When to Breed???Question:I have a 1yr and 3 month old great dane and I am not sure at what age I should wait to breed her I was thinking about 2 and a half b/c I want her to be mature. Also when during their heat is the best time to breed? Any one that can help feel free Thank you:dog: Answer: I think before you start breeding, you should invest in at least three quality books on breeding with at least one of these being on the specific breed you have. That will give you all the information you just asked and much more. You can come on here and asks questions, but what about those things that you don't think about asking and people don't think about telling you? You need to know that information too. Also, find a breeder in your area and get to know a local vet really well. Try to find a breeder that also breeds Great Danes or at least another breed that has similar characteristics. Both will be very valuable resources when you run into problems and need more hands on help than what you can find over the distance of the internet. What qualities should you look for in a breeding stud? What complications should you watch out for at each stage of pregnancy? When do you go in for palpation, x-rays, or ultrasounds? What do you do when a newborn puppy stops breathing, is choking on milk, won't or can't nurse, etc. etc. What genetic disorders should a puppy be tested for before selling the puppies? How much interest is there in your area for Great Danes and how can you be assured that the home they are going to is appropriate? This is just a small list of questions that you need to have answered before you think about breeding. The best way to do this is to do your own research and find a local expert to help you out. Answer: Thank you for your help I will look into places where you can get those type of book. I asked b/c I have been having trouble finding books on breeding great danes so I thought I would ask. Do you know if there is anywhere on line that I could find help? Answer: There's lots of books in this list that look good http://www.bulldoginformation.com/bo...-breeding.html There's some on here specifically about breeding Great Danes. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/103-6706330-7705436?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Great+Dane+breeding There's not going to be anywhere online that will be as comprehensive as a good book, but there are some place to start until you get you books. http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/dbb.html http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeding.html http://www.dogplay.com/Breeding/ethics.html Specifically on Great Danes http://www.dogstuff.info/art_of_bree...s_swedlow.html http://www.sunstrike-great-danes.com/breeding-danes.htm Answer: I breed Belgians so I can't help you as great danes are giant breed and thus quite different than my breed. I know they require special treatment, and I'm sure breeding falls into that category. Just wanted to give yousome other advice though -- if you are asking us these questions, it likely means that you don't have a reputable breeder to turn to, which means your bitch probably came from a breeder that was not breeding for the better of the breed. I would really look into finding a breeder nearby that can mentor you. A breed like a great dane coming out of a backyard breeder is not likely to come from good lines -- you really want to do the breed a favor by continuing on with good quality lines, so if you are looking to breed, perhaps find a better foundation bitch that will also help the breed. The reason you should only breed a dog out of good quality lines is that the great dane suffers from a GREAT deal of health problems, and you need to be sure that you can check back in the pedigree and see that there aren't any common issues in there. Can you do that with the pedigree you have now? The pedigree should list the titles that the dogs have (often titles will tell you that the dogs were shown/worked), and might even list the health certifications (though you can check with health certification registries to see if the dog was tested --- OFA is a good one to start with, you can check their online database). Your dog, herself, will also need to be tested. She will need to have her heart, hips, and thyroid tested, as these are the most common problems in the breed that can be tested for. Other problems that can't be tested for are bloat, cancer, Wobblers syndrome, panosteitis and other growth issues, etc -- that is why a good pedigree is important. A mentor can help you by looking through the pedigree and telling you where the problems lie, so tht you know what male to breed to to counteract any issues. A Great dane email list is also a GREAT thing to join, Alot of knowledgable breeders there that can help you with breeding, pedigrees, and showing/working if you decide to go that route (which you really should in my opinion). This is a great site specifinally about breeding great danes -- it gives some breeding experiences, tells about the importance of a pedigree, and helps you understand if your bitch is or is not breeding quality. http://www.dogstuff.info/art_of_bree...s_swedlow.html Also, if yoru dog did come from a poor quality breeder, it isn't likely she has a nice conformation. One thing I find about great danes coming from backyard breeders is that they lack bone and substance -- making them more fragile. Here is the standard for the great dane: http://www.akc.org/breeds/great_dane/index.cfm . You can check different breeders' sites to see their champion dogs as well. Since great danes are pretty common in the show ring, they aren'tthat easy to finish, so one with an American championship should be a good example of conformation that you can compare your dog to. Good luck! I bred my first litter last year, and I lost thousands of dollars, but I knew I wouldn't make anything going into it. The costs of health tests, showing/trialling, stud fee, shipping the female, and then the costs you have to put aside incase of an emergency C-section, plus all the the money you spend on the puppies...You really don't make anything unless you'e really lucky. But getting that pick puppy and bettering the breed --- that is what counts! Answer: Ok where do I start....well I live in Canada and I got Nomad from the states both parents had all healt checks done and I had the info sent to me so I knew that they were. They were both AKC reg. and had very good blood lines. Nomad is AKC reg. and has all her papers, I have to wait to get some on the health checks done until she is older ( b/c she is not done growing yet ). But I plan on having everything checked befor I breed her. I would never ever want to bring puppies into this world that were not healthy and well looked after, nor would I if I didn't know that they were going to go to good homes. I love my dane and I wouldn't put her through anything that I didn't think that she needed to go through. I had a very nice male picked out for her but I am trying to find one that is closer to me b/c the only place that I could find that did artifical insemination said that they would need to perform sergery on her uterus to put in the seman and I don't want to put her throught that if I can find a well suted male closer to me to do live breeding ( sorry that is what I call it lol ) If anyone knows where I could find a male closer to me on the net please let me know ( I live in Brantford Ontario Canada ) And any other help please feel free to add:D |
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