Need Advice on GSD Breeding...

[GSD<3er212]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

And she is AKC registered?

Yes, she is. we just got her AKC tag i believe earlier this week. and registered her a couple days after we brought her home. She was never registered w/ her first family.

[GSD<3er212]

Originally Posted by Magwart

I totally agree with MissVette2U. Like everyone else involved in rescue, I've seen beautiful purebred GSDs on the euthanasia list in our shelter because they were bred irresponsibly in a market where too many are breeding them, and there aren't enough good homes for them. I've seen heart-broken dogs who don't understand why their people view them as disposable. It's terribly sad. My small city has had nearly 50 purebred GSDs pass through our tiny shelter this year--that I know of. Someone bred every one of those dogs, and failed them.

I'll go a step further and say this: GOOD breeders insist that dogs get returned to them, rather than dumped at shelters, if adoptions don't work out. That's an enormous commitment. If you aren't willing to make a 15 year commitment to be a safety-net for the litter you bring into the world, please don't do it. There are already way, way too many purebred dogs without safety nets dying at public shelters.

I totally agree w/ MissVette2U as well. But i dont think we would consider breeding anymore anyway.. seeing that it costs easily $6,000+ just for vet bills BEFORE the pups are born, its not worth it. and it really does tear my heart seeing all these failed dogs...

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by GSD<3er212

we're are not meaning to be "irresponsible" breeders. most of it was for the $

You probably don't realize the irony in your statement.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted by GSD<3er212

seriously? even if the only people she was with b4 we got her was the husband, wife, and a toddler? no one else? no other dog? She was even like that when we first introduced ourselves to her, and when we introduced her to our 5YO dog.

Without knowing your dogs background it's impossible to tell if her less-than-desirable temperament is due to nature (genetics) or nurture (her up bringing).

Even if it's not genetic it IS something she can pass along to the puppies.

The bitch plays a HUGE part in the upbringing of the puppies. Her actions are what the puppies see and start to imitate.

If Mom acts scared when a stranger approaches then the pups will, too.

I fostered a small mixed-breed dog for a rescue group (years ago). The bitch was as sweet as pie to my DH, myself and our pack - until she started to give birth. As each pup was born she became more protective. By the time the last pup was born we couldn't even come within 5 feet of the whelping box.

We weren't able to handle the pups for almost 10 days. Mom ate, slept, peed and pooped in the room she was in. We were finally able to make a lasso from a leash, toss it over her head and drag her out of the box - literally - so we could check the pups and clean up the room.

Every time we had to take her out of the room it was the same routine. She would jump in the whelping box and crouch over the pups, growling and snarling at us. We would lasso her and as soon as she was outside she was happy and friendly to us.

The problem was her reactions were already impacting the puppies. We weaned them a week early just to get them away from her but it was too late. The pups were afraid of people and terrified of our dogs.

It took alot of work to get them to the point where they were adoptable and I found out later than one of them was returned to the rescue due to temperament and had to be put down.

I would never breed a bitch that didn't have a rock-solid, 100% awesome temperament.

[msvette2u]

The bitch plays a HUGE part in the upbringing of the puppies. Her actions are what the puppies see and start to imitate.

This is a very good point.
We rescued a mama that had just that day given birth to a litter of puppies in a field.
She was very aggressive when we approached her (typical) and I had to get my catch pole to get her out of the woodpile she was in.

She was very aggressive to us for the 1st week or so we had her...as the puppies grew she gradually became less aggressive but didn't lose her 'mistrust' of us. She just wasn't friendly and was pretty shy.

We let the puppies stay with her until 6 weeks of age. Big mistake.
Each and every one has shyness, some moreso than others.
I wish we'd taken them at 4 weeks and handled them daily instead of leaving them with mom, but of course hindsight is 20/20.

And when you get puppies like this they are even tougher to place; luckily they were so freaking cute they all found terrific homes, so did mom (very understanding terrific home) and they actually have get-togethers every so often, so we get pics.

Anyway - that's just one example of how wrong things can go when raising a litter...even with the best of intentions.

[robk]

Not all dog reactivity is from poor breeding. My dog has a nice pedigree of well titled working line dogs but he went through a period of dog reactivity from about 3 months to about 7 months old. He was never reactive towards people though. Always very out going and friendly with everyone he met. As he matured the dog reactivity lessoned and now at 18 months he is BETTER behaved around other dogs than the other dogs that he is around. We also trained through it all and now he has his BH and we are working towards his IPO1.

My suggestion to the OP is to forget about breeding for at least 2 years. Get involved heavily with the breed. Go observe a schutzhund club and watch German Shepherds in action. You will see real differences in dogs right before your eyes. If it interests you, have your dog evaluated and get involved your self. When you start training your own dog, you will learn who your dog is and what she is capable of. If you are not interested in Schuthzund, that is ok, go find another venue and observe German Shepherd dogs in Action. Seeing them in real life, training, performing and often even failing at something will open your eyes to varying aspects of this breed.

[GSD<3er212]

Completely understandable! really! lol i was just confused because, she was (and still is) completely 100% cool with my grandparents, my one sister, 2 of my brothers, my mom, stepdad, one of our best friends, and my aunt. and that was from the first time she met them. with my one brother and sister, she about wants nothing to do with them. (she shows no aggression, just "nervous" like, actions.. but could it be possible that she can "sense" something, that she just doesn't like in them?? its weird bc the only real people she is REALLY iffy with is people in petstores that just come up to her, and think "oh i can pet this dog, she'll be fine" .. me: "uhhh NO!... this is a GSD.. you NEVER go up to this breed and just touch it if you dont know this dog... or any breed for that matter!!" irritates the crap out of me.. lol

[robk]

Originally Posted by GSD<3er212

Completely understandable! really! lol i was just confused because, she was (and still is) completely 100% cool with my grandparents, my one sister, 2 of my brothers, my mom, stepdad, one of our best friends, and my aunt. and that was from the first time she met them. with my one brother and sister, she about wants nothing to do with them. (she shows no aggression, just "nervous" like, actions.. but could it be possible that she can "sense" something, that she just doesn't like in them?? its weird bc the only real people she is REALLY iffy with is people in petstores that just come up to her, and think "oh i can pet this dog, she'll be fine" .. me: "uhhh NO!... this is a GSD.. you NEVER go up to this breed and just touch it if you dont know this dog... or any breed for that matter!!" irritates the crap out of me.. lol

Being nervous around people concerns me more than being reactive with other dogs. She should be very confident around people. For me this is a key temperament issue to consider when making a breeding decision.

[GSD<3er212]

Originally Posted by robk

Being nervous around people concerns me more than being reactive with other dogs. She should be very confident around people. For me this is a key temperament issue to consider when making a breeding decision.

Thats what i was thinking. youd think for almost 7MO she'd be playful. She didnt come from the "best" of home, if you ask me.. i know it could be genetic, but im thinking she was also nurtured wrong.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

I am going to try to say this as clearly as possible -

IF she had a solid temperament, her earlier experiences would not matter. Her good temperament would overcome the shortcomings of her upbringing.