I would concentrate on figuring out who she is first. This is the reason for Schutzhund. If all goes well, then you could think about it

What Candy said.

either way you are going to loose a lot of money at it, wreck your social life (sorry, have to go home and bottle feed the pups), have people mad with you (stud owner when a pup doesn't come out the right color/gender, spouse, potential buyers who expected something different from the pup, neighbors, etc.). It's not something to consider lightly, and definitely not something to rush into.

Along these lines, do you believe it would be ethical to breed an outstanding working dog for which there was no information regarding the dog's lineage?

From the standpoint of working terriers, most breeders I know would rather breed to a dog that has never been hunted, but from excellent background, than to a great working dog that has a questionable, or unknown background. I suspect working GSD, Mal, etc people would feel the same way.

I would say that my money would be on the answer no. If you are talking about a very extreme dog the answer would be maybe, depending on how crooked you want to be with fake papers and all. Then again, I don't think this would happen very often in this country. People are too fixated on documentation.

These are two good sites with information on if you should think of breeding or not. I like that they talk about being a 'responsible' breeder, and how we should think about alot of issues before letting 2 dogs get together, just cause we love them.

Should I breed?

Responsible breeding

Outside of whether or not you make the decision to become a responsible breeder - raising the pups the right way, making certain all health checks are done for them and ensuring they end up with good responsible parents, I think there is another question for German Shepherd breeders. That is, does this dog have what it takes to be a working dog?

At a minimum level that means, can this dog to a respectable schutzhund routine and earn a title. Does she enjoy the work, what are the strengths and weaknesses in her temperment and ability to work.

I think most people on this board would argue that more than a Schutzhund title is necessary to consider breeding (something I agree with). Beyond that, you could also test the dog in ways outside of the Schutzhund field - does she work in strange situations with new decoys or helpers? Is she civil? What is her energy level? How does she respond to corrections, etc. etc? I'm sure the people on this board could provide a great checklist for someone to breed a GSD. A list that I think goes far beyond what a breeder for a non-working breed would normally consider.

Good luck and enjoy your pup!

--Alan...

Mark,
You're right where I was when my pup was 15 weeks, not new to dogs but a total neophyte at this level of training. It takes alot of time with your dog and alot of training before
breeding should be a consideration. Even titling your pup in ShcH. isn't a a sign that you should breed. Working with some pretty experienced trainers (and lurking on this board) I've learned that I have way too much to learn about training to even think about anything other than not screwing up a dog who's better than his handler. Train the heck out of your pup! I think this is the most fun you can have with a dog. You still, as do I, have a couple of years to educate yourself about training and breeding before you have to make a decision. Meanwhile love your dog and train, train, train.

Just work with the pup and when she turns out to be a great workingdog u can always consider breeding.
Don't look to much at papers/pedigree(it isn't always a garantee for a good working dog!). Not to mention the
x-rays etc......
So just enjoy your dog and just see what he future brings.

 Quote:

I have a 15 week female GSD, offspring of German imports, great dog. I have an acquaintance who owns a German import male, also a great dog. The owner of the male wants me to allow them to breed, later on of course. The female is my girl, and I don't want to do anything that will jeopardize her health. I have obviously never bred dogs before, and I would not jump into it haphazardly. My question is what are the health ramifications of allowing a breeding to take place regarding my girl? Secondly, if you think it is a good idea, when approximately should I allow it to take place?