My Baby, Heidi, went on her first "date"

[Matt73]

Callie and Heidi (Callie's daughter from her first litter) went on a "double-date" today. All three of my Berners came into heat at the same time; makes it easy to send them to their males. Callie will be bred for her third and final time. This will be Heidi's first litter. My dogs don't leave the farm very much, so I'm glad they have each other while they're there. Callie will be bred back to "Haggis" and Heidi will "entertain" Bear LOL. Katie (my year old pup) is home, obviously as this is her first heat. She'll be bred next Spring/Summer. Anyhoo, rambling. Katie's fine without them here. I thought she'd be whiney and stuff without them, but she's a strong girl. I miss Callie and Heidi already; but...it's much quieter around here for now

My Heidi girl as a puppy...

Now she's 1 month shy of 2! Why do they have to grow up so fast...?

 

[minie812]

I love that little girl of yours. How are they with the minis? I would think they would be protective? Are they on average about 125-150# and do they tolerate heat very well? What are their health issues?

 

[Matt73]

Thanks! They are HUGE SUCKS

! Think of a Golden Retriever x 10

They are not protective/guard dogs at all. They are big lap dogs. If not properly socialised they can actually be quite timid around strangers. They love the minis. Females are between 70 and 90 lbs., generally. Males are between 80 and up to 125. There are actually smaller lines and bigger lines. Mine are medium sized. Depending on the coat, they tolerate heat okay. Mine have a very silky, light coat. But the male that Heidi is being bred to has a very thick coat that requires lots of brushing. So he wouldn't be a candidate for a warmer climate. On hot days, my guys are in the barn (it's nice and cool in there in the summer).

Health problems. Yep! Prone to dysplasia (hip and elbow). Cancers (bone). Life span is generally 10 years. My girls are tested for both hip and elbow dysplasia at 18+ months of age. We also sell the pups with a non-breeding agreement and a 2 year health guarantee (because the dysplasias can show up later). Despite all that, we haven't had any problems, and no complaints from any buyers (knock wood).

Here's a pic of our adult male, Riley, that we sold to a loving family last year

 

[Reijel's Mom]

Your animals are beautiful and I LOVE that you are so responsible with what you do. If I were closer I'd just maybe have to come a knocking for a pup

.

 

[minie812]

I think it would be to hot here for them. I had a 100# aussie will a very thick coat and it was horrible for him in the summer. Riley reminds me alot of him...he was my buddy and I sure miss him had to cross him over because of bad seizures.

 

[Lisa]

WOW! I can't believe Heidi is going to have puppies!

She'll be a great mom! She's so sweet - she was still so puppish last year

Now she's all grown up and gorgeous!

 

[markadoodle]

how old does a "puppy" dog have to be to breed?

 

[Matt73]

Generally, you should wait until the second heat. Berners come into their first heat anywhere from 12-15 months or even longer. Heidi had her first heat at 15 mos. She is a few months shy of 2 right now. 18 months of age is a good time.

 

[markadoodle]

ok i have a tibetian spaniel and she is 2 should i breed her they are VERY VERY VERY RARE!!!!!!

 

[Matt73]

ok i have a tibetian spaniel and she is 2 should i breed her they are VERY VERY VERY RARE!!!!!!

Well...you shouldn't just breed because you can (that goes for dogs like it does horses etc.). You have to look at conformation, temperament, and if there are people that are interested in buying the pups in your area; responsible owners. Breeding dogs is a lot of work (both for the bitch and the owner/caretaker). Contrary to cats, where they do all the work, basically, once the pups are eating (3-4 weeks) often mom says, "they're all yours now, sucker LOL". There is a ton more that goes into it and things can go wrong. Maybe some others on here can enlighten you further

 

[markadoodle]

yes thanks i knew most of that and i found one with good conformation for stud and yes alot of people i know want a little "sophie" for there selves.lol. but yah the only reason i asked is because i wanted to know if u have had any bad experiences my mom has bred 3 dogs in wich one had to be bred 4 times because she wouldnt take cept for one of them ans she was due in a couple weeks she got outside and got ran over by a motercycle it was HORRIBLE!

 

[Mona]

WOW, how time flies!! I bet you'll hardly be able to stand the wait now! I used to think 9 weeks was FOREVER when I raised Chihuahuas, but that is nothing compared to the 11 months of a horse! (as you are finding out!! LOL

) UGH!

 

[Mercysmom]

ok i have a tibetian spaniel and she is 2 should i breed her they are VERY VERY VERY RARE!!!!!!

Well...you shouldn't just breed because you can (that goes for dogs like it does horses etc.). You have to look at conformation, temperament, and if there are people that are interested in buying the pups in your area; responsible owners. Breeding dogs is a lot of work (both for the bitch and the owner/caretaker). Contrary to cats, where they do all the work, basically, once the pups are eating (3-4 weeks) often mom says, "they're all yours now, sucker LOL". There is a ton more that goes into it and things can go wrong. Maybe some others on here can enlighten you further

Well said. My veterinarian actually tried to talk me out of spaying Bridget, my German Shorthaired Pointer as her conformation and temperament are that good but I did not want to raise puppies, and then be responsible for their rest of their lives as in my opinion, that is a breeder's responsibility. It is much easier for me to have Bridget be my baby - not have to worry about pyometras and cancers...and I have no regrets.

Matt, your dogs are beautiful - I do not dare show my friend who loves Bernese Mountain Dogs as she will be knocking on your door for sure.

Best wishes for healthy pregnancies for your girls and healthy puppies.

I love the picture (the drawing) in your avatar.

Denise

 

[anoki]

Generally, you should wait until the second heat. Berners come into their first heat anywhere from 12-15 months or even longer. Heidi had her first heat at 15 mos. She is a few months shy of 2 right now. 18 months of age is a good time.

I'm just going to correct one thing Matt.

Most breeders wait until the dog has had their 2nd birthday (or within weeks of having it, so a month possibly two before it) before they breed. My corgi girls all came into season when they were 7-10 months old, so it does depend on the breed that way....which is probably why I've heard more toward 2nd birthday than 2nd heat.

As with horses it depends on the maturity of the animal too.

~kathryn

 

[markadoodle]

Well said. My veterinarian actually tried to talk me out of spaying Bridget, my German Shorthaired Pointer as her conformation and temperament are that good but I did not want to raise puppies, and then be responsible for their rest of their lives as in my opinion, that is a breeder's responsibility. It is much easier for me to have Bridget be my baby - not have to worry about pyometras and cancers...and I have no regrets.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Okay yup i agree I didnt want to really breed her but 3 of the vets and mine said not to fix her and breed her considering they are so rare and many people wanted me to breed her honestly i didnt want to because i dont want to have any risk. i like playing it safe. she is very small so that all ready adds more problems giving birth.

 

[Mercysmom]

Well said. My veterinarian actually tried to talk me out of spaying Bridget, my German Shorthaired Pointer as her conformation and temperament are that good but I did not want to raise puppies, and then be responsible for their rest of their lives as in my opinion, that is a breeder's responsibility. It is much easier for me to have Bridget be my baby - not have to worry about pyometras and cancers...and I have no regrets.______________________________________________________________________________________

Okay yup i agree I didnt want to really breed her but 3 of the vets and mine said not to fix her and breed her considering they are so rare and many people wanted me to breed her honestly i didnt want to because i dont want to have any risk. i like playing it safe. she is very small so that all ready adds more problems giving birth.

Sorry to hijack the thread for a moment, Matt:

I worked at a veterinary clinic in CT and saw the other side of breeding - a beautiful, experienced Collie who could not deliver her puppies, had a C-section, lost the litter of eight puppies (ranging in sizes from two pounds to just a few ounces) and she almost died herself.

A few Boxer breeders would come in with the white puppies to have them euthanized as they are deaf (in her line, anyway). The breeder would be sobbing but she did not want the puppies to be raised and possibly rehomed.

Then there were the things like hip dysplasia, eye problems... when I asked a German Shorthaired Pointer "breeder" if she had OFA and CERF certification on her dogs, she said, "Well, they are AKC registered..."

I would not buy a dog without OFA and CERF certification and I also needed health and temperament guarantees. I was able to weed a few backyard breeders off my list when they would not guarantee their puppies.

We purchased a Basset Hound puppy years ago and she was aggressive - actually going after my young sons when they would sit and watch TV...and when I went to correct her, she went after me. Breeder exchanged her immediately for her quieter sister and we had Emily for 11 years until she died of cancer. That breeder had been breeding Bassets for years and he stood by his dogs... he knew the lines and said it happened once before.

Like I mentioned, I am perfectly happy leaving it up to the breeders who know what they are doing - I do not want to know and am much happier being an owner of a really pretty, beautifully conformed, spayed "girl."

Thanks for letting me share my two cents, Matt - you rock and can't wait to see picks of your new babies!!!

Denise

 

[markadoodle]

yhankyou

and yes your dog are are very nice and keep up posted whens she poppin' 'um'

 

[Matt73]

Thanks guys! Great points, Denise.

 

[Matt73]

Generally, you should wait until the second heat. Berners come into their first heat anywhere from 12-15 months or even longer. Heidi had her first heat at 15 mos. She is a few months shy of 2 right now. 18 months of age is a good time.

I'm just going to correct one thing Matt.

Most breeders wait until the dog has had their 2nd birthday (or within weeks of having it, so a month possibly two before it) before they breed. My corgi girls all came into season when they were 7-10 months old, so it does depend on the breed that way....which is probably why I've heard more toward 2nd birthday than 2nd heat.

As with horses it depends on the maturity of the animal too.

~kathryn

I meant to say, generally... I had a buyer that I sold a female to ask if I could change the non-breeding agreement because she wanted to breed her at a year. I told her that as long as she had all the tests done (hips, elbows, eyes, etc.) and could show documentation that all was well, plus $800 (a breeding quality dog is $2000, I sell for $1200 with a non-breeding agreement), etc. that I would. The dysplasia tests are done at/after 18 months, so I said, "You're not thinking of breeding her now, are you?". I never heard back from her

Berners, especially, are slow to mature. So, yes, you should wait until they're mature and at least until their second heat