Author Topic: How old to breed your dog?  (Read 3025 times)

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Offline chadwick

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How old to breed your dog?
« on: March 21, 2008, 02:38:27 PM »
What is the best age to breed your dog? :shades:

Offline Elmo

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2008, 02:45:01 PM »
I cant answer your question as im not qualified to but there is a thread on the breeding board about using your dog at stud

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=3420.0

Offline Nicola

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2008, 02:59:09 PM »
A dog should be fully mature before you even consider breeding from them. If your dog is a male the best time to breed him is then once you've done all the relevant health tests for the breed, once he's proven himself either in the show ring or as a working/Field Trialling dog and once you know there is a proven demand for his services from responsible, health testing bitch owners who also show/work/trial their bitches (not just the pet owner down the street who has a cute bitch they want a litter from) and also when there is a demand for pups sired by him. If you have a bitch then it's it's all the above except subsititute stud owners for bitch owners.
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Offline Tasha

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2008, 11:23:17 PM »
depends on the dog but we don't breed before three & four years and only then if there is a demand and health tests have been done and are clear and if they are working ok.  By that age you know if there are any health problems but thats personal choice.

If your dog is a pet then really you should consider if breeding is the right thing to do afterall you don't want to be considered using him as a money tree.



Offline PennyB

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2008, 12:50:53 PM »
I agree with all of the above --- mostly why you want to breed in the 1st place
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Offline hle

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2008, 02:11:29 PM »
I feel as though I have to add to the comments here. We bought Cody solely as a pet dog although he does have a good pedigree. People do comment on what a beautiful dog he is and we have been asked whether we are going to show him. We may do this as a fun activity if Cody enjoys it but don't really want to be professional show goers. My comment is that 2 people with cocker spaniel bitches have approached us about using him as a stud dog, providing the pedigrees show no relationship between them. We had not really considered this but as he is a beautiful dog it seems a shame not to carry on his pedigree. At the moment he is too young, only 9 months but I was wondering would mating change his personality? As he is a pet dog this is the most important consideration for us.



Offline CarolineL

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2008, 02:23:06 PM »
We had not really considered this but as he is a beautiful dog it seems a shame not to carry on his pedigree.

IMO you shouldnt be breeding just because he is a beautiful dog. There are plenty of people who tell me that my dog is gorgeousl but that is no good reason to bring more puppies into the world.  ;)  You only have to check out the free ads to see how many cocker spaniel puppies are being advertised by non reputable breeders.

If you bought him from a reputable breeder then you should know that people who want the ideal puppy should go down the reputable breeder route ie: health tested and a proven dog in the show ring or field.

It is possible when using a dog that it can change a dog's temprament - my sister and her OH deeply regret using their dog as a stud - it has irrevocably changed his temprement and there is nothing they can do about it.........

Enjoy your dog for what he is........ a pet.
Caroline, Hurley the cocker, Jasper Cat and Little Mo xxxxx

"My name's not Hurley, it's Hugo Reyes. Hurley's just a nickname I have. Why?.... I'm not telling..."

Offline Jane S

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2008, 03:07:24 PM »
We had not really considered this but as he is a beautiful dog it seems a shame not to carry on his pedigree.

But if he has such a good pedigree, then his lines are already being carried on by other breeders - there are really no unique Cocker breeding lines that can't be found elsewhere. I'm sure your boy is a lovely boy but I'm afraid that wanting to carry on his pedigree really isn't a good enough reason to breed. I have to agree with Caroline that you'd be better of enjoying your boy as the great pet he is - he will never miss what he's never had :D
Jane

Offline ludo

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #8 on: May 04, 2008, 10:02:23 PM »
just out of interest what reasons do people consider are adequate reasons to breed?   :blink:
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Offline KellyS

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #9 on: May 04, 2008, 10:23:36 PM »
To improve the breed....there will never be a perfect dog but you can give it a dam good try!

The only way to improve the breed IMO is to breed from the best dogs available that have been proven in the show ring or field, have been health tested and have good temperaments...You also can't under estimate the help/guidance of a knowledgeable and experienced breeder to help you along the way...I'm not sure it should be undertaken by people without a serious interest in the breed...
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Offline joanne_v

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #10 on: May 04, 2008, 10:23:46 PM »
Personally I think the breeder has to be in it for the love of the breed and for the good of the breed and have a sound knowledge of the breed and also of how breeding works. As for the dogs they need to be proven in temperament, health, working ability is applicable and lastly looks. I dont think people should be able to breed just because they want a go at it and think they have a lovely dog. It takes huge dedication to breed good quality dogs and there are far too many unwanted dogs out there because of hobby breeders and backyard breeders who dont give enough consideration to the responsibility that having a litter of puppies carries.

Mum to cockers Lily, Lance and Krumble and lurchers Arwen and Lyra. Hooman sister to Pepper, 13.

Offline Tasha

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Re: How old to breed your dog?
« Reply #11 on: May 05, 2008, 09:47:30 PM »
with the best will in the world even if you do all the things that would make you a good breeder you can still struggle with somethings.  its a harder decision to say no than it is to take the 'compliment' and say yes especially for men I've found who are more than happy to prove their dogs abilities without any thought to the breed at all.  Thinking more of their own bits than the well being of their dog or future progeny.

My friend had a Weimaraner that at 9 months was doing fabulous and he had a woman approach him at a competition and butter him up for want of a better word, wonderful dog, fabulous looking I'd love to use him on my bitch blah blah blah... it actually turns out she went for any dog that hadn't been used before because she didn't have to pay a stud fee >:D  Nothing to do with how lovely the dog was or wasn't.  as it happens the dog later died of a heart attack at four years old but was thankfully never bred from.

Breeding if you do it right is costly, time consuming, fraught with problems and unknown issues with regard to genetics and health and its not just from the bitches point of view, the dog can also catch and become ill from anything the bitch has... then there are the temperment changes, if the bitch attacks your dog or harms him by dragging him around when they are tied, so many things can happen.  It really isn't all plain sailing.

The other thing is that EVERYONE thinks a puppy is cute and beautiful.  When ayla and bonnie were pups I took them along Brighton Seafront and could never get more than a few yards at a time.  Wait till he's three and see if they still say how cute he is, although i have found small dogs keep their cuteness far longer than the larger breeds.