Hello. New with breeding questions.

[3jvj]

Hello. My gsd has just started her third or fourth heat, and my family is ready for a litter.

How many days after first spotting is optimal for breeding (roughly)?

If the stud is a novice, will he "get it" when she is in full heat?



They played a bit today with some mock mounting, but I don't think she is in full heat. She spotted while I was on vacation, so I don't have an exact date from the house sitter.


Thanks in advance.

[Heagler870]

Why do you want to breed your dog?

[sagelfn]

Please stop trying to breed your dog right now. First learn and then if you decide you want to breed then go ahead ( on a different heat cycle)

Are your dog and the stud registered with a reputable kennel and health tested like OFA/Penn hip?

Do you have any titles to prove the dogs are of good temperament worthy of breeding? Same for conformation?

Do you have the funds to welp a litter? Do you have time to bottle feed a litter if the mother does not want anything to do with the pups or worst case mother does not survive the welp?

Do you have contracts made up for puppy purchasers and time to do checks into potential purchasers?

What is your goal for breeding these two particular dogs?

There is much more than this that goes into breeding. Please take a time out and decide if you really want to breed before you bring more puppies into the world.

[3jvj]

Originally Posted by Heagler870

Why do you want to breed your dog?

Her temper is excellent, and I would like to keep one of her sons.

[Whiteshepherds]

Originally Posted by 3jvj

Her temper is excellent, and I would like to keep one of her sons.

What if she only has females?

[MaggieRoseLee]

Welcome to the board and I'm sure EVERYONE WILL BE NICE (right? )

The practices that are generally supported on the board for breeding, and what we all look for in a breeder are really well explained on the following sites.

"Should I breed my dog?" Flowchart

Things to look for in a 'Responsible' Breeder


There are so many wonderful breeders with vast amounts of experience that need our support (and if you love your current pup you may want to go back to that breeder for a similiar dog!). And I can't even bear going to our Urgent - German Shepherd Dog Forums and Non-Urgent GSD Rescue & Adoption - German Shepherd Dog Forums to realize that there are currently hundreds of wonderful 100% purebred GSD's out there currently needing homes (and many of the GSD's posted will be killed in the next week or so due to lack of homes) that I know I'll never be a breeder and know I may add to that mix (even if it's not intentional and I try to find good homes for my dogs).

So if you ARE already into breeding and have your dogs titled, all OFA'd for hips and elbows and know the research in all the many genetic physical issues our breed has (what a nightmare that is ) Since I've been the owner of TWO GSD's born with mega-esophagus (sure you are familiar with this condition in the breed) that thankfully didn't die as puppies, I know about the genetic things that can crop up even with the best breeders that know what they are doing!

German Shepherd Dog Health Problems

Canine Genetic Disorders

[3jvj]

Originally Posted by sagelfn

Please stop trying to breed your dog right now. First learn and then if you decide you want to breed then go ahead ( on a different heat cycle)

Are your dog and the stud registered with a reputable kennel and health tested like OFA/Penn hip?

Do you have any titles to prove the dogs are of good temperament worthy of breeding? Same for conformation?

Do you have the funds to welp a litter? Do you have time to bottle feed a litter if the mother does not want anything to do with the pups or worst case mother does not survive the welp?

Do you have contracts made up for puppy purchasers and time to do checks into potential purchasers?

What is your goal for breeding these two particular dogs?

There is much more than this that goes into breeding. Please take a time out and decide if you really want to breed before you bring more puppies into the world.

We have a kennel. She loves it. She spends most of her day in it. It's her comfortable place.

[selzer]

Originally Posted by 3jvj

Hello. My gsd has just started her third or fourth heat, and my family is ready for a litter. I expect you will get many questions on this. But, how exactly is your family ready for a litter? How old is your bitch and did you have her hips and elbows certified free of dysplasia?

How many days after first spotting is optimal for breeding (roughly)? This is not possible to answer. Bitches are different. I have heard of some needing to be bred prior to any bleeding. Others have been bred as late as day 28. There are some signs you can watch for. You should probably get a book on breeding dogs and learn about heat cycles and progesterone levels, and what you are trying to achieve.

If the stud is a novice, will he "get it" when she is in full heat? Get what precisely. Do you mean will be be able to smell when exactly to perform the act of copulation and provide the sperm? Do you mean that he will figure out where to put his penis? Do you mean will he be able to control her if she decides to vault over a low wall?

Again, your question cannot be answered in black and white. A novice stud might try to breed too early, and your bitch will likely clean his clock if she is not controlled. This could ruin him for breeding. A dog needs confidence to perform.

Given the freedom to spend days chasing her down, mounting her head, figuring out where to put his parts, he may tire himself out when she is not ready to be bred, and even use up his reserves of sperm on days she is not even ready. And he may figure everything out just fine. However, your bitch can do damage to him even after they are tied if she is so inclined.

Not sure how old your boy is, but have you had his hips and elbows certified -- this is a minimum, there are other tests, for thyroid, cardiac, dm, cerf testing for the eyes, testing free of VonWilbrands Disease -- the more testing for genetic issues the better.

They played a bit today with some mock mounting, but I don't think she is in full heat. She spotted while I was on vacation, so I don't have an exact date from the house sitter.

What you have is a lot of unknowns. You do not know when she went into heat, you do not know when to breed, you do not know if the stud can do the job, you do not know which heat cycle your bitch is on.

Breeding is not something you want to go into with a lot of unknowns.


Thanks in advance.

Please give up on this heat cycle.

You need to get some books and do some reading.

You need to get involved in GSDs and get to know some GSD people who can help you with your endeavor, who can evaluate your dogs, and help you make good breeding decisions.

You need to become an expert in all areas concerning dogs, conformation, training, breeding/whelping/raising puppies, nutrition, legislation, the various varieties or lines of GSDs, pedigrees, individual bloodlines.

Six months is an extremely accelerated program, and you will not be ready for the better puppy buyers in that much time, but with a good mentor, and a lot of commitment you could do a whole lot better than the nine weeks you would have if you bred your dog now.

[3jvj]

Originally Posted by Whiteshepherds

What if she only has females?

I will probably keep a female and be just as happy.

[wilbanks17]

Originally Posted by sagelfn

Please stop trying to breed your dog right now. First learn and then if you decide you want to breed then go ahead ( on a different heat cycle)

Are your dog and the stud registered with a reputable kennel and health tested like OFA/Penn hip?

Do you have any titles to prove the dogs are of good temperament worthy of breeding? Same for conformation?

Do you have the funds to welp a litter? Do you have time to bottle feed a litter if the mother does not want anything to do with the pups or worst case mother does not survive the welp?

Do you have contracts made up for puppy purchasers and time to do checks into potential purchasers?

What is your goal for breeding these two particular dogs?

There is much more than this that goes into breeding. Please take a time out and decide if you really want to breed before you bring more puppies into the world.

Wow, I hope you know this person to be so bold in telling someone else what to do.