breeding age

[HillBillyBubba]

i wouldnt breed a male unless he was at least 1 1/2 or 2 yrs old let him mature and prove himself as a hound

[Windkist]

I guess its a personal decision if you want to use a young unproven puppy for breeding. I do occasionally "prove" young males IF I think they have something to offer but, certainly NOT at 7 or 8 months old. I think a lot of breeders run into the problem of only breeding to their own males or those that are close which in turn creates some regionality to hounds in one area of the country. I like to use the best dog for the best bitch even if it means flying the bitch to another coast. A serious breeder will be able to tell potential stud clients exactly what their dog produces and what the dogs faults and good points are. I always ask some questions about outside bitches to find out if they are a good match for my dog and I have turned some away. Its certainly NOT about money as I work hard going to the airport and making breedings and taking care of others bitches while they are here. I certainly earn what I charge.

So, use good judgement and plan your breedings but, it shouldn't be about what dog is the easiest to get to quickly in my humble opinion.

Leah

[Beagled1]

The fact is that most posters on this board have a limited, if any knowledge of genetics or any branch of science. You want a qualified opinion you need to go to a qualified disinterested, not a puppy hawker. Your vet will be glad to tell you if your dog merits breeding or not

My Vet wouldn't know a good Beagle if one bit him on the ... lol
Vets can tell you if the dog is physically healthy at tiem of examination, and have knowledge based on disease & its causes/treatments, but do not normally delve into breed standards unless they are breeders themselves. No Vet can tell me my hounds should be included or excluded from my breeding program, unless he finds a valid problem.

The fact is, IMHO, yes, 9 months is WAY too young to breed a dog. I know there are those who breed hounds very young, but that doesn't make it right. Like Leah mentioned, you just don't know what you have at that young age. I've personally had a good one that soured with age - I thought he showed great potential before he was a year old. As he matured, he began to lack confidence maybe due to a bad experience or maybe genetics, who knows, but the fact was that as a 2yr old dog he couldn't find a rabbit if you locked him in a barrel with one lol I thought I'd give him a chance to grow up, but when he quit on me, that was it, I culled him. But at 10 months old, I had high hopes for him, and he gave me no reason to doubt he'd make a good rabbit dawg.

Another good reason to wait is the fact that a few serious genetic problems do not crop up until the dog is 18-24+ months old. This goes for ideopathic epilepsy, thyroid problems, spinal problems, etc. You have a perfectly healthy puppy @ 9 months old, but that doesn't necessarily mean this dog will still be healthy in another year. There's always a isk I pass something on inadvertantly, but the closer to the 2yr mark you wait, the greater your chances are that the dog is genetically sound.

My 2 cents.

[Briarhoppers]

Larry G - Thanks for clarifying your point regarding the vet's opinion....I see your point.

-pete

[Larry G]

This is a good thread. There are some high profile breeders on here, Windkist, Oakhill, and many others with a lot of litters in the book. My own guideline is that it is just common sense not to breed 2 individuals with the same positive fault. I try to breed to overcome faults. All dogs have them. If you are looking for the perfect pair to mate with each other, that exists only in the mind of the breeder.

Not all can afford to ship bitches around the country to high dollar studs. This shouldn't exclude them from breeding good family dogs or good rabbit dogs.

If you are new to dogs, you wouldn't likely know that your dog has a heart murmur(mitral valve disease), cataracts,or that what you think is a hotspot is really red mange... but a good vet will. That could save you some grief down the road. But if he says you have a good pair of dogs worthy of passing on what they have to offer, enjoy your dogs and be happy... don't worry about what the doomsayers preach about "bettering the breed"... you aren't likely to damage it any more than they have.

[Honey Pot Hounds]

I have a male that is nine months old.At what age is a male old enough to breed?I am new to the board.I hope ya'll have a merry Christmas.

Well good luck. I hope he's a nice male and presented to a nice bitch and I hope at least one of the three of you has some experience breeding dogs . It isn't as easy as you might think...unless of course they are total mutts and then you'll get at least 10 puppies

[Windkist]

Not all can afford to ship bitches around the country to high dollar studs. This shouldn't exclude them from breeding good family dogs or good rabbit dogs.

If you are new to dogs, you wouldn't likely know that your dog has a heart murmur(mitral valve disease), cataracts,or that what you think is a hotspot is really red mange... but a good vet will. That could save you some grief down the road

While not everyone wants to fly their bitches across the country they do owe it to themselves to try to find the best stud dog for that particular bitch. You can only use ole "Ben" so many times and after that whats the point unless you are just breeding to sell. I rarely repeat breedings as I feel its a waste of the bitches time if I got what I wanted from the first cross and If I didn't then why do it again unless I just needed a different sex such as I got all males and wanted a female.

Vets are helpful in evaluating health but, a breeder must have some ethics and know how. If you don't even know how puppies are born or how matings take place or if your dog has a defect then perhaps you should wait to breed dogs until you do know these things. I came from a lot of years in Cocker spaniels yet when I got beagles I waited 4 years to breed just so, that I knew what the Hell I was doing with this breed. Too many are ready to jump into breeding without even knowing the slightest thing about it or their dogs. DO your Homework!!

MHO,

Leah

[Larry G]

Beagled1 wrote:

My Vet wouldn't know a good Beagle if one bit him on the ... lol

Since it is all a matter of opinion other than freedom from discernible physical defects, someone who likes a different kind of beagle might say the same thing about you! Or me... If he just needs to see what a pretty one looks like I bet Cindy or Leah could show him some pictures.

[Windkist]

Vets study animal anatomy and thats it basically. They don't know different breed characteristics unless they are involved in a certain breed. We've had papillons for a while and at about 4 months they go through the uglies like you have never seen! I've had a few owners call me an say that thier vet wants to put their puppy on thyroid meds because of hair loss.. UGH! its a normal puppy stage for THAT breed. I've heard from a vet that said to a family that because its beagle had a white haw that it shouldn't be bred? SAY WHAT!? I've had dogs diagnosed with addisons disease because it was not feeling well when it turned out the just be a case of coccidia. So, I usually listen to my vet but, I don't necessarily think that his word is Gospel! Everyone here reading has the internet. Its a very useful tool for just about anything you need to know ;-)

Leah

[wvduece]

While not everyone wants to fly their bitches across the country they do owe it to themselves to try to find the best stud dog for that particular bitch. You can only use ole "Ben" so many times and after that whats the point unless you are just breeding to sell. I rarely repeat breedings as I feel its a waste of the bitches time if I got what I wanted from the first cross and If I didn't then why do it again unless I just needed a different sex such as I got all males and wanted a female _________________________________________________________ some people might wanna make the same cross several times if they get what they wanted the first time i have some dogs i wished i had made 10 of the same breedings if that was possible what i got was RABBIT DAWGS THAT could flat out pound a rabbit almost tothe point of perfection but i didnt make that cross again but i guess i can still dream about jb

[Rabbithoundjb]

Duece I would have to agree with you. Speaking from a rabbit dawg point of view getting what you wanted would be the best reason to make the same cross again. I would breed to the same male dog several times if he produced what I was looking for. What I have learned about this board Duece is that there are several different goals trying to be achieved.

[Larry G]

I'll taken a proven mating over a new roll of the dice any day. Some people see it the other way, hoping for something even better and there is always a chance it will happen.

[Larry G]

Vets study animal anatomy and thats it basically. They don't know different breed characteristics unless they are involved in a certain breed. We've had papillons for a while and at about 4 months they go through the uglies like you have never seen! I've had a few owners call me an say that thier vet wants to put their puppy on thyroid meds because of hair loss.. UGH! its a normal puppy stage for THAT breed. I've heard from a vet that said to a family that because its beagle had a white haw that it shouldn't be bred? SAY WHAT!? I've had dogs diagnosed with addisons disease because it was not feeling well when it turned out the just be a case of coccidia. So, I usually listen to my vet but, I don't necessarily think that his word is Gospel! Everyone here reading has the internet. Its a very useful tool for just about anything you need to know

Leah

Go THROUGH the uglies? Watching the dogs shows on TV makes me think for some of those breeds the uglies is the ultimate goal, and they are all over it, too. But what the hell if it makes Mama happy knock yourselves out.