Need breeding advice!!

[arielle]

I am thinking about breeding my female GSD but I have a lot of questions because I know virtually nothing about this! I would appreciate your time if you could give me some advice or help me out a little bit! OK first I'll fill you in on my situation... I have a purebred GSD from a very good line, female, 19 months, not sure of her exact weight but she is pretty big! My guess is between 70-80 pounds. Other than her size (weight/height) possibly?? I believe she meets all the correct standards. I don't have a picture of her stacked but I can show you another one just so you can see her... IMO she is downright gorgeous.



I really don't want to become a breeder...But I have heard that its good for them to have a litter of puppies as it gives them the mothering instinct and will make them more aggressive possibly. Is that true? I could be wrong! If I decide to breed her I want to make it worth while and do it right...She is a great dog, I think she could make some great puppies! So some of my questions other than the ones I have already asked are...

1. Besides registration & the papers I got from the breeder, she has no other paperwork. Is there anything else I should or need to get? What shots and/or vaccinations are important for her to have? This might be stupid of me to be asking as I understand that I should take her to the Vet for these things! LoL But I live in a foreign country. So with a language barrier & the fact that things are done differently sometimes, I want to make sure she gets what she needs most.

2. Am I totally crazy for wanting to do this? It is not worth it for just one litter of puppies? If there is anything really important that I should know about or consider while thinking about this, please let me know!! Like I said I don't know anything about breeding. If you could give me some insight on this I would really appreciate it! Thanks!

-arielle

[DianaM]

Quote:But I have heard that its good for them to have a litter of puppies as it gives them the mothering instinct and will make them more aggressive possibly.

Nope! Your bitch could be a good mother or she could turn around and eat her litter. It's rare, but it happens. Do you really want to deal with that? Not too long ago on another forum, a breeder posted a link to a webcam showing his whelping bitch. Well, the whole world bore witness to a bitch screaming in pain, killing at least one of her pups. Not fun.

WHY is your bitch so great? We have TONS of gorgeous dogs out there that truly are beautiful and wonderful to look at but that also should NEVER be bred. In fact, we even have lots of dogs with show and even working titles that have no business stepping into the gene pool! What have you done to prove that your bitch is a dog from which we should all be clamoring for pups? Have you done schutzhund training with her? Does she have a show rating and a koreklasse? What about her hips and elbows- have they been certified clear of dysplasia and other defects by your country's certifying organization? What about her family history? Do you know her ZW score? Do you know what a ZW score is? What about the digestive health of the family? This breed is rife with digestive problems. Do you have any production information on her littermates or any indication that her family produce well?

Say you're all up to speed with your female, you've trained and titled her yourself to SchH1, nothing in her training made you go, "Hmm, I don't like that," her joints are certified clear, and all else is in good order, what of the stud? You can't pair up any ol' stud to a great bitch and expect great results. The stud must be a good genetic match for her lines, be very complimentary, and must be just as good, if not better, than she is. You may have to look outside your area or even your country to find a good sire. Can you afford all that?

Say your bitch is great and you lined up a great sire. Can you deal with the expenses of whelping? What if you have a litter of 15 puppies (it happens) and you need to supplement feeding? Can you do that? Can you afford an emergency C-section at 3am Sunday morning? If you lose your bitch, and yes she could DIE whelping a litter, can you take time off work to care for the pups? Feeding them, making sure they potty, cleaning them, every hour or so around the clock? Is your beautiful bitch's life worth risking just to get some puppies? What if you cannot sell the pups? Are you set up to house, train, feed, socialize, and vet seven puppies as long as they live? Can you imagine dealing with seven six-month-old pups at once? Their vet bills and food bills and training?

Think long and hard about this... you can spay her right now and have a WONDERFUL companion for life. The world is overflowing with mediocre GSDs and a truly good, responsible breeder will only strive to produce the best possible. Please read around the forum as there is a ton more information on the subject.

Welcome aboard!

[NWS_Haven]

First of all, total old wives tale about it being good for them or improving their temperment if they have one litter. If anything they turn into a more "bitchy" female.
Second, she should be at the very youngest, 2 years old and have her hips x-rayed and certified to be free of dysplasia.

Everyone has different opinions on what series of vaccinations to give a dog but you really need to look far beyond just the health of the breeding female. I'll leave it at that and I hope you are thick skinned!

[MelissaHoyer]

Excellent post, Diana!

[arielle]

Thanks Diana.... this is exactly what I want to know.. Like I said, I know nothing about this, and need to know the facts & what to take in consideration. I am in no hurry to breed her & certainly don't take it lightly, I want to do everything correctly if breeding is the direction I decide to go... but I need to know the basics on this so I have someplace to start. Thanks so much for your advice!

-arielle

[lhczth]

Also, are you ready to take responsibility for those 6-8 puppies she may produce for the rest of their lives? If you are responsible than you will always have the duty to take back any pup she produces and keep it either for life or until a suitable new home is found. This is a HUGE responsibility. No matter what, if you produce one litter you are a breeder.

Bitches do die during whelping. Are you willing to kill your female for this litter?

The decision to breed should never be taken lightly. Great that you are taking the time to research this before making that decision.

[Amaruq]

Originally Posted By: NWS_Haven
Second, she should be at the very youngest, 2 years old and have her hips x-rayed and certified to be free of dysplasia.

Actually the two year thing is in the USA. Other countries have other guidelines. I believe in Germany it is 12 months, New Zealand I believe is 18 months so it does vary depending on Country and the OP is not in the USA.

Other than that Diana and Lisa covered most of what I would have mentioned.

[Catu]

In Germany (and FCI countries) you can get hips certified at 12, but you can't breed until 18 months old for females and 24 for males.

[DianaM]

Besides the fact that it's best to breed when a dog is mentally and physically mature. Teenagers having kids isn't the best idea in humans and it's not the best idea for dogs.

[Amaruq]

I wholeheartedly agree about waiting for the dog to mature, regardless if it is 2 years or 4. Just pointing out that most people seem to think that the 2 year thing is simply for OFA. Since the OP is not in the USA that would not necessarily be the case on the age.