Breeding Biscuit
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Hi Susan...I certainly do understand your desire to breed Biscuit so that you can have one of the puppies, but I strongly hope that you will do lots of homework first.
There is so very much involved in breeding a dog, even for one litter and you would still want to complete the necessary testing, which is quite expensive. Then you have to consider the rest of the litter...will you offer a health warranty? Are you prepared for the expenses that go along with pregnancy? What if something goes wrong?
There are so many considerations...and if you are prepared to breed responsibly, you will find a wealth of information and support from your friends...not only on this forum, but elsewhere.
You see...the problem that we encounter, as breeders, is the public image of Labradoodle breeders "putting two dogs together and breeding" without considering all of the responsibilities that go along with it...we struggle constantly to assure the general public that Labradoodle breeders do test their breeding stock, they do stand behind their puppy's health with warranties and they do carefully screen the puppy families to ensure that every puppy will be loved and cared for...and spayed and neutered...in order to prevent unwanted puppies.
Also, do you have a spay/neuter contract with your breeder? If so, you will need his/her permission before you breed your dog...
I don't want to be dicouraging, but I do want to give you a clear and realistic picture of what is involved.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like...I'll be happy to answer your questions.
There is so very much involved in breeding a dog, even for one litter and you would still want to complete the necessary testing, which is quite expensive. Then you have to consider the rest of the litter...will you offer a health warranty? Are you prepared for the expenses that go along with pregnancy? What if something goes wrong?
There are so many considerations...and if you are prepared to breed responsibly, you will find a wealth of information and support from your friends...not only on this forum, but elsewhere.
You see...the problem that we encounter, as breeders, is the public image of Labradoodle breeders "putting two dogs together and breeding" without considering all of the responsibilities that go along with it...we struggle constantly to assure the general public that Labradoodle breeders do test their breeding stock, they do stand behind their puppy's health with warranties and they do carefully screen the puppy families to ensure that every puppy will be loved and cared for...and spayed and neutered...in order to prevent unwanted puppies.
Also, do you have a spay/neuter contract with your breeder? If so, you will need his/her permission before you breed your dog...
I don't want to be dicouraging, but I do want to give you a clear and realistic picture of what is involved.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like...I'll be happy to answer your questions.
Dont forget the testing! In order to know that the dogs being bred have good hips, eyes, and elbows so as not to pass on bad genes to the puppies which can lead to hip displasia and other genetic disabilities and diseases the breeding stock needs to be tested which can get pricey... which is why most breeders do the testing and then breed many litters from those same dogs to get the most "bang for their testing buck" I guess you could say.
Question for the breeders
My vet told me that tests for his dysplasia are not really reliable until the dog has reached at least 6 months. Have you heard that before? Good genes give you better odds, but can you rely on that alone? Just wondering. (I have NO desire to breed! That's WAY too much trouble for me! :lol: )
My vet told me that tests for his dysplasia are not really reliable until the dog has reached at least 6 months. Have you heard that before? Good genes give you better odds, but can you rely on that alone? Just wondering. (I have NO desire to breed! That's WAY too much trouble for me! :lol: )
Hi...no, perhaps your vet is relying on the results of the older OFA testing...currently PennHip testing may be done on puppies 4 months or older. It has become one of the standard ways to determine how healthy the hips are. OFA can be done preliminarily, but isn't considered registerable until the dog is 2 years of age.
Of course, many factors relate to hip problems in addition to genetics. When dogs are allowed to play roughly, when they grow too quickly, when they do certain activities...all of these things can contribute to hip problems so testing is not a sure thing...but what testing does is to give the breeder a good baseline factor so that the breeder can determine whether or not it is good to breed certain dogs, and whether or not to select a thighter hipped mate.
I am very surprised that your vet would say that...it doesn't seem very wise to question a practice that is intended to breed healthier dogs...I hope that there is a misunderstanding.
Here is a link for unbiased info of PennHip and OFA...http://www.canismajor.com/dog/pennhip1.html
To be fair, PennHip has been under fire from Labradoodle breeders because dogs who have tested worse than average at 4 months, were retested (PennHip) again at 2 years and their scores inprove considerably. I have not heard of the scores getting worse, but I am certain that is happening too.
Of course, many factors relate to hip problems in addition to genetics. When dogs are allowed to play roughly, when they grow too quickly, when they do certain activities...all of these things can contribute to hip problems so testing is not a sure thing...but what testing does is to give the breeder a good baseline factor so that the breeder can determine whether or not it is good to breed certain dogs, and whether or not to select a thighter hipped mate.
I am very surprised that your vet would say that...it doesn't seem very wise to question a practice that is intended to breed healthier dogs...I hope that there is a misunderstanding.
Here is a link for unbiased info of PennHip and OFA...http://www.canismajor.com/dog/pennhip1.html
To be fair, PennHip has been under fire from Labradoodle breeders because dogs who have tested worse than average at 4 months, were retested (PennHip) again at 2 years and their scores inprove considerably. I have not heard of the scores getting worse, but I am certain that is happening too.
by the way, if OFA testing is all that is available in your area then I highly recommend waiting until at least a year old, to help the hips continue to mature.
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