Trying to get my Shitzu pregnant

[May209]

Well Annabelle is 15 months old. First question: is she old enough to have babies. She has been in heat 3 times now so we are assuming that she is ready. We have a male about 12 months and this last time she was in her cycle he was finally interested. He missed everytime he attemped to breed. Is he just not old enough and needs more time???? He is a little shorter than annabelle but not enough to where I thought that it mattered. If anyone has any good advice please let me know. We are new at this process.

Thanks Amy

[Carol]

My personal feeling about breeding is: Leave it to the experienced breeders.
Mother Nature has reasons for some dogs not breeding with each other.
I believe from what you said, that you need a lot more knowledge and veterinary advice before you breed these dogs. They are small dogs and may require help in delivery of the pups. What will you do if the female needs a C-Section? are you prepared for that?
With no knowledge and experience, before breeding, why not speak to a breeder of this type of dog and get some advice?
Are the 2 dogs both tested for conditions that plague that breed?
It is an awesome responsibility being a breeder. So many pups end up in shelters or passed from one owner to another because of health and behaviour problems.
Please give this a lot of thought.

[May209]

Well I would like to become an experienced breeder so this is why I asked these questions and got on this forum. Now that I know about such things that gives me a good place to start at the vets. Now I have some homework to do before her next heat cycle. She comes from a reputable breeder herself but I shall carry on to get certain things checked. Thankyou. I in now way want to be known as a back yard breeder so I appreciate any advice given. First thing on Monday I will make the call.

Thanks again

Amy

[Carol]

I was wondering how you made out getting info re: breeding your female.
I have been told that most breeders will not breed a female before 2 yrs of age because it is at that age they can test for inherited problems.
Both the parents should be free of the conditions being tested for and both registered as such.
Also, hopefully both dogs were sold as breeding quality.
Lots of research needed but fortunately, there is lots of info is out there.
Unfortunately, there are lots of unethical and thoughtless breeders out there that think they will make a lot of money doing it.
Not true, unless you can charge and receive very high prices.
Ethical breeders remain (via contract) a part of the pups life forever by being willing to take the pup back if it ever needs rehoming.
They also offer a guarantee for the health of the pup as far as hips, eyes, etc. for a period of 1 or 2 years. They also vaccinate and microchip the pups.
Big responsibilty and not a huge monetary return.

[K9MadMum]

Most reputable breeders will make you sign a contract.
You will also find that a breeder with good lines may have a breeding restriction on the bitches/dogs that she/he sells, If so,you will need to get them to lift it so you can breed.
I dont think the KC will let you register pups with them unless the dam is 2yrs + and I think the best time for a stud dog is 18 months plus as they are then more mature and you have a better picture into the tempermant that your pups may have. As mentioned in the previous post testing for genetic faults are paramount if its something you want to get into seriously but i think the temperament of the parents is just as important too.
Good luck let us know how it goes!!:)

Kirsty & Koda xx

[May209]

Hey thanks for your inpute. I'm on hold at the moment lots to check out. For now annabelle will just be my baby and we will hold off on the rest. I will keep you informed as I check things out though. I will probably have more questions but I know that I've got lots of knowledgable dog people to help me learn lots. Thank-you:)

[bulldog1]

BREEDING well first of is you dog of suitable quality to breed? do you have a waiting list for the pups? I no of ppl that have breed young dogs IMO not at all right wait till the dog is fully grown first it is a lot of strain on any dog being pregnant yet alone a young dog, what are you going to bring to the breed are your dogs going to be better than the parents ppl work really hard for years improving the quality of breeds, what if some thing is wrong with the pups would you be prepared to cull? or would you just sell them anyway? what are you going in to breeding for? money or to better the breed? sorry for all the questions but there are a lot of dogs out there already and hundreds in rescue homes or on the streets through ppl that breed and just sell to make money IMO to many dogs not many suitable owners.

[toppers]

Hi
Daxie breeder here, Get your bitch checked with a vet first, if you get a thumbs up from the vet check out breed clubs, these usually have a help/advice line, talk to lots of breeders, read lots of books. If no-one can dissuade you then consider this - you could loose your bitch, she could die during pregnancy, she could die giving birth, the pups could die (how would she cope with giving birth to dead pups), she could die due to 'milk fever', the pups could all die due to fading puppy syndrome (frequent in small breeds as are cleft pallets), how many pups will she have (do you know how to hand rear), can you afford the vets fees, can you afford to advertise the pups if they survive, can you handle the paper-work, can you handle sleepless nights, screaming puppies, seeing your bitch in pain,can you choose the right people to give your pups a home? It's not as easy as you think. It can be soul destroying. My friend once lost 2 litters of pups from 2 different bitches. She had to deal with 9 dead puppies aswell as the mothers.
Could you cope with that? Sorry but it isn't something to be entered into lightly, besides which -an inexperienced stud with an inexperienced bitch, it may never happen! Always use an older stud who knows what he's doing, when 'tied together' an inexperienced bitch pulls away which can damage the dogs 'instrument'. My stud has his 'instrument' in the bitch for about 5-10 minutes - it's not like humans it literally gets 'stuck' in there.

I suggest you do some reading.
My family have bred mini dogs for 45 years and even I haven't experienced everything.I'm still learning!

[bulldog1]

Toppers well put;) when my nan was breeding English bull terriers she had some pups that are reffered to as water baby the most terrible thing I have seen and to see your dog give birth to this and no that there is nothing that can be done to save it just sit there and watch the pup slowly die I couldnt do it and I have been around dogs and breeders for 30 years.

[Carol]

Thank you for the reminders of the things that can go wrong.
Being a breeder is an awesome responsibility. A lot of people forget too that the breeder loves his dog too and when something goes awry he/she is just as heartsick as other petowners would be. They have a lot of love and time and effort invested not to mention the financial burden of testing and paperwork involved.
I know a few good breeders and they really do work hard to produce wonderful pets for us and they love their dogs who are after all their babies and pets as well as the source of beautiful puppies.
But it took years of experience for them to learn to be that good and they are always still learning as well.

[Meghanxx4]

Well first of all from reading your post it sounds as if you ahven't researched it much. So my advice is research this maybe contact a few breeders maybe they can give you a few pointers and maybe even help.

[ldyharley01]

I'm happy to read that you are "holding off" on breeding your dog.
Not to sound mean or anything but I am opposed to so many people wanting to breed dogs when there are so many unwanted dogs in this country. I am a professional dog trainer and work with many, many rescue and shelter dogs that were abandoned by their owners. It's just sickening to see so many unwanted dogs. I don't mean to sound like I'm on a 'soap box' but if you could see things from my prospective, you would understand. Ninety-nine percent of unwanted dogs are in shelters because of behavioral problems and behavioral problems are the main cause of death for these dogs. Many dog owners don't know how to train their dog once they aquire the dog and of course, an untrained dog soon develops behavioral issues in the eyes of the dog owner. The dog owner gets frustrated and fed up so off to the shelter they go with the dog.
I say leave the breeding to the professionals. Reputable breeders do this for a living and (hopefully) ensure that the pups are completely healthy.