How do you know you are ready to get a possible foundation female?

[Holmeshx2]

not a breeder but a buyer here and from my limited knowledge I can't even stress how important a foundation female is. Jinx is the 10th litter that came from the foundation female (I believe) not that every little came directly from her but she had a litter they kept one back etc.. but it's still her genetics running through them and there are traits of hers seen consistently through out the litters so please keep that in mind in how important that first female is in your breeding program because 10+ litters later her traits are going to come through good or bad.

[ShoshanaRVT]

Huskies are a racing/endurance breed. Have you looked into skijoring/bikejoring/dog-sledding/carting?

[lhczth]

I was looking for a foundation female from the very first GSD I ever purchased. When I was working my first GSD, Tara, I decided I was not ready and not knowledgeable enough about the breed. Then it took me a number of years to find a female that was suitable after Tara. When I got Tara, though, I had already titled another dog and had done extensive research on the breed. I had people that gave me some good direction in what to look for in a GSD even if they were not GSD people themselves. I didn't jump into this cold turkey.

Personally I would wait until you are out of school and settled to even think about breeding, but that doesn't mean you have to wait to get a dog and start handling and training. Maybe a co-ownership might work where you work with a breeder. Could be a way to get your feet wet and to gain experience until you are ready to venture out on your own.

Don't be in a hurry. You have a lifetime to breed.

[lhczth]

Originally Posted by sashadog

So maybe this is a silly question but how many of you quality breeders actually set out to breed GSD's before you got your first GSD? Or made it a goal to breed GSD's? Or was it more something you "fell into" by way getting deeply involved in sport and show and years of having quality, well bred dogs?

I actually wanted to breed GSD long before I ever owned one. I already bred horses so breeding was sort of natural for me. It was experience and my involvement with the breed that kept me from breeding until I had been in the breed for many many years. The more involved I became the more I realized I needed to learn. I was lucky in that I started out with a very good dog too.