how do i know if my bitch is interested in mating.
i have had her around males plenty of times when she is in heat, and the males go crazy but she never allows them to do the deed.

i would like her to have a litter before having her spayed.
she is 3 years 5 months old.

how would i initiate the process? I also don't want to end up with a dog fight as she can be a bit touchy when she is in heat.

anyone have any suggestions?

Yusrie,

Most of us here believe in responsible breeding, not breeding just to have a litter with any ol male (of the same breed or not) which happens to be around. There are enough dogs in this world, and no lack of GSDs, so why would we not ask that the dogs being bred are of high standard and that owners pursuing breeding dogs truly evaluate what they are doing and why?

Do everyone a favor and spay your dog or at least get educated about breeding dogs BEFORE taking on the task. Then I'm sure everyone here will be happy to answer any questions after that point.

Good luck to you both,

Melissa

well, its not gona be any male. i am looking for a well bred strong and healthy male.
and the puppies that might come from this are already spoken for.
i have done my research and looked into breeding.

the problem with breeders is the cost of their puppies.
its insane. I love my dogs and they are fed only the best quality meats and vegetables. I follow a BARF diet, exercise them and do everything that anyone with a dog they bought at a breeder for thousands of rands. that would probably equate to a few hundred dollars your side, but here not everyone has that kind of money lying around to buy a dog.

and if i can give some very good people a very good dog, then whats wrong with that?

Yusrie,
I predict this will be a very long thread! Breeders charge these prices for their time and the money spent developing/producing a quality line. I don't breed, I rescue, please spay your dog and let those that have spoken for your future pups rescue!

Hello. I understand that the original post was meant as a "harmless" question to gain insight. I don't have the answer, I am educated on the topic bookwise only. However I do understand the need to express about the qty/quality of dog breeding. I too have a lot of opinions but will save it for another time.

Please take into consideration before breeding, are you willing to take one or all the dogs back into your house regardless of their age or circumstances? People cannot always keep the dog throughout its life for many different reasons and it will need somewhere to live. Aimee

Yusrie, if you look at this on the practical side, the cost of a dog from a breeder is within the same range as cost of any non-basic medical treatment. Somebody who cannot afford a dog from a breeder is unlikely to afford a set of tests+surgery+post-op care and would just PTS the dog.

Here is an example of a breeder who should not have been born himself: at a local emergency vet I've met a guy with a lactating PB who had bad infection. He said he won't be able to afford to save the mother and she would have to die. No problem, the pups are fine - he's got several more lactating mothers at home who would take care of the pups.

Breeding a non compliant female can be painful. If you have tried to breed her and she refuses to stand for the male I would get a full repro workup to rule out medical problems.

Even my most aggressive females will stand when the time is right. Your girl may not be following the normal cycle and progesterine testing may be helpful to pinpoint the days better.

Some girls may have to be muzzled for breeding which I really dislike doing. Someone experienced in breeding may be able to show you how to help the dogs into position.

If all else fails you can always AI. I dislike doing this on a maiden girl though, I really prefer natural breedings if at all possible.

Sometimes attempting a planned breeding can really leave you scratching your head on the amount of unplanned matings that occur every year....

I'm not sure on the cost of vet care in South Africa but make sure you have a vet that will be able to be on stand by when she goes into labor and that you will be able to have the funds for an emergency c-section. I know in some countries the cost can be quite high.

If you do not have any experience delivering pups do you have someone that can assist you?



And it is helpful if one of the partners has been bred before. Watching two virgin dogs trying to figure it out can be comical........

Edited by Betty Waldron (04/15/2010 01:40 PM)
Edit reason: add on

 Quote:

I'm not sure on the cost of vet care in South Africa but make sure you have a vet that will be able to be on stand by when she goes into labor and that you will be able to have the funds for an emergency c-section. I know in some countries the cost can be quite high.

I second that. Lots of emergency situations can come up suddenly during delivery requiring immediate vet care.

Speaking of vet care, what kind of health testing has the female in question had? Hips? Elbows? Eyes? Brucillosis? Appearing healthy and being well-fed is only a small part of the equation here, and not enough on it's own to justify breeding a litter imho. What do you know about the health of the parents? Grandparents?

Puppies from good breeders are expensive because breeding good dogs is expensive and time consuming.

I agree with everyone's posts.

I do plan on breeding my female. With that said, she is young. First, she will have to show me that she has an exceptional temperament, good hips, elbows, eyes, heart, thyroid and some titles. This is why breeding is expensive, this is why people charge what they do for their dogs. On the flipside, this is why people pay the so called "outrageous" prices, because they know that getting a pup from such a breeding will give them a step up in having a great pup, even if they just want a pet.

I think titles (ScH, agility, Mondio: whatever you're breeding your dogs for) show your dogs temperament, versatility and working ability.

There are so many variables when it comes to breeding. What if you breed these two dogs and you end up with pups with very poor temperaments, are you going to take back 4 nerve bag dogs because their owners are not willing to deal with them?