breeding female

[goatman]

when should a female be breed to have weaned pups close to christmas
thanks

[S.R.Patch]

Late August/early September...

[goatman]

is that to have pups before christmas or to have pups weaned by christmas
thanks

[Pike Ridge Beagles]

Breed 63 days before whelp. Add 6 weeks for whelping. Do the math.


Edit: Be prepared to work your hind end off caring for them in the cold months. I will never, again, have a bitch bred and have the the pups in the cold months unless I get an outdoor heated building. I doubt that will ever happen. Every litter I have ever managed have been whelped in the warm months. After a few weeks indoors they go outside. Much easier.
Took me three time editing to get this right.

[Beagled1]

They need to be bred in late August, so will whelp in October. Two months later they will be ready to go ... Christmas. And 2-4 months after that is when the X-Mas pups start getting dumped at the shelters. I've worked at no kill shelters & like clockwork, in March/April, people dump 6 month old purebred small breeds in record numbers.

In all honesty, there are many reputable breeders who happen to have puppies ready to go around Christmas, BUT they are not bred as Christmas presents, and speaking for myself, pups do not leave my home several days before X-mas. They either go the week before to a family who has researched and knows they can deal with the energy level & intelligence of the breed, or they are held until after Christmas ...

Please do the breed a favor and think twice about this.

[Windkist]

They need to be bred in late August, so will whelp in October. Two months later they will be ready to go ... Christmas. And 2-4 months after that is when the X-Mas pups start getting dumped at the shelters. I've worked at no kill shelters & like clockwork, in March/April, people dump 6 month old purebred small breeds in record numbers.

In all honesty, there are many reputable breeders who happen to have puppies ready to go around Christmas, BUT they are not bred as Christmas presents, and speaking for myself, pups do not leave my home several days before X-mas. They either go the week before to a family who has researched and knows they can deal with the energy level & intelligence of the breed, or they are held until after Christmas ...

Please do the breed a favor and think twice about this.

I could not agree more!!! If you happen to have puppies at christmas time then you have the extra responsibility of making sure your homes (pet) are ready for a puppy and not just trying to get something for the kids on Christmas day. I go on a case by case decison with people IF I have puppies at that time but, If they have little kids they have to wait. Christmas day is too busy for a new puppy. I've had people call me on Christmas eve DESPERATE for one.. the answer to that is NO!!!! even if I have some for sale.

Leah

[TC]

We Will not sell a pup during the month of December..........
Although I have GIVEN a 4 mo old Pup to a good friend for Xmas.....

[S.R.Patch]

I think your being totally unfair to goatman. As usual, some who breed and their puppies they don't keep go as pets, ASSume all others who breed are trying to capitalize on a hoilday sale. Well, the hunting community have more purpose and a wider scope of usefullness and age class than just the pet buyer. Many lady friend or wives have called asking for a pup or hound for their husband or son who is starting or long into hunting. Fathers buying that first hound for their son who can't wait to go hunting again and have shown the responsible attitude of owning a hound.
If people are calling goatman now, about getting a hound for next Christmas, I'd say their doing it right and him asking when the lastest he could breed to fulfill those request, I see nothing wrong with.
You have to get over yourselves and quit ASSuming everyone is a puppy mill except you !!! Your preaching to the choir, no one wants their hound dumped at a Shelter...jmho

[Beagled1]

I think your being totally unfair to goatman. As usual, some who breed and their puppies they don't keep go as pets, ASSume all others who breed are trying to capitalize on a hoilday sale. Well, the hunting community have more purpose and a wider scope of usefullness and age class than just the pet buyer.

Patch, why else would someone ask about when to breed a bitch to get puppies specifically for Christmas? I don't think hunters who sell only to hunting homes would care if the pups were ready to go as close to X-Mas day as possible ... but for those who do sell pups to pet families, we have a responsibility to keep the breed out of shelters & out of the hands of people who are not fit to own a goldfish, much less a Beagle. This breed has a huge appeal b/c they are such cute, cuddly looking pups. People don't realize they have a brain attached to them or that their Christmas puppy is going to need socialization, care, and lots of exercise - and some of them just don't realize that the 10 year old they bought the dog for is NOT capable of being the sole caretaker of the puppy.
From '00 - '03, I was a paid employee of an animal shelter in New Rochelle, NY. This was a no kill shelter that accepted both strays and owner surrenders. We got a handful of small dogs every year - a few poodle types, jack russels, even the occasional Beagle. However, the majority of dogs coming in were large breeds, mostly pit bull, boxer, bulldog or Shepherd mixes. I'd say those were 85%+ of what we took in on average. Then, like magic, come April, we would be literally BOMBARDED with small purebred dogs - and about 90% of these dogs coming in were 6 months old (which would mean they were approx 8 weeks in late December). We saw more than our share of Beagles, Pugs, Bichons, Poodles, Cockers, Mini Pins, even a handful of Chihuahuahs. The large breed purebreds we'd see were Goldens and Labs, like clockwork. Six months old and no longer cute or small. This was MUCH more than coincidence.
Personally, I just don't understand why someone whose primary goal for a breeding was to produce hunting, show or even hobby breeders would need to have a litter born at an exact time. No one was assuming, it was plainly stated by the OP. I don't know why it would bother you so much that others here would try to show the OP that breeding to get pups at Christmas is not the best idea.

[goatman]

ok just to clear up im not selling pups for christmas i have a big family and im the only one that has rabbit dogs and i have gotten alot of my cousin uncles nephews daughters and soninlaw into rabbit hunting and all are capable of taking care of pup and its more fun if you have a dog in the race and ive had several of them ask to buy some of my dogs and they aint for sale so i was thinking of breeding my luikart blue brair glory female as i have never raised a litter off of her and had her for a few years now and giving the ones that i know will take care of them one and yes i know that it is sort of off as to training age but if i give them to them early they dont look at it as a christmas present so for those of you that thinks it wrong to sell pups im not selling
thanks for the info though
goatman

[wvduece]

i wouldnt mind it one bit if i got up on christmas morning n my kids had a nice well bred pup from reggie or a greenbay shooter pup love to have a aful bawling pup or a nice pup from buzz saw or leter rip pup so it cant be all bad but if all i look for is the negative in something thats all im gonna see srpatch send me a pup for christmas ill take care of it guaranteeeeeee jb

[Windkist]

ok just to clear up im not selling pups for christmas i have a big family and im the only one that has rabbit dogs and i have gotten alot of my cousin uncles nephews daughters and soninlaw into rabbit hunting and all are capable of taking care of pup and its more fun if you have a dog in the race and ive had several of them ask to buy some of my dogs and they aint for sale so i was thinking of breeding my luikart blue brair glory female as i have never raised a litter off of her and had her for a few years now and giving the ones that i know will take care of them one and yes i know that it is sort of off as to training age but if i give them to them early they dont look at it as a christmas present so for those of you that thinks it wrong to sell pups im not selling
thanks for the info though
goatman

Thanks for clearing it up. I think that from your first post many could think that you were looking to breed for the pet market. We can't read minds and patch I think you got a little wound up for nothing. Since Westminster I have been inundated with requests for puppies and don't you think for one minute that a few people out there are not trying to capitalize on this. All we are saying is that for SOME xmas time is not a good time to get a new puppy. If you are already dog savvy then no big deal.

Leah

[Bev]

I too, thought he was breeding specifically for a Christmas market...to which I would have concurred with Leah and Beagled1. It's a lousy idea, and the puppy will be the one to suffer. I never would sell or give a broke dog right before or during gun season, either. You're either committed to the idea of taking good care of the dog year-round, or you don't get one of mine.

goatman, if the pups whelp early and you want the pups to feel like Christmas presents, then keep them and give them a good start, and then deliver them to the new owners at Christmas. You're only going to get 2 heats out of your female per year, so you aren't going to have much say in when she gets bred.

[S.R.Patch]

Yeah, I get a little worked up when Assumptions and holyer than thou do gooders start preaching to the choir. A simple pm to goatman would have dispelled all your fears and worrys. Insted you make him out to be a puppy miller for proffet.
You may think I got worked up for nothing but think how you made goatman feel and what you got everyone to thinking about him after what was said.
Maybe others feelings don't matter...

Bev, I think you missed his point, he was asking when was the last possible date he could breed to have pups ready before Christmas. I'm sure he knows he only gets maybe two shot a year, but I took it, he wondered when the latest date was. If she comes in season in May, he now knows he won't get another shot later before Christmas to have them ready. I'm sure the family won't care if the pups are 4 or 5 months old when they get them...

[S.R.Patch]

[quote="goatman"] and yes i know that it is sort of off as to training age [quote]

Goatman, if your puppies are ready for Christmas, they will also be perfect for a Spring start on rabbits,March/April, also, they'll already have had their shots and wormed before the killer parvo raises it's ugly head the end of Spring.
Late winter pups are more work, but they have the advantage of the whole Spring/Summer ahead of them to grow and blossom...