Finding a Stud

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by TerriH

I was told that it is not healthy for females dogs not to have at least one litter of pups.

Whoever told you that has no idea what they're talking about.

[MaggieRoseLee]

Originally Posted by TerriH

Like I said I am new to this I don't want to keep breeding Stella, she is AKC registered, I just want her to have one litter of pups before we get her fixed. I was told that it is not healthy for females dogs not to have at least one litter of pups.

My dogs have all been AKC registered and I've got Championships on them... but with the millions of dogs being put down in the USA every year cause there are too many dogs and not enough homes... I know I won't be a part of that unless I could fulfill the huge qualifications to become a 'responsible' breeder. (just go to our rescue site and have your heart break with all the beautiful purebred AKC GSD's that will die in the next week unless they find homes).

Not saying that possibly you and your family don't have the years of experience with the breed and all the lines and genetic temperment and health issues that need to be avoided. And if you do fit into the 'responsible' breeder mold it's easy for you to check on these sites:

Dog Play: Making a Difference: Being a Responsible Dog Breeder

Backyard Breeder vs Reputable Breeder

RESPONSIBLE OR BYB ?

Types of Breeders

[Lin]

Originally Posted by TerriH

I was told that it is not healthy for females dogs not to have at least one litter of pups.

Thats not true, in fact its the complete opposite. When breeding a female you are putting her at risk for a large amount of complications. What if she had to have a C section? What if she dies in labor? What if she gets mastitis? If something happens to her, are you prepared to raise the puppies with feedings every 3 hours? Do you have a vet fund set up for the veterinary care your bitch will need during pregnancy, or the veterinary care the puppies will need before going to homes? Are you prepared to take back any puppies even 5, 10 years down the line if something happens to the home they are in?

I have no interest in putting my female GSDs through so much health risk.

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by TerriH

. I was told that it is not healthy for females dogs not to have at least one litter of pups.

You were lied to.

[DJEtzel]

For your dog's sake, and her puppie's sake, please don't breed your dog.

You don't know what you're doing and it will most likely end terribly.

[Jessiewessie99]

Originally Posted by DJEtzel

For your dog's sake, and her puppie's sake, please don't breed your dog.

You don't know what you're doing and it will most likely end terribly.

[Holmeshx2]

If you want a good stud then you need to do your research. A good stud will have health clearances and be titled. Them being titled is going to show that he is mentally sound and actually has what it takes to be a GSD basically. The catch 22 here is someone with a good stud that has health checked him and taken the time and money to make sure he is properly trained and worked to title him is not going to allow him to breed with a female that is not of equal or higher standards to produce substandard puppies. So unfortunately to put it bluntly you're only real option is your neighbors GSD down the street or one off some free website that's probably ignored in the backyard somewhere and given a quick grooming before being brought to meet your female. You then of course have a million chances of having puppies with a bunch of issues mentally and physically.

As far as it being "healthier" for her to have a litter first lets use some common sense here. Using your own mind what good would her having a litter possibly do for her health? Does a human female have any health benefits of getting pregnant? The hormone surges, organs being pushed out of place by another living being in them moving around and growing and sucking up moms nourishment so they can grow properly. Women develop high blood pressure, blood clots, pre-eclampsia, and all sorts of other issues just by being pregnant. That does not include all the issues of giving birth and the possible mental issues after you give birth.

While dogs do not have all of the same issues as a human it's not much different over all. They can still a multitude of issues during the pregnancy not to mention all that can go wrong during labor. One of the biggest things obviously is she can die. With a first time litter you have no clue how she's going to react. She could go into labor while you are gone or even sleeping, have complications a stuck puppy or a number of other things and you wouldn't know until you woke up or came home and found your loving companion dead on the floor somewhere. Plus, since you have to go with just some other male GSD, you have no clue who this stud is there is a good chance she may attack him from not wanting to breed or he may bite and hurt her during mating.

If you are truly considering breeding just because you were told and for some reason believe it is healthy for her there really isn't even a second option here that's just out and out wrong. Please speak with a vet about the possible health benefits (none that I know of) of breeding her vs. the negative health risks I'm sure any vet out there will highly discourage you from a health stand point.

Also, this took me years to figure out and I know many friends and family that still don't get it AKC papers mean NOTHING! I know others have said this but I cannot stress this enough. The only thing is it's supposed to verify at least both parents were purebred. I have encountered people a few different times that had an AKC female and male and then other males that were mixed breeds. If a female got pregnant by the mix breed they simply used the other males AKC number and identified him as the father. AKC says yep ok that male exists and issues AKC papers for the litter of pups and they are definitely not purebred. Rules are only there to keep honest people honest IMHO. A bad breeder is going to find ways around almost every rule and law out there if they want to.

When I was younger I had a friend who's parents breed their dogs once because they thought it would be a good idea (not bad people just a bad choice) both dogs were "AKC" and always were in great health no problems what so ever great pets had great temperaments etc.. well the female had a fine pregnancy and labor however one pup came out deformed had absolutely no front legs. The rest of the pups seemed healthy but as they started growing up in their new homes they developed a ton of health issues seizures all sorts of immune disorders just are total messes. Also, the father was AKC Chihuahua but I have no doubt that he was not purebred even though he was registered, and his pups while beautiful definitely tell me I was right that he had at least 1 other breed in his lines. Not saying your girl is mixed just not to think because she has papers she's "breeding quality" I'm not 100% on this one but when they took the mother of the pups to the vet he told them every time you breed a female it takes years off of her life. He said you have a choice of having a family pet that will be around you for a long time or you can have a breeding female that will definitely die prematurely because of the wear and tear having a litter puts on the females body. From strictly a health stand point there are definite benefits to having her fixed, there may be one or 2 possible benefits on leaving her intact depending who you ask, but there are absolutely no health benefits to breeding her.

[MaggieRoseLee]

Also great when you find a great stud that has a few litters on the ground. So you can talk to alot of those people to see how the puppies are turning out. Just cause you have a GREAT dog doesn't mean they breed true...

[LaRen616]

There are way too many dogs in the world already. There are not enough homes for all of them. Have you ever been to an animal shelter? Have you ever looked into their eyes knowing that they probably wont make it out of there alive? Have you ever seen a dog on the side of the road because it got hit by a car? Have you ever seen a dog picking through the trash? Some stray dogs add to the population but so do irresponsible people that just want 1 litter of puppies out of their dog, or the byb's that breed dogs that should not have been bred in the first place. If your dog is not titled or your dog isn't going to better the breed then your dog has no buisness being bred. You want a litter from your female probably so you can keep a puppy, well what happens if your female has 13 puppies? Ok, you found a home for 1 of them but what about the other 12?

Absolutely not a good idea