Hello Emma
I responded briefly to a recent post where the person was asking about "studding" his boxer. He was asking about money to charge, how long to leave them together etc. Some folks asked him if he had thought about health, tests, etc., and I asked him why he wanted to use his boxer as a stud. The reply that came back was "because it is something he had been looking into as reproduction is part of nature". I was a little surprised by this answer and my reponse was that I thought it would easier to get hamsters or rabbits if his motive for using his dog as a stud was simply to observe the reproduction process. I suppose I was a little suspicious of his motives and as he has not responded since I posted I will remain sceptical.

The main problem with people who want to start breeding who come on to the Internet to find out how to "do"it is that they haven't a clue as to want is involved as they are mainly(if not totally)the owners of pet dogs, who have very little knowledge of the breed(or non breed come to that)& just want to replicate their pet.

Anyone who is seriously involved with their dogs & wants to breed, goes "start to the horse's mouth"so to speak & approach the breeder of their dog first for advice & then gets involved with experienced breeders & also has them on hand for the whelping etc.

First & foremost, breeding dogs is a privilege & not a God given right just because you own a dog. It should be dones only to improve the breed & only from fully health tested parents, who are good examples of the breed.

A friend of mine is debating whether or not to breed from her bitch, the bitch is very typical of the breed & not only has she done well at shows, but can also do the work the breed was developed to do. She's had all her health tests bar one & my friend is just waiting for the results from the DNA test & her eye test & then she will decide what she is going to do. Her bitch's breeder is very supportive & one of the most experienced in the breed here in the UK. She already knows that her breeder will be on hand(literally)for the whelping & that I am also available 24/7 for help.

On the other hand another "friend" breeds from her dogs without doing any health testing on either of her breeds & offers no back up for puppy buyers & in fact for the GSDs directs any owners who want rid of the dogs she has bred to the nearest GSD rescue(who took in most of a couple of litters she bred)

The first litter I ever bred was from my 2nd bitch after I had owned the breed for 13 years & was from health tested parents & with the support of the stud dog's owner(the breeder of my bitch had sadly died)My vets were also very supportive & one actually just popped into see the bitch & the litter during the whelping as in his own words, they rarely see a"normal"birth.

The same goes for the first litter of the second breed I bred from & I also then had the back up of the breeder of the bitch & the stud dogs owner. Again I didn't rush into breeding a litter I had already owned the breed for over 10 years & the mother wasn't my first bitch either(although my first bitch was a Champion)

Now some 39 years after my first litter was born, I'm planning a first litter in a breed i have had since 1970 & I have the support of the breeder of my bitch puppy(who has unlimited knowledge of the breed)as well as other friends who have also been breeders or had the breed for as long if not longer than me. I already have at least 4 puppies booked from the litter which will not be born for at least 2 yaers !!

When people come on to a forum like this & ask "how do I stud my dog""how do I breed my bitch"etc etc they are showing their lack of knowledge of dogs not just dog breeding.

I have always considered that breeding a litter of puppies means a lifetime of support for the puppy's new owner & also to be there more importantly for the puppy-including being able to take that puppy back at anytime during it's life, which I have, thank goodness, only had to do once in 39 years.

yes everyone has to start somewhere if they are going to do something
But I think if a person has to come on a forum then it is unlikely that they have the backup they need, the experts they have been helping with breeding so they have an idea what to expect

Although I do agree that there is a need for some really good breeders I dont think there is a need for as many breeders as we have now, so I will always advise if someone wants to breed to REALLY think about it
If they are just wanting another dog like their dog then better to go back to their breeder and get another dog from them

I personaly believe that ANYONE breeding dogs, no matter how great they are, has some responsability for the dogs in rescue and they should take that into consideration
I know many dont agree with me there - but I will always mention the plight of the dogs dying in rescue every day to anyone thinking about breeding

i dont know what threads you are talking about, i havent read them. but i just think, with the number of homeless dogs, and the high numbers dying in kennels everyday, people should only breed from a dog who is a great example of the breed and ticks every single box. so i think people who are going to breed, should have a lot of experience with that breed so they can tell if the dog is suitable to breed from, but of course you have to start somewhere. so for me, its more about experience with the breed rather than experience of actual breeding, but i think that those wanting to breed should make sure that they have plenty help to help things go smoothly. i also think breed should be taken into consideration, some breeds are amazing overbred and IMO, those should be bred even more carefully by the responsible breeders (the irresponsible breeders are a whole other matter). i am also against people breeding crossbreeds for any other reason than health.

i hope that makes sense, but jake is battering me with his paw coz its time for his walk

I understand where you are coming from, however by encouraging responsible people not to breed & to take on rescues, you are also indirectly supporting breeders who do not breed responsibly & who give no back up for their puppies. If this was not the case-why do the dogs end up in rescue most of the time ??? There are genuine rescue cases like owners dying & the breeder have predeceased them(or in fact the dogs being bred by the owner)but these are few & far between

It would be no good for the people who want my puppies to get a rescue instead as there is no way of knowing that the rescue would be able to do the work my puppies will be able to do. Plus if everyone stopping breeding(as PETA want)until all the rescues were homed, then the only dogs left would be the rescues as the responsibly bred dogs will have long since died

Yes I know and I totaly agree, there is no easy solution
But most of the people coming on here asking for advice on breeding dont really tend to be the ones that are going to breed the best dogs - they dont have the experience needed
That is what I have seen from the threads I have been on

I think everyones standards are different for what a good breeder should be, IMO it would be much better if a person wanting to breed is challanged all the way and they can decide in their concience that their reasons are correct then that is the best

All to often the GP are all for people breeding - I have had many offers for Ben to be used as a stud before he was 6 months old - if I didnt know anything other than the people around here then I would think it a good idea to breed him - and the puppies had plenty homes lined up
Its good that wee put forward a different point of view

I read that thread and yes I agree the reasoning seemed very strange, and if it was part of nature to breed, he could be given any animal and breed it, mind you imagine the amount of rabbits the UK would have then, talk about a plague
I understand where your post came from.

Amazing story of yours their JoedeeUK, and very informative, if you threw that at one of the breeding questioning threads it would really give some food for thought and insight into breeding.

Yes, as others have said some people think that it's their god given right to breed if they have a dog. I do have breeding plans for Rio, she is health tested with great results and has a great temperament and is a lovely bitch in every way. I will use Dan IF his hip score is good (I haven't had him done yet) and I have five different friends on hand to help and advise - including their breeder. What really annoys me though is when people ask when I am going to breed from my JRT. Never is the answer! She has just started her first season, so will be spayed in three months. Is there any need for me to produce Jack Russells? Nope!

The decision to breed is approached with appalling casualness by far too many people.

Novice breeders should begin the endeavour armed with all the relevent information and with the assistance of a proven mentor.

Aspiring breeders fishing for basic information on unreliable internet forums are not sufficiently prepared.