"Learning" how to be a breeder?

I have read with interest the various recent threads about breeding and have learned some things I didn't know but as I am basically a nosy person i find myself with a few questions.

Now I have no intentions of breeding either of my girls (one is neutered and the other will be when she is a bit older although they both come from excellent lines) as I have neither the knowledge or the money but where did those of you who breed "learn" the right way to do it? What was the reason/background to your first litter-did you have someone with experience to guide you or perhaps did you grow up in an enviroment where family or friends bred?

I don't want to upset anyone but it is a subject that fascinates me and I would love to know more! If anyone can point me in the direction of where to get more info I would be grateful!

Hope this is the right place to put this

Personally I was showing for 10 years before I bred my first litter. I felt I knew enough about my breed and the lines within it to be able to (hopefully!) produce something which would benefit my breed. There were three puppies in the litter and they all won at least a Res CC with the bitch taking the breed record and our breed's first all breeds Ch show BIS win. They have since produced Champion children and grand children.

To be honest I think far too many people breed too quickly when they go into a breed. Personally I prefer not to breed at all (four litters in three breeds in almost 30 years!) as I spend my entire time fretting about puppies and the bitch! My last litter are 10 years old now so I'm beginning to relax a little about them LOL

For me there's no one place to learn about breeding - it's all about gleaning as much information as possible from as many different places as possible and then asking yourself the question "how is this litter going to benefit my breed?".

Debs

I agree with Debs I think far to many people go into a breed with the intention of breeding from their first dog. I had Parson Russell Terriers for 5 years before my first litter and have had poodles for 7 years before breeding my first litter of them.
You need to go out and talk to people, you don't have to agree with everything they say but you will get some pearls of wisdom from the sensible bunch!
The internet has helped me a lot because it means I can talk to many more people in my breed than I would ever meet at a show. It also means I have been able to track down stud dogs of the lines I'm interested in where they have actually been health tested!
Becky

I agree with Debs, you must know as much as possible about your breed, otherwise how are you going to help and advise anyone that purchases one of your pups, and also make the right decision about suitable homes if you don't know the breed inside out?

I did a similar thing, I had owned setters for over 20 years and shown them for about 15 years before I decided the time was right for my first litter. They are just 2 1/2 years old now, I kept a dog and bitch, the little girl didn't like showing so isn't forced to do it, the little boy though won numerous firsts at championship shows and was always placed, he has been at Crufts 2 years running. My second litter is just 12 months old now but I haven't shown for a year, apart from two champ shows (Crufts being one of them), so haven't given the boy I kept chance to shine in the ring.

To my mind it isn't all about showing but I feel happier knowing that I am breeding from health checked stock that has been assessed against the breed standard. Hopefully, and it is always a gamble, any pups that are produced will meet that standard so new owners are pleased that they have bought a puppy that looks and acts like the breed they wanted.

I'm the same as Debs in that I worry about them, although they are all in lovely homes, you never really relax and let them go completely, I still think of them as my babies

Thank you both for your informative replies-as I say for me it is pure curiosity, but from what I have learned recently it would seem that you are right Becky in that some people breed without giving the process proper thought and without the right level of knowledge.

Oops sorry Scorpio-looks like I was typing at the same time as you!

I was just thinking that, I hadn't seen Beckys reply, which is also excellent.

I was very young when I bred my first litter, just 22 though I had been showing for over ten years. I'd studied genetics a bit and couldn't wait to put my theories into practice and breed the perfect dog

I'd read every dog genetics book and just about everything else I could get my hands on. I knew a lot of breeders in various breeds by that time and took all the advice going but I suppose my greatest source of information and inspiration was my vet. He became a very good friend over the years.

I had owned dogs since I was 16 my first dog being a BC, at 19 I bought logan my GSD, he taught me so much about training and the likes, I did many years doing obed, not always competitive as My son came along, but I always kept my hand in, taking on some rescues also, when I moved to the house im in ten years ago I took on two more rescues as I had the space,
As Logan was getting on in years {he was around 8 / 9 at the time} I began looking for another GSD, I couldnt find one that I would want to own the temprament in the breed had gone rapidly down hill, after two years of keeping my eye open for one I decided, that it was never going to be another gsd, so we looked into rottys, dobs and boerboels, I really didnt want rottys but my OH did, after two years of studying rotts along came royce, by this time logan was twelve, about a year after that mea came, logan had to be pts at 14years old, Dougie bought tegan, then for my valantine pressie he bought kaos for me to replace logan,
the only thing I had never did was breed, I thought I would look into it a short time after getting royce, so done my homework and eventuly had the litter, I had people who had waited almost two years on a pup by this time, much of my former knowlage came from the farming side of things, I lived on a farm with my ex, also many of my friends are farmers, some of who also breed horses, again another great source of info,
I decided to breed rotts as I wanted to produce nice well bread dogs with super tempraments who could be trained and still do well in the show ring, I felt the breed needed to be shown in a good light, so far things are great, I have had two litters,
I have to say though its hard work, costly and you never stop being worried about the pups you have produced, it costs a fortune in phone bills too, calling eveyone all the time to check up,.

We were very lucky when learning about breeding, back in the early 50's we had a bitch & were told by the vet she should have a litter so we asked her breeder & he wasn't a lot of help as he didn't know much more than we did so we went to a lady who had a lot of the dogs on the sires side of the pedigree. She had a big kennels & showed her dogs, She guided us in the choice of stud dog, helped with the mating & the whelping, & guided us all through. She also let me, who was only a school girl, go to her house on Saturdays & help with the dogs. This plus great help from the BAA, now the BAGSD guided our learning.Looking back now I realise how very lucky we were.