I think everyone on here wants the same thing. An excellent breeder who puts in all there knowledge and efforts day and night initially and for a lifetime thereafter.

My comments where made on breeders that i know. I think that if a breeder has one litter once a year or less there probable isn't money to be made. But the ones i know do make money as they breed several times a year or the money grabbing ones a lot more often.

A breeder friend of mine still rings puppy owners that she bred 10 years ago, checks if all is still ok if she has heard nothing for a while.

She also drove to someones house in london, (she lives 2 hours away) as she had tried to make contact with the owner on many occassions and had not heard anything. When she knocked on the door the guy was completely shocked at her turning up and she found a newfie who had all its coat shaved off, as his wife "couldn't put up with the hairs" Straight away she offered to have this 4 year old dog back and cutting a long story short, the owner phoned her several weeks later and she went back up to collect this dog permanently.

If you add phonecalls, time, knowledge etc. etc. at an hourly rate then i doubt if anyone makes money. But this is my friends life and i wouldn't class that as work. Most of her friends have purchased her pups so when she calls its a social thing.

I think it is brilliant if you only have one litter to "better your lines" and you all sound very caring. But i do know a lot of people that have pups and only keep one now and again, so these do make money for them and that is quite often why they have several litters a year.

One litters not really going to further your lines, I have a litter every other year but this year it will be consequtive as the stud dogs 9 and due to retire.

Out of interest - If one or two litters doesn't futher lines why do it?

Every litter is an improvement on the last or we wouldnt do it. were striving to improve the gene pool and at the same time get as near to breed standard. Ive kept a bitch out of my last litter whos better than her mum so in a couple of years I'll breed her and hopefully improve again.

so why do it?

If the reason for breeding is to further the breed why only breed when you want a pup for yourself? Is it to further your own line rather than the breed in general?

Think this answers your questions. I breed to futher my lines and up until now I've always kept. Not sure I will next time as the pick of the girls is going to a friend to show and if shes good enough to breed from, and I'll get a puppy back. This is only because the stud dogs getting old and we have a problem with infertitily in the breed and so I darent leave it any longer or I wouldnt bother.