Thinking about Breeding

[britchick]

Hello,

I am thinking about starting to breed GSD in the next 10-15 years. I am currently 23 and would like to start breeding in my mid to late 30's. What I would like to do is find a great puppy with bloodlines mixed with great working dogs and great show dogs. I want to be able to have a very versatile dog and thus versatile puppies. Once I have this dog I want to start training and showing her as soon as possible. I want to get her titled in as much as possible but I am more concerned about the Schutzhund titles than the AKC, but I would like the AKC as well. Then when this dog is older I would like to breed her once. And from that littler I want to get my foundation bitch, who I also want to train and show, and obviously get titled. To me it is very important to have dogs that will be great family dogs and also hard working dogs with a very even temperament. That is why I want there to be strong bloodlines both in working showing. I want to learn as much as I can about breeding and showing as I can in the next 10 years, and the rest of my life. I am currently in the process getting Scout a mixed breed registration with the AKC and plan to get him into Schutzhund training as soon as he gets an okay from the vet (he was hw pos. when I bought him from the pound). Emoore, made the brilliant suggestion that I make my learning mistakes with Scout rather than my foundation bitch. I would never have thought of it that way until that was said, but I really think that is a wonderful suggestion.

Anyway, the questions I have are as follows:

What are good names I should look out for in pedigrees? I think I am leaning more towards the German dogs than the American dogs.

When I am buying my first puppy what suggestions can you give me on what to look for? I want a puppy who will be good both in the show ring and in the working field.

Am I better off breeding your traditional German Shepherds or do the WGSD do just as well?

What health checks do I need to have preformed on any bitch I get before breeding? I know I need to check for hip dysplasia and venereal diseases, but what else?

Does the breeder register the pups or should that be left for the new owner?

Should I microchip the puppies or should that be left for the new owner?

These are just a very beginning of my questions. At the moment I am more concerned with how to choose the perfect puppy as obviously I will be doing that first. I plan to get my puppy in 2-3 years. I think I want a German Working/Show type. Any other questions of suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

[meldleistikow]

I don't have suggestions, as I am not a breeder, but I applaud you for doing the research and realizing that these things take time. I also agree with Emoore on making your training mistakes on this dog, before your foundation bitch.

Good luck!

[britchick]

Thank you, I think there is nothing worse than an irresponsible breeder. But I also strongly believe that there is only so much information you can get from reading, no matter how much research you do. That is why I like to ask questions. I feel I can learn a lot more from real people than I can just from a book.

[bocron]

Wow, you are all over the place here LOL. Seriously I applaud you for getting going on the research, but you are putting the cart before the horse with some of the questions. Based on those questions, I'm guessing you haven't been to many competition venues or training clubs. You are asking how to win a monster truck rally driving a NASCAR equipped car built by LeMans mechanics.
You first need to go out and watch and learn about all the different types of competitions and GSDs. There is AKC conformation and German conformation. A dog bred from either of those lines isn't likely to be competitive in both, and a mix probably won't be competitive in either (it could happen but it would be like catching lightning in a bottle). Then there is Schutzhund, which if you want to be truly competitive a working line is your best bet, but can be fun with a showline.
For AKC non conformation stuff, you can do well with any line as long as it has the drive and temperament for the activity you pursue.
When you say you are looking for a puppy to be good in both the show ring and the working field, which show ring (I'm guessing you mean conformation, so AKC or German) and the working field (which working field, agility, schutzhund, herding???). While the GSD is a very versatile breed and should be able to participate in almost any activity the handler chooses, the human in the equation is probably less versatile (meaning most humans, not specifically you) and will probably do better if you pick a sport and get good at it. Most people cannot decide to learn how to play the drums, the piano, the flute and the ukelele all at once (unless they are a savant of some sort). Most times you start with the one and learn the rudiments and then practice, practice, practice before adding another instrument, and many just stick to the one instrument for life!
Go out and watch and learn, try some stuff out with the dog you currently have. Then when you've narrowed down what you want to delve into fully, then you will have an easier time looking at breeders and what they offer.

[Emoore]

There aren't that many people mixing working dogs and show dogs together, and many of them aren't doing it well. It's a tricky mix to get right and can be disastrous if done wrong. Not something I'd recommend for a brand-new breeder.

I'd suggest going to a Schutzhund club and getting to know the members and their dogs. Find some dogs you like and look up their pedigrees. You'll start to see patterns in the dogs you really really like. Also, you're likely to be directed towards breeders producing what you like, so you'll get some ideas of where to buy your first bitch from. A lot of this isn't really something you can learn from words on the internet. You have to go out and look at dogs.

[Freestep]

Do you have a mentor? That, I think, is the best and most important thing you can do when you're starting to learn about the breed.

[britchick]

Wow, thank you all for the information, I didn't think I would get this many responses so fast!

I have not been to many shows for the GSDs. I have been to several herding shows with Border Collies, but that is a totally different ball game I think. I didn't realize there were different conformation classes, that is REALLY good to know. I think that will help me to know what I am looking for when I do start watching the shows. I do know that I am more interested in the Schutzhund than I am the conformation, I always think that working dogs should be used to work. We use to use our Borders to help herd our goats when we had them. For the show lines I was thinking conformation, yes. And for the field I was thinking herding and Schutzhund. I am assuming that herding with a GSD isn't much different from herding with a Border, at least that is what I am hoping.

It is good to know that with GSD there isn't many doing well who are mixing the working lines and the show lines. I know when we were looking at Border Collies one thing you look strongly into is a dog that has a strong history with both. But that is probably easier as most Border Collies conformation wise are pretty similar.

I do not have a mentor yet, I was hoping I could look into finding one once I start getting Scout involved in the Schutzhund, which I do hope to do this summer.

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by britchick

It is good to know that with GSD there isn't many doing well who are mixing the working lines and the show lines. I know when we were looking at Border Collies one thing you look strongly into is a dog that has a strong history with both. But that is probably easier as most Border Collies conformation wise are pretty similar.

For those who breed under the German (SV) system, working lines have to be shown and show lines have to work. In order to be approved for breeding, all dogs have to get a show rating and a Schutzhund title under the German breeding system. So it's not like working lines have lousy conformation and show lines are unable to work. And yet we have two complete distinct lines.

[martemchik]

I suggest not trying to mix lines. Its very admirable and you're not the first person to want to blend the working and show lines, but its pretty much impossible to do this successfully. In order to win an AKC championship, your dog has to look like an ASL. In order to succeed in Schutzhund, your dog needs to have the drive of a working line. I think you really need to go through training a dog, in any venue to really understand the time it takes. Time wise, it would be very hard to get an AKC champion and a Schutzhund 3 title on a dog before they are too old to breed. Part of it is the training, but a large part is the timing of the events. Really look into the conformation rules of the AKC, its not easy to figure out what you need and when you can get it done.

Again, my suggestion is to stick with one line. You won't be able to please the working line people if you start mixing in show lines, and you'll never please the show people if you have a working line. To do anything on a highly competitive level and to win, requires one or the other.

[sabledog]

Originally Posted by martemchik

I suggest not trying to mix lines. Its very admirable and you're not the first person to want to blend the working and show lines, but its pretty much impossible to do this successfully. In order to win an AKC championship, your dog has to look like an ASL. In order to succeed in Schutzhund, your dog needs to have the drive of a working line. I think you really need to go through training a dog, in any venue to really understand the time it takes. Time wise, it would be very hard to get an AKC champion and a Schutzhund 3 title on a dog before they are too old to breed. Part of it is the training, but a large part is the timing of the events. Really look into the conformation rules of the AKC, its not easy to figure out what you need and when you can get it done.

Again, my suggestion is to stick with one line. You won't be able to please the working line people if you start mixing in show lines, and you'll never please the show people if you have a working line. To do anything on a highly competitive level and to win, requires one or the other.

Yes yes and yes.