HOw old to breed a dog?

[Jill]

Speaking of breeding dogs, I wonder what the price tag really is for all those tests that should be done before a dog is bred. . .maybe some of the other dog breeders could chime in on that. Can't imagine it would be cheap!!

I would imagine you could buy a fully health screened purebred puppy in your choice of color and sex for less

:yes

 

[mydaddysjag]

I would wait. I know you have a young baby, and having puppies with the baby will be really hard. Not the taking care of the puppies, but more so, having the baby and puppies together. If you have 8 puppies, they "potty" everywhere, and if you work outside of the home your wife is going to have to keep that cleaned up so the baby dosent get into it, and i'm sure with a new baby she would be exhausted. puppies are also very mouthy, and play rough. They arent mean, but puppies play, and will knock over the baby (chasing one or 2 is easy, a rowdy crew of 8 or so is hard to get to when they are all going in different directions) they are also going to be mouthy with the baby, and probably knock the little one over, not to mention chew its toys up.

I vote wait until atleast the next heat, so your wife can spend all her quality time with the new baby for now.

 

[minih]

I would wait. I know you have a young baby, and having puppies with the baby will be really hard. Not the taking care of the puppies, but more so, having the baby and puppies together. If you have 8 puppies, they "potty" everywhere, and if you work outside of the home your wife is going to have to keep that cleaned up so the baby dosent get into it, and i'm sure with a new baby she would be exhausted. puppies are also very mouthy, and play rough. They arent mean, but puppies play, and will knock over the baby (chasing one or 2 is easy, a rowdy crew of 8 or so is hard to get to when they are all going in different directions) they are also going to be mouthy with the baby, and probably knock the little one over, not to mention chew its toys up. I vote wait until atleast the next heat, so your wife can spend all her quality time with the new baby for now.

Very valid points and something to think about. I know Angel (our boxer baby) was very mouthy when she was smaller and teething. She is going on 9 months now and a lot better but if you have several mouths doing that all at once it could be a handful to say the least expecially with a baby in the house.

 

[Alisha514]

Its funny how one simple question can lead to such crap. Why can't people stick to the question at hand and keep your opinions to yourself unless asked? Anyway Ashley in my experiance with breeding dogs we always waited till they were two yrs old. Since she's not actually two yet I would wait till her next cycle.

Alisha

 

[mydaddysjag]

A no opinion answer would be no, do not breed right now. she isnt two yet, so isnt olod enough to screen for some of the tests she needs done.

Also, being that she is in season now, even if she was over two, you wouldnt have time to have the tests done, and sent off to OFA and so fourth.

If your going to have her tested (im pretty sure you said you were) you have to wait, they wont do it until they actually are two.

 

[Charlene]

Its funny how one simple question can lead to such crap. Why can't people stick to the question at hand and keep your opinions to yourself unless asked? Anyway Ashley in my experiance with breeding dogs we always waited till they were two yrs old. Since she's not actually two yet I would wait till her next cycle.

Alisha

not to start WWIII here but there is much more to breeding dogs than just popping out puppies and finding good homes for them. notwithstanding all of the dogs in shelters needing homes, many of which are purebreds, anybody who is thinking about breeding their dog NEEDS to know about genetic issues common to the the particular breed.

until my male corgi began showing symptoms of DM and was presumptively diagnosed, i had never even HEARD of this disease. we were bumping along just fine, enjoying life, chasing rabbits, totally oblivious to a condition that, i know now, will lead to an early death. why anybody would voluntarily remain ignorant to such things and thus, quite possibly pass the genes along to future generations, is beyond me.

statistically, of 600+ pembroke corgis that have been DNA tested, only SIX PERCENT tested normal. the numbers are staggering. i don't know the stats for boxers but they are one of several breeds that are shown to be plagued by DM.

i will take any chance i can get to try to educate a potential breeder to this disease. trust me, you do NOT want to have to deal with it. EVER.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Its funny how one simple question can lead to such crap. Why can't people stick to the question at hand and keep your opinions to yourself unless asked? Anyway Ashley in my experiance with breeding dogs we always waited till they were two yrs old. Since she's not actually two yet I would wait till her next cycle.

Alisha

Sometimes the hypocrisy here amazes me. If someone posted a pic of their pet quality stallion or mare and asked what kind of foal they think s/he'd make, they'd get all kinds of answers, mostly that they shouldn't breed them, geld that stallion, there are too many horses now, too many going to slaughter, prices are too low, costs are too high, you could lose the mare, etc etc etc. You've ALL read and seen them. But when someone posts about breeding dogs- MILLIONS die EVERY year in shelters!- it's all good and fine. (This is not saying that Ashley's boxer is a pet quality dog- but the odds are good she is)

*sigh*

Unless your dog is REGISTERED SHOW quality, had ALL of it's clearances, and TITLED (shown and WON and has it's champion) you are just part of the problem of pet overpopulation.

I love dogs almost as much as horses. But seeing the videos on You Tube of dogs dying, seeing the stats.... making more dogs just doesn't seem like a good idea right now. Especially with the economy the way it is and MORE animals ending up in shelters because their people just can't afford to keep them anymore, well....

 

[Jill]

I don't have a clue how the OP feels about the responses but it sure seems to me that anytime someone asks a pool of potentially 1,000's of people what their opinion is, they have got to expect they may provide more indepth feed back than simply an age range.

Honestly, I will very rarely hold something out here for a group opinion because I know there's a such a range of opinions and a range of motives. Mabye I don't really want to open my horses (or dogs, whatever) up to a lot of input from someone who's owned a horse for 3 mos. Maybe I have a network of friends who are accomplished and knowledgable to ask privately. Maybe I can google and find some real basic information like the best age to breed an animal.

But it's beyond me that anyone would ask a question so really open to strong opinions (especially when so much personally has previously been shared about the dogs(s)) and be surprised that the opinions expressed are wider in scope than an age factor.

 

[Charlene]

F-o-D, i agree with you 100%.

simon's dam and sire were both champions and produced many champion puppies, my simon being one of them. however, here is another scenario for you...ashley, God forbid your girl should EVER manifest the symptoms of degenerative myelopathy but, IF she has a litter or two of puppies and say, 5 or 6 or 7 years down the road, she is presumptively diagnosed with this disease, are you prepared to notify every single puppy buyer of that fact? if you do not, you will be perpetuating the problem in a breed you profess to love.

after simon started showing symptoms, i contacted his breeder to ask about this disease showing up in his bloodlines. only then was i told that his father died 2 years ago from this disease. apparently, she did not see the need to contact (or at least TRY to) any of the people who bought puppies from her to at least let them know of the POSSIBILITY of DM and thus, preventing dogs from those lines from being bred. simon is intact because his previous owner always wanted a pup from him. over the years, i have had several people contact me, wanting to use simon. logistics just always prevented getting us together and now, i am SO thankful for that. had he been bred, even to a NORMAL corgi, he would have passed on the genes for this disease.

i don't mean to harp on this but if you could see what i see every day of my life, you would understand my passion. a little dog who once delighted in sailing off the deck after a rabbit now has to use a ramp to go up and down. this same little dog, who spent endless hours cuddling with me on the sofa at whim, now has to wait for me to lift him up. i have had to cover my entire kitchen floor with throw rugs because if his little feet hit the linoleum, he falls down. i watch as this disease progresses and because i do not intend to put him in a wheelchair, i know that sooner, rather than later, i will be forced to make the call nobody ever wants to make.

by at least having your dog tested before you even THINK about breeding her, YOU can prevent this heartache for somebody else. if she tests clear, breed her till the cows come home if that's what you want to do but if she tests at risk, PLEASE reconsider.

 

[Ashley]

Did I not say I was testing her before breeding her????? OR did everybody miss that part?

I honestly don't care about some of the posts. I take what I want leave the rest. That said, I do realize it would open up to more, but my life, and my horses have nothing to do with my dog.

And yes I would find a male that is tested as well.

I don't just breed on a whim. I have 4 dogs here. 3 are fixed, one because she is not at all breed quality, and two others that are but never wanted to have puppies from them, plus they are a problem breed.

I can assure you if Bella does not pass all the tests there would be no doubt in my mind of fixing her. And she wouldn't be having a bunch of litters. I want one litter that's it.

 

[Jill]

I don't know how I could really even describe my own life w/o bringing up dogs and horses

 

[Ashley]

There is much more to my life then my dogs and horses. They are my pets(and kids when I can get away saying it) but its not the only thing to it.

 

[Charlene]

Did I not say I was testing her before breeding her????? OR did everybody miss that part?
I honestly don't care about some of the posts. I take what I want leave the rest. That said, I do realize it would open up to more, but my life, and my horses have nothing to do with my dog.

And yes I would find a male that is tested as well.

I don't just breed on a whim. I have 4 dogs here. 3 are fixed, one because she is not at all breed quality, and two others that are but never wanted to have puppies from them, plus they are a problem breed.

I can assure you if Bella does not pass all the tests there would be no doubt in my mind of fixing her. And she wouldn't be having a bunch of litters. I want one litter that's it.

i did not miss that part, i just didn't know if you are familiar with DM. i have had my corgis for many years and i had never even heard of this disease until recently.

unless you plan to sell your pups with a spay/neuter clause in your contract, just because YOU only plan to have one litter does not mean the resulting puppies won't eventually produce more and more and more and more. the cycle goes on and on, ad nauseum.

btw, what else ARE you planning to test for?

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

Jill,

I know I couldnt..our life revolves around our dogs and horses,

always has and always will.