How to find a mate? :)

N

nene

Forums Novice
Okay so I have a few questions....duncan is still young (5 months) but we are seriously considering breeding him...but we are unsure of how to find mate. he is such a handsom boy and has great personality and markings that we figured i'd be stupid if we didnt breed him once.

does anyone know how to go about finding a female for him?
 
When you show him, you are bound to run into other breeders/showers with comparable dogs. Or you could always speak to your breeding mentor, who will have great advice for choosing a mate that will compliment his traits and also fit all the health testing and temperament testing requirements of a responsible breeder. Though, of course, you can't have his hips certified until he is 2 years old, so since he is only 5 months old now, you have over a year and half to look for a good bitch to breed to.
 
You'd be stupid TO breed him if those are all of your reasons.

Should I breed my dog?

If you can answer yes to these questions, then yes. Go for it because you know the risks and you are ready.


Does my dog represent a good example of the breed? (Is the dog titled?)

Is she free of major conformation and temperament flaws?

Do you know whether or not she has any genetic flaws that she could pass on? (Is the dog tested for any diseases or genetic flaws that Shelties can carry?)

Do I have the knowledge to choose a stud who will compliment her?

Will the resulting puppies be bettering the breed?

Do I want to have my dog pregnant and out of work?

Do I have the facilities to have a puppies born safely?

Do I have the financial means to pay for:
Stud Fees AND bitch care
Feed and Supplements for my bitch AND puppies
The many standard veterinary bills during the pregnancy
Unexpected emergency vet bills
The costs of raising that puppy to sell/train-able age (feed, vet, etc)
The costs of training for the puppies

Am I prepared to risk my bitches death?

In the event that she dies or rejects the puppies, do I have the knowledge and means to care for the orphaned puppies?

Am I prepared to risk losing the puppies?

Am I prepared to risk losing them both?

Am I experienced in handling and training a young fpuppy?

Do I have a plan for the puppy if I can no longer care for it properly?

Do I have an intended purpose for the resulting puppy?

After all this, am I willing to risk that the puppy doesn't live up to my expectations?

My point is this: Look at the list above, they are the realistic responsibilities of breeding. If you said no to some of them, then you are better off saving the money, possible heartache, or whatever it is that turned you off from breeding and buy the dog that you want. I am not being mean or rude, just showing plainly things that need to be considered when lives are being created.

(This list was taken from another message board, but it was posted in reply to a question I had asked.)
 
GeeRome and Narmowen have excellent answers.
Breeding, even just studding your dog out, is a big commitment. It's not easy and when done responsibly, it's expensive. I'm a breeder "in training". I'm currently going through years of research and study and am searching for a good, reputable, mentor. A good mentor is a must.
When picking a mate for your dog, you should look for the same things in the mate that you should look for in your dog. Also, your dog's faults (things that don't fit the standard, all dogs have some faults) should be balanced out by the other dog's good points and visa-versa.
My website, listed in my signature, I made especially to tell people about breeding dogs (mostly the ethics of it, but I do have a link to a helpful article about caring for newborn puppies in the link section).
Owning a stud dog isn't all that easy either. Your dog can be blamed for any health problems that the puppy has.
Have a responsible breeder evaluate your dog when it comes to fitting the standard. And do all the important health tests. Including, CERF (checks for genetic eye disorders), OFA (checks for hip dysplicia), check for vonWillebrand's disease, and others.
Best of luck whatever you choose to do.
 
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Narmowen that is a great list of questions to consider when thinking of possibly breeding your dog. I for one couldn't breed a dog b/c of those questions you asked and well if my dog ever gave birth to puppies I would end up keeping them all for myself b/c I would be too attached. But it is great information to really think through before just breeding a dog just to breed.
 
LaOsaLinda said:
Narmowen that is a great list of questions to consider when thinking of possibly breeding your dog. I for one couldn't breed a dog b/c of those questions you asked and well if my dog ever gave birth to puppies I would end up keeping them all for myself b/c I would be too attached. But it is great information to really think through before just breeding a dog just to breed.
Click to expand...


In the last litter my bitch had, I kept a puppy and I sold my younger brother a puppy...I just couldn't let those two out of the family! I get way too attached to them all...it's hard, every time to sell them. And just to breed...worrying about whether or not everything will go good is a big problem. The slightest little thing wrong can become big. A puppy not eating at the very beginning can lead to the puppy dying. There are so many things that can go wrong.

And those questions work with any type of animal! I applied them to my horse (when I had her), and refused to breed her because I couldn't answer yes to most of those.
 
P.S.

Just a warning. A lot of people seem to thinking that when you breed the male to the female, that you can just stick them in the backyard and let them do their business. Letting them mate unsupervised is irresponsible, to say the least. Many things go wrong. (Say a squirrel ran past while the dogs were tied and one of both of the dogs tried to chase the squirrel:eek2:. That could injure one or both of them.)
 
graydawntreader said:
Just a warning. A lot of people seem to thinking that when you breed the male to the female, that you can just stick them in the backyard and let them do their business. Letting them mate unsupervised is irresponsible, to say the least. Many things go wrong. (Say a squirrel ran past while the dogs were tied and one of both of the dogs tried to chase the squirrel:eek2:. That could injure one or both of them.)
Click to expand...

Another good point! I know a breeder who turned out a male and female into their backyard. When they tied, the female drug the male through a dog door, which ripped/tore the male's *****. Took stiches to fix him, and he never bred again (I would never do it if that happened).
 
OMG poor baby.. wow, talk about many people who are irresponsible or just don't understand b/c of lack of education. I am sure that person learned there lesson after that horrible experience.
 
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