the deep red/black dogs and i do not see issues with this dogs parents in fact i like how his dad looks

i would use a dog like his dad but not him
take that for what its worth as i am not a breeder but i know what looks good and what looks mutated and poor wallaby looks mutated :shrug:
 
#10 ·
that is why i said i dont know pedigrees and am speaking from a health stand point robk
as per the op
I want to be prepared to have a healthy litter of awesome pups!
and i know personally of a show line pup that has such overdone conformation that his rear feet drag constantly due to the exaggerated roach you see in wallaby
the pup is crippled

this litter may not be as awesome and healthy as the ops wants but youre right its her puppies :shrug:
 
#12 · (Edited)
Thank you all for your opinions. I to originally turned this stud down from this photo this spring. This is a pic of him as a pup & I believe over stacked. The photos I have seen & when my mom met Hiedi the new owner if Wallaby. I based my decision on that. My girl is very long & straight backed but high drive. In schutzhund she is awesome but AKC she is to much for most judges to appreciate. :-(. So I chose a lower drive showline with a great pedigree to breed to. Later down the line when I know more & I earn my IPO & FH. I will breed her back to a working line. I actually have one picked out that also has Tom Vant Leefdaalhof in his background to.
Trinity is a showline working line mix. Thanks again
 

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#14 ·
don't let an AKC judge sway your breeding choice -- think of the overall character that the GSD needs .
You said "In schutzhund she is awesome but AKC she is to much for most judges to appreciate."
Sounds good ! -- AKC judges wouldn't know that this is good .
Your female's background has lots of SG,s , that's not at all bad .

And -- the AKC conformation , right out of the mouths of breeders of Select and Futurity Victors say that there has to be a return to a more moderate conformation.
A new illustrated standard will be out shortly .

Always breed for excellence . You don't need to water down , because then you are losing , the breed is losing . Balance !
just think about it
 
#16 ·
Keep your female fit, but don't over do things. I would probably stop dock diving for awhile and after the first 4 weeks be careful when training IPO. I stayed away from escape and long bites and jumping full height.

Don't allow your female to get fat. She will not need an increase in food until the latter part of her pregnancy and even then may not unless it is a large litter. Once you stop training make sure to continue to give her regular exercise. She will have a much easier time whelping.

If possible, I would be doing progesterone tests if you have a way to get the results quickly.

As your female gets close to her whelping date make sure you have access to vet or ER IF something goes wrong.

All the best.
 
#17 ·
by the way my comments have nothing to do with the male you chose , just your REASON for choosing him , seems like you compromised -- if you think this "I will breed her back to a working line. I actually have one picked out that also has Tom Vant Leefdaalhof in his background to." is better then do that one .
 
#18 · (Edited)
I do completely understand what your saying. I only showed in conformation once in AKC, she took Reserve Champion in the class. I did learn quickly that she would never earn points as she isn't built like AKC wants. Which is fine as I love the way Trinity is built. I meant she is too hot in the obedience ring still . With age she will settle down. Only had 1 judge enjoy her bouncing, random barks. & high speed flying out of control sliding to a stop recalls . He told me I had an amazing dog but had my hands full. & I laughed :) many judges the minute she bounces or gets excited they shy away from her. For my first breeding I just want a little less drive since I've never raised pups before.
My trainer Georgia Derleth has been training. & breeding dogs for 40 years . Plus I have Trinitys breeder close by to. Just wanted some extra help online to make sure I'm doing it right .
I also have 2 friends that use to breed hounds for a living that are coming over when she is close. I have my vets home & cell & we are doing vaginal swabs to monito for ovulation. I live 3 hours from the stud & will be staying down there in a hotel with my dog when she is ready.
 
#20 ·
you understand that "she took Reserve Champion in the class" means that had that bitch been there , you would have had points .
Just talking with friend the other day , memory lane, and she said her female went reserve to the same female 3 times each time 5 pointers. That female got her CH. and friend continued to show 3 consecutive 5 point majors in a row - CH.

As far as the obedience , AKC judges are too familiar with dogs , GSD - walking on egg shells . I participated, I went through judges apprentice etc etc -- I saw it , which was a shame . I would have loved to see a GSD with some energy .
The sliding stops you can modify by practicing very close recalls , just asking for correct position .
The random bark you can modify by not allowing the "game" of obedience which your dog seems to enjoy and then some, from proceeding . You bark and there is a stall . Don't reward the bark .
 
#21 ·
Trinity is the first dog I've ever shown. So this is all new to me but I'm really loving it. I had no idea how different the AKC vs Schutzhund world was. I'm slowly learning. We did earn our VP 1 at 5 months old, BH & SG rating st 16 months. So I'm happy where we are today.
As for the dog I want to breed to V Bomber vom Wolfsheim
He is located not to far from me, but till I earn my IPO & FH this isn't possible. He only breeds to approved females. My close friend knows Bombers owner. & he owes her a breeding. So once I'm ready & Trinutys us ready, that's our plan for the future
 
#22 ·
There is a great facebook group. Canine fertility, reproduction and neonatal issues. There are lots of saved documents that people have written that are worth a read. Do make sure you confirm pregnancy by ultrasound. You dont want to over feed a bitch just because you 'think' she might be pregnant. Also, are you doing progesterone testing? Have lots of info to share about that that could take up an entire thread. That FB group is helpful with that too. Look up Dr. Jean Dodds vaccination protocol. You can order Nemex 2 for deworming everyone. I also heat with wood and my bitch gets very dry as well. I havent figured out the right combination yet to help with that. Coconut oil should be the only oil you need. You can pick up some Show stopper or puppy gold from K9 power products. Answers raw has goats milk that you can give also. That is great for weaning. Talk with your breeders to ask what should be in your whelping kit, what has worked for them. Also for a whelping box, I just use a kiddie swimming pool. Summer is ending and not sure you will find one now.
 
#23 ·
Fantastic ideas!! Thanks so much everyone!! I'm just so nervous even though I've raised Dozens of rescued pups & kittens. I've never had any of my own :)
My vets said to do a vaginal swab, he said nothing about progesterone. Is one better then the other? Trinity is very obvious when she is ready. She flags & tries to hump other dogs.

No problem on goats milk!! Darbe my girl just had twin boys. & we do milk her! Great timing huh ?! Say hello to Flip & Flop!!!
 

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#24 ·
The vaginal swab is to see what bacteria is present in the bitch. The thing is, that area is NOT sterile. You have to expect bacteria to be present, strep, staph, microplasma, etc. You can find out if there are high levels of bacteria present. The thing is, if you find bacteria, and you put your bitch on anti-biotics, you can be prepping the area for nasty-worse crap that will grow in the absence of the normal stuff.

Sometimes stud owners will want to this done. Always get the brucellosis test -- that is venerial disease that can cause all kinds of issues.

Progesterone testing will tell you the exact day of ovulation -- which is not necessarily the day you need to breed on, if you test enough times to actually get the surge. It is good to know though, particularly if you are traveling to the stud dog, and if you may need a c-section: puppies are born 63 days after ovulation, NOT the day the dog and bitch mate.

Actually, you will probably want to breed her at least twice two or three days apart.
 
#25 ·
Bomber isn't offered for outside breeding's, just to let you know. You could always use one of his son's though.
 
#26 ·
I have another year before I hopefully earn my IPO. I will keep looking at my options for a working line stud. I wouldn't want to water down Tom Vant so maybe I will go in another direction. I have plenty of time & maybe Parish will have a change of heart later on :)

The vaginal swab my vet said they can tell how close to ovulating she is. So maybe I misunderstood them
 
#27 ·
They can do a quick blood test to see where she is at, those are not as accurate, as they do not actually test the numbers of the progesterone. But it is blood, quicker and cheaper. I have not heard of a vaginal swab to check for ovulation time, but they may have something that I just haven't heard of.
 
#28 ·
Vaginal swabs used to be used fairly often. They check for the amount of cornification of the cells in either the discharge or around the cervix (has been awhile since I paid attention). They are not as accurate as progesterone testing, but may be OK if you are doing a couple of live breedings and IF the vet knows what he/she is doing.
 
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