Questions about breeding.

[ReginaZ]

I am not trying to start a fight or any problems. I am just curious about breeding Rotts. I own a male. But I know a friend who owns a female Rott and she wants to breed her. She doesn't have a computer. So I told her that I would come here for some advice for her. So any helpful advice or links that I could check out for her would be great. Thanks in advance.
Regina

[Volunteer]

Checklist for breeding:

• Is the bitch a registered purebred? (does she have papers?)
• Is the bitch at least two years old?
• Have her hips been OFA'd good or excellent?
• Has her heart, and eyes been checked and cleared? Have all other relevant health screens been done?
• Has the bitch been proven a sound representative of the Rottweiler breed by obtaining (at the very least) a conformation title?

If she answers "No" to even one of these questions then your friend should really think twice about breeding.

The shelters and rescue organizations are overrun with Rottweilers needing homes. Most of them get euthanized due to the stigma of the breed.

There are other links out there that pertain to what is involved in breeding...I'll see if I can find them.

Deb

[Sansano]

Hi Regina! Thanks for coming here for some answers. I don't breed myself but I think I can offer some advice. Firstly, you friend should breed for one reason and one reason only...to better the breed. Do you know why she wants to breed her bitch? Is the bitch within the breed standard? Does she know her pedigree? These are important items to be considered.
Here are some minimum health requirements that are an absolute MUST if she is to breed :
1) Have Hips x-rayed and given an OFA rating and number
2) Have elbows x-rayed
3) Have eyes certified
4) Have heart/thyroid checked

After that, I probably would suggest she finish the dog in confirmation before breeding.

As you can see, breeding is a very expensive and time intensive endenvour. It is not about making money or having cute puppies. Good luck to your friend but please suggest to them not too breed until they have made a committment to do all these things.

[ February 20, 2001: Message edited by: Hawk ]

[WorkinDogz]

By the way...

All of these tests and clearences are for BOTH the Sire and the Dam...not just for the female. ;)

[Jeff Stanley]

I think we all know there are hundreds of breedings every year of dogs without titles. There are good and bad reasons for this, money and time are just two. So let's forget the titles for a minute. I think there are two main concerns, health of the puppies and good and loving homes.

Here are some guidelines that any breeder should consider.

Bare minimums.
1. Dogs should not be bred before 24 months of age.
2. Hips should be x-rayed clear
3. Elbows should be cleared
4. Eyes should be certified


Here is a list of questions you should be able to answer with a "yes".

1. Do you have firm commitments for several pups before breeding?

2. Are you prepared to carefully screen prospective buyers to make sure your pups are placed in homes where they'll be loved?

3. Are you willing to keep your pups until they are well placed, no matter how long it takes? Can you say no to questionable callers?

4. Do you know and understand your breed's standard?

5. Have you done enough homework on the lines you are breeding to feel comfortable giving your buyers a solid assurance of health, temperament, and soundness?

6. Do you have the financial reserves not only to do routine pre-breeding testing and to provide veterinary care for the bitch and litter, but also enough to cover emergency complications such as a C-section or sick pups?

7. Are you prepared for the possibility of losing pups, and even your bitch, to birthing problems?

8. Do you have the time it takes to properly socialize the pups? Do you know how to do this correctly?

9. Will you (a) help your buyers learn the best way to raise the pups and be there if they need your help, and (b) track the litter's progress to measure your breeding program's success?

10. No matter what the reason, will you always be willing to take a dog of your breeding back if the owners cannot keep it?

[AngelBunny]

ReginaZ:
http://vetmedicine.about.com/health/.../aa022500a.htm
http://www.bluegrace.com/index2.html
http://www.cruzzz.com/breeding.htm
http://www.rottlover.com/rescue/dogs/TheEnd/
http://www.rottrescue.org/index.html
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm#breeding (Pay particular attention to "Breeding Your Own Dog - what you need to know...")

Bring your friend over to your house and both of you check out the above links. In addition to the above, I also suggest that you and your friend read thru all the postings in the Breeding and Rescue Forums.

[ February 20, 2001: Message edited by: AngelBunny ]

[ReginaZ]

Originally posted by Volunteer:

• Is the bitch a registered purebred? (does she have papers?) Yes she has all the papers.
• Is the bitch at least two years old? She is two and a half years old.
• Have her hips been OFA'd good or excellent? They have been checked and they said that they were excellent.
• Has her heart, and eyes been checked and cleared? Have all other relevant health screens been done? She has had several vets check her and several breeders check her. They all told her that the bitch of excellent health and no genetic problems.
• Has the bitch been proven a sound representative of the Rottweiler breed by obtaining (at the very least) a conformation title?

Ok this question lost me. Remeber I am a new Rott owner. I bought my male as a companion not to breed or show. So please explain this part to me."

Does this all help so far? Well please keep all the help coming. I am going to have my friend over tomorrow to go over these links and advice. So thank you all for being helpful.
Regina

[Jeff Stanley]

Can you be more specific than “she wants to breed her”.

Has she already got a stud picked out or are you going to use your male as the stud?

Has she got the “papers” to show that the hips, eyes, heart, etc. have been checked? The way you answered the questions makes it seem she was “told” everything was OK.

Any other details would be helpful.

[ February 20, 2001: Message edited by: Jeff Stanley ]

[rottweiler_fancier]

Originally posted by ReginaZ:
[*]Have her hips been OFA'd good or excellent? They have been checked and they said that they were excellent.
[*]Has her heart, and eyes been checked and cleared? Have all other relevant health screens been done? She has had several vets check her and several breeders check her. They all told her that the bitch of excellent health and no genetic problems.

I may have misunderstood, but genetic defects can not always be caught by the naked eye. It takes more than just a few "experts" looking at the bitch to tell whats going on inside. I believe you need a specialist in the area to official "certify" her clear of the genetic diseases.

[*]Has the bitch been proven a sound representative of the Rottweiler breed by obtaining (at the very least) a conformation title?[/list]Ok this question lost me. Remeber I am a new Rott owner. I bought my male as a companion not to breed or show. So please explain this part to me."

[/b][/quote]

If your male is a companion, you should keep him just that. Breeding is a big adventure and a big investment of time and money. Most likely he is not of breeding quality. A breeding quality animal should have correct Rottweiler structure when judged against the standard for the breed and what he can contribute to the breed. Have you asked yourself that? How can breeding my male improve this breed? You need a pretty long list to even be considering breeding.

While this board is a wonderful place for information, you should also visit a few dog shows and enter your male and advise your friend who owns the bitch to enter her as well. Try several shows and see how he does in Breed Competition. Try and get him his Championship Title (15 pts including 2 majors -- majors are big wins over a certain # of dogs that will get you up to 3, 4 or 5 pts depending on how many dogs he beat.) You should also attempt something on the Working Level - and there is plenty to choose from! Obedience, Agility, Flyball, Tracking, Shutzhund, Carting, Herding, etc etc etc.

[Sansano]

Regina,

I think you may have misunderstood some of the health checks. They must be documented, not just a vet saying she is in good health. Her hips must be x-rayed and given a oFA number and rating. Was this done? Her eyes must be certified. Was this done? I understand you aren't sure what a confirmation title is, but if your friend is also unsure she shouldn't be breeding yet. Lots of homework first!! There are lots of good advice you have been getting. Please also take a look at all the web sites given. After that let us know how you and your friend make out. Good luck!

[ReginaZ]

I finally got another one of the links to open up. So I am printing and copying my heart out. I am finding a lot of good information which hopefully will help my friend. Thanks for asking and giving me some advice.
Thanks
Regina