I have a female A.B. that is a good size and health and great temperment and drive. Currently I do not have papers for her, but I am trying to hunt them down. I am entertaining the idea of having a litter with her. I have several people asking me for pups.

Just hunting for others opinions.

Personally I would love to have a male from her then have her fixed. But I can see problems one of which the breed tends to have large litters and although finding homes for the pups would not difficult finding GOOD home may.
I believe deeply in non forced personal responsibility to the community and animals and therefor have several reservations.

Right now I am just fishing for ideas and opinions.

P.S. Vet supervision as well as all necessary safety precautions would definitely be part of the process.

Opinon:
The world already has enough dogs of any breed, of any size, of any temperment, and of any drive than is wanted.


Keep the papers unfound.
Randy

Generally when one doesn't purchase a dog with the intention to breed, rarely does one end up owning a dog that should be bred.

To breed you should know all about the dogs in both the pedigree of your dog and the pedigree of the sire. You should be familiar with what each dog's lines are known to produce and what typically happens when you cross those two bloodlines.

The fact that you have to ask makes the answer automatically "no"

I agree with Mike. Dogs should only be bred with an eye for improving and contributing to a breed. It's difficult enough when you've studied and researched the lines and purchased dogs accordingly, paid out the $$ for all the necessary health screening and have the time and space to do it right. Even under the best circumstances things can go wrong; bitches die in whelp, puppies can be born mummified, complications lead to huge veterinary expenses, etc.

Beyond that, a good breeder has a responsibility to EVERY life they bring into the world starting from birth and ending at death. This starts with good care in the beginning of life, responsible screening for potential new homes, and a willingness to take back a pup if a new home doesn't work out.

It's kind of a big deal. If there were NO backyard breeders and NO puppy-mills, there would be no shelter dogs. I'm not a fan of breeding 'just because'.

I guess that's my long way around saying "please don't do it".

 Quote: Mike J Schoonbrood

Generally when one doesn't purchase a dog with the intention to breed, rarely does one end up owning a dog that should be bred.

I want to add that even when you purchase a dog with the intention to breed, in many cases the dog still may turn out to be a bad choice for contributing to the gene pool.

I would guess out of the last 10 or so dogs I have purchased specifically for breeding or kept back from my own breeding program as potential breeding stock, I have bred 2 of them.

And when you say people have been asking for puppies out of your dog......if I had a dollar for every time I had heard that I could retire. I will guarantee you that once the pups were here, the majority (or all) of those people would back out..... I have a lot of experience on the puppy placement front, and it's just how it typically works.
Unless you are willing to keep a litter of puppies indefinitely, be prepared to give some of them away and then lie awake at night worrying about the homes they have. As someone who isn't known in the AB world, your choice of homes will be limited to people who may not be the best placements.

I think not breeding your dog is the best decision. (since you asked for opinions)

 Quote:

I respect the opinions of those who posted above. Even if I do not completely understand the reasoning behind all of them. But them again I am not indoctrinated in dog culture

Kinda curious what it is you don't understand... And I mean that in the most respectful way possible. I am sure your dog is as lovely, but unless you find her papers, and put a title on her and get all of her clearances through the vet (you said you would already, but just restating it) there is really no reason I can see to beed.

After having accomplished all of that, and the cost it would take to do this, you could buy a (or maybe two) ABs. These dogs that you could get later you would know everything about, and could research intensely before they are even conceived. On top of that, the chances of her reproducing herself is slim. Even top breeders that have every dog on every pedigree memorized, and have owned four generations back or more, have a tough time getting the same pup back or guaranteeing a certain dog.

I have raised two litters from Rotts that were bred before being placed into a rescue. One was an absolutely beautiful female that any Rott fancier would tell you she would throw gorgeous pups. And the male she was bred to was a handsome boy as well (a wannabe breeder had 6 adult Rotts and 18 pups taken away.) That litter was large, 10 pups, and only three of them were what I would call nice pups. And as adults only one was anything really nice. The rest were mediocre pups that were outside of the standard in one way or the other, from head, to body proportions, to white markings and poor coloring, to size. While mom and dad were both great "looking" dogs with nice temperaments, together the pups were a mismatched lot. The "breeder" thought he had really nice dogs, and he did for the most part, but he himself had little idea of what his "papered" dogs really were.

This was an example of a back yard breeder that just wanted to have a litter or two 'cause he had some nice dogs and people would want some. The market for Rott pups was not what he thought it was and he ended up having to keep some pups... But the next litter would be great! The city pulled the dogs due to sheer number. I don't think this would ever happen to you, this is an extreme case, but is what can happen to a well meaning person.

For all we know, she is a perfect example of the AB. She may be of such quality that she should be bred, but the chances of this falling into your lap is pretty slim. If you go this way, please stay in very close contact with the breeders you know and the breeder that owns the male. And if you do find the papers, get in touch with her breeders and talk to them about their program and where they are going with it, and what lines cross well with their pups. If they can't tell you that, I'd stay far away from all of this...

P.S. I really hope this is all taken in the way that I mean it. It is not meant to offend, but I have witnessed what can happen first hand, and would prevent it if at all possible from happening again.

I just want to put my little .02 cents in.
I am in no way of any kind a expert. But I will say this I have seen quite a few BYB's that thought they had something and didn't.
People looking for a certian breed 9 out of 10 times know what they are looking for out of that breed. And your pups don't cut the bill you won't be able to sell them to good people.
I had a litter of kittens that I took the mom in and got real attached. It took me 3 months to find homes I really liked.
Like everyone said befor are you prepaired to do that have 4 or 5 puppys running around your house for that long.
I have had bad experence with back yard breeders in the past.
And you would be put under that certian.
I hope ed chimes in to answer this also but he probaly did year worth of research before he started doing what he is doing.
Then it probaly took year to get everything straight.
So the pro do what they do best and stick to your day job in my opion. And I would say it like that to anyone
I would never breed a dog. My female is fixed and my male will be in 1 year

Back yard breeding is an injustice to the animal that is being bred and the pups that result. Folks that tend to receive these type dogs appear to not know exactly what they are in for, hence the BYB purchase or exchange and the dozens of unpleasant and down right disasterous situations that result . Breeding is serious business, it should be left to the experts. In the case of the breed of dog I love, the APBT, BYBs are contributing to the demise of the breed.

I don't agree with it, IMHO you want a class act dog go to a class act breeder, then do right by the animal. JMO.

I wanted to add, when people who really don't really have knowledge about breeding do it anyway to "get a puppy out of their *insert dog name here*" it's a good idea to think about all the things that can (and many times do) go wrong. Our whelping dvd is something everyone considering a litter should watch before the breeding is done. I could tell you horror stories of things I've gone through with many different litters I have whelped. When it goes well, it's still a lot of work but when things go bad...........it can be overwhelming on many different levels and there is a chance you can lose your bitch every time you breed her.

In most cases, you can take the money you would spend on the care of a bitch and a litter and buy a REALLY nice pup from a breeder who is doing their given breed justice.