5 litters in a three month period.

Bear came to us at 13 weeks of age. I was asked to foster him as he was being given up (I failed as a fosterer and we kept him). He's a fantastic dog, full of energy, eager, picks things up quickly - I wouldn't be without him now that he's here.....

When I picked him up, the previous owner handed me all the paperwork she had on him, no KC papers, but a printed "pedigree" supplied by the breeder.

Browsing the web, I happened to stumble upon some pics of dogs who looked remarkably similar (his markings are a bit unusual) - the dogs happened to be his great granparents: "that's lovely" I thought to myself, the breeders have kept the dogs instead of palming them off at 6 or 7 years of age. What responsible breeders.

I looked at their website a bit more. In a three month period, they've had, or are expecting 5 litters, 4 of which are from the same dog (who's also available for stud).

Is this simply my anti-breeder prejudice* coming out or is this pushing the limits of responsible breeding (dogs are health checked, breeder is KCAB) ? There are approx 30 dogs with GSD Rescue Scotland alone, that's before considering SSPCA, Dogs Trust, and the independandt rescues. It just doesn't seem right to me.


* Neither would I recommend the breeders we bought Ella from. They perform the health tests - then breed from the dogs regardless. I'f I'd known then what I know now, I wouldn't have even considered buying her. (But love her to bits anyway !)

There are always lots of GSDs in rescue & the number of KC registered dogs is surprising very very small.

The pet breeder sees their dogs as an easy money making possessions-just the same way the puppy farmers do. They don't bother to health test, register, vet homes etc etc etc. I've been involved with GSD rescue for as long as I can remember & it's always been the same.

Puppy buyers often opt for the non KC registered puppy because they are cheaper & very easy to obtain. There was one such breeder near here & she used to tell her puppy buyers if they wanted to get rid of the puppy at any time there was/is a good rescue in the area !!

Unfortunately most people have to learn the hard way.

No Michael, you are not anti breeder. It seems that some people don't think (or care) as to what is best for their dogs. So many people think of making a quick buck ref their dogs. Such a shame.

In this particular case, the breeder is a member of the Kennel Club Approved Breeder Scheme, the dogs are hip scored, Haemophilia tested, DNA profiled & chipped - it's almost like an ethical puppy farm!

Ella was our first, we chose a KC registered dog thinking that after health tests they'd breed in the interest of the dogs. They started their breeding programme with their first chamion (Hip Score of 23, but hey - he's a champion !). The Dam of Ella was hip scored at 14 (11:3) this wasn't the breeders first litter, would an ethical breeder use a dog with such a hip score ? Yes I know, I should have done more research, but you tend to think that you're going down the right road in getting a KC registered dog.

You're right WW, I'm not anti all breeders. A vet nurse at our local prctice bred from her working lab, Hips (0:0), kept the pups in the house, played a cd of "scary noises" -if only she was into GSD 's!

There are plenty of good GSD breeders who follow not the KC ethics code but that of the breed council-which is much stricter than anything the KCABS will ever think of. This is why my next GSD will be bred under the very strict SV rules in Germany

A hip score of 23 is not that bad, but a bitch with a very uneven hip score like 3:11 should not be bred from. The male could have had an even hip score(like 11:12)& if evenly spread over the hips could actually be better than 3:11.

Hips are only one part of a dog, health is equally as important as character & temperament-I personally cannot put one over the other. No good having a dog with perfect hips with a lousy character is worse than a dog with slight HD & an outstanding character.

I have a BC bitch from low scoring parents who has cr@p hips, they are even(27:29)but she is now spayed, I hope my new puppy bitch will have good enough hips to be bred from, she will be being "Penn Hipped"after Xmas when the weather is better(a round trip of over 300 miles to the best Penn Hip vet in the UK). I have already had her DNA tested for CEA(CH), CL & TNS(she is "normal for all 3)

I realise a puppy farm breeds from untested dogs, season after season, but 5 litters in three months!

I just looked up the dog with a hip score of 23 on the KC page, hips were 10/13.

Given that the mean for GSD's is 19 - and thats of the dogs submitted for scoring so the true average might well be higher - there's no real justification to breed from that dog other than it was a home produced show champion.

That on top of the unbalanced score of Ella's Dam, and the number of litters I've since seen advertised on their site, and the rehoming of the retired dogs on reaching 6 or 7 years of age........

Oh dear, I can feel my blood pressure rising !

Despite having Ella, and she is a wonderfull pet dog, I wouldn't recommend that particular breeder, nor would I buy another dog from them in the future.

Edit:

The kennels from where we bought Ella proudly advertises "All adults used for breeding must also meet the high standards required for breeding, i.e. hip scores, haemophilia, breed survey etc" so they are fully aware of the tests and the standards.

We live and learn I suppose.

With that amount of litters i believe they need a licence from the council...might be worth tipping them off- if they are all above board then they dont have anything to worry about!

It's advertised on the website that it's been renewed for another year.

It's all above board. I'm just saddened that they're pumping out so many litters when there are so many dogs in rescue.Other than that, there's going to be a lot of dogs sired by this one particular dog.

A puppy farm is anyone that breeds from a number of dogs a year to supply demand, for self gain/profit. Some will health test and breed every other season doesnt make them any less of a puppy farmer.
There is no need for any one breeder to have so many litters in one year - It would seem they are breeding for profit - nothing more.

Sadly we do live in learn, sometimes it is the best way....

If i every went to a breeder i would do loads of research.... i would want dogs to be hip scored, elbow scored and males Haemophilia tested..... I would also research the pedigree... and expect most to have good health tests scores...as well as a sound temperment.

However my next will prob be a rescue dog...