Questions for all of the Legit Dog Breeders out there?
I'm not looking to get into breeding, but I've always been curious as to what possesses people to want to breed. I was completely turned off the process when we fostered a litter of lab/mastiff mix pups after mama was hit by a car, way too much work for my lazy self.
Why did you start breeding? What breed do you specialize in? Is it hard to give the pups up when the time comes? How do you go about selecting decent families for the pups?
If you're a BYB, please skip this, I have no time/sympathy/anything for you guys.
2009-05-20T18:21:16Z
Mauveme49: Read my first statement again lol. I have NO plans on getting into breeding, just rescuing :]
Jennifer T2009-05-20T18:37:46Z
Favorite Answer
I started breeding in the interest of producing the perfect sheltie. I want to produce a pup that grows up and fits every sentence of the standard, as I interpret it. The standard of any breed is open to the interpretation of the breeder or judge, so if I can produce the dog that the vast majority of the fancy adores, I have done what I set out to do. All breeders know perfection isn't achievable, but it should always be the goal of any breeding.
I live and breathe shelties. I nlove all dogs, but this is the breed that rules my heart.
It's always hard to place any dog. Rescues are just as difficult to let go as my own pups. I am always afraid that my best attempt to find the dog a perfect home won't be good enough. Fortuneatly for me, I have only had 1 or 2 failures in maybe a thousand dogs, rescues, shelter dogs, and my own, that I've placed.
I select families by asking them a lot of questions aobut how they spend their time, how physically active they are, and what they expect out of the puppy or dog. I get vet references, or if they are a first time pet owner, I talk to neighbors and even employers to see how they treat responsibilities. I get new pet owners to spend a few days following me around as I tend to the dogs before they are approved for a puppy. I check the ASSA's rescue Do Not Adopt list to be sure they've not dumped a sheltie or haven't been turned down for good reason by a rescue. I even do criminal background checks in the state's data base. If the family is local, I can ask my local dog warden confidentially if she's ever had any problems with them being irresponsible owners. I alos have a pretty comprehensive contract. If they won't sign it, and initial key paragraphs, they won't get a pup or dog. And of course, there's good old 'gut feeling'. If I don't feel comfortable for ANY reason, they don't get one of mine.
Why did you start breeding? I have owned dogs my entire life, and started showing dogs 30 yrs ago. I didn't breed my first litter until 15 years ago. After so much experience in my breed and others & in showing dogs, I decided I was ready to breed. I wanted to breed my own dogs, not just show dogs that were bred by someone else. It is SUCH a special experience to be a breeder/owner/handler! Breeding & raising a litter is a LOT of work. But the rewards are there when someone asks you where you got that gorgeous dog you are showing & you can say that you bred her yourself! What breed do you specialize in? Collies and Schipperkes Is it hard to give the pups up when the time comes? Yes and No. I know that they NEED to go to their new homes cuz it would be impossible to give an entire litter the attention, care, and individual socialization that they need. So in that aspect - I am happy that the ones I am not keeping are going to their new homes. On the other hand.... it is very hard to choose which puppies I want to keep to show myself. I am always afraid I am letting one get away that I should have kept! LOL How do you go about selecting decent families for the pups? All of my puppies go to people that I know from dog shows or to my non dog show friends - and then I convert them to dog show people! I breed very little, so all of my puppies go to show homes & they are either shown by their new owners or by myself.
Why did you start breeding? About 6 years ago, I'm a newbie! But I have been showing dogs for over a decade.
What breed do you specialize in? Bernese Mountain Dogs and soon to be Beaucerons
Is it hard to give the pups up when the time comes? Very, You always wonder if you have found the best possible homes, esp if your pups are going far, or out of state.
How do you go about selecting decent families for the pups? I love it when I meet families at dog shows, the proves to me they are putting the effort into finding the right breed and the right breeder. I like it when they ask ME good questions, like what health tests I do, how my dogs are doing in the show ring, what i feed, etc. etc.
They will be knowledgable about the breed, and dogs in general.
I started breeding when I saw the way the Labrador Retriever, as a whole, was being split into 2 seperate groups. Blocky English show types and leggier American hunting types. I have an AKC champion & OFA certified pedigree chocolate male. He is the best looking chocolate Lab I've seen in a long time. He isn't overly fluffy, short, or to thick like the typical 'show' Lab yet he isn't lanky or thin tailed like the field Lab. He is out of English and American show lines as well as Dual CH's and FC's and has all the potential of doing well in the show ring himself. Our female has more field champions in her immediate pedigree with Am, Eng & Dual Ch's farther back. They also have OFA certs. She has a slightly thinner look than the breed calls for but that is exactly why we bred her to our male. Their puppies are the perfect specimen of the breed. They are intelligent, great in the field, with the looks needed for the show ring. Both our Labs have been traced back to 1904 and 1894 and are out of one of the original 8 lines that started the chocolate coloring. They are also pure as pure can be. In the 1930's 13 breeders mixed in Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Golden Retriever, and Flat Coated Retriever to try and change the coat. Any Labs from those particular lines are not "true" Labs as they have other breeds mixed in. Our Labs do not come from those mixed lines. And for all of you who think that "all breeds were mixed at some point to get a breed". Not necessarily true. The Lab was brought over from England and was the St John's Water Dog. We basically changed the name and didn't breed the ones with white so we only had solid colors. the St John's Water Dog had white on the face, feet, and chest...a few generations later the Labrador Retriever no longer had these characteristic white marks of the original due to selective breeding. This is why you will see white in these areas on Lab mixes as it is still a recessive gene.
Of course it is hard to give the pups up. You become very attached to them. They are a part of your family for 8 weeks. You feed them, train them, care for them and love them and then have to let them go. It's similar to raising kids in a way.
I have a questionaire that has to be filled out. It asks questions like -- Will the pup be inside/outside or both? Do you agree to spay/neuter when the pup is 6 months of age? Do you agree to keep the pup utd on shots/dewormer/rabies? Do you rent or own your home? Are you married or single? Do you have a fenced in yard? Will you train yourself or have help? Do you have other dogs? Do you have the time needed for a puppy? How long will you be gone during the day? You get the idea. :) I also talk to them and get pictures of their home/yard (if they live far away).
~well i started showing about 10 years ago, i really loved my breeds and wanted to improve the breed, plus my parents promised a pup out of my foundation ***** that would be my show dog only. My foundation ***** is a CH, and also has a CD and CGC. She is retired now, but is coming out for veterans. Her daughter is working toward her CH, and her JR and CD, she has her RN and CGC. I got into my second breed about 5 years ago, and i love it. I have a great mentor. I love breeding, i will admit we have had tragedies, but the good outweighs the bad in my opinion. Tragedies make a good breeder better.
What breed(s) do you specialize in? Bulldogs and weimaraners
Is it hard to give the pups up when the time comes? Yes but i know they are going to good homes so it makes it better, i generally get to see my pups later on in life, i show the majority of them. And i have kept 5 of my puppies.
How do you go about selecting decent families for the pups? Well i have a waiting list, we generally get calls and emails for pups every day and when we have pups we put them on the waiting list, if we don't we point them in the direction of breeders that do have pups. We have a survey with questions that they answer through email or phone. We jot down what those potential buyers are looking for and keep it in consideration. When the pups are old enough we allow house visits. I generally want my pups to go to show homes so those homes are priority, but if we can't find show homes we sell to pet homes and if they change their mind we show the dogs for them. If not they are to be spayed and neutered.