Breeding Golden Retrievers

Most people can breed mongrels as all you have to do is introduce a male dog to a female in heat. However, people who buy Golden Retrievers only want top quality dogs. To do this, it is a complicated process and as a result, for beginners, breeding Golden Retrievers is nearly impossible. You should never attempt to breed unless you know a lot about requirements for hobby breeders, as it is simply unfair to the breed and your potential customers if you have a litter of puppies that simply aren’t what they should be. This is why you shouldn’t attempt to breed just to have puppies or make a few bucks.

Breeding Golden Retrievers is a very serious hobby, one that should be left to those who know how to make the right choices. Because Golden Retrievers are very popular, it is imperative that litters be of good quality to maintain the breed standard. You should be aware that there is a certain amount of cost and care involved with breeding, especially if you want to ensure that you maintain the breed quality. There is also a lot of responsibility involved as well, because you do not want to be known as the breeder who lowered the quality of the breed. Furthermore, proper breeding of popular breeds can take quite a bit of time as well.

Breeding may help to fulfill the needs of a Golden‘s owner, but if a dog isn’t bred, it will have no knowledge of missing it, no regrets, or no guilt toward living a life without having been bred. Frequently, pregnancy causes a Golden Retriever female to develop health problems; it has no known health benefits.

If you wish to become a quality Golden breeder, you will have many choices in front of you. You will need to determine the mother and the father that will produce the best litter. To get the highest quality possible from the litter, you will need to determine the traits of both dogs, their temperaments and how well they seem to react to one another. You will also need to determine in either of the dogs has any type of health problems, to prevent any diseases or ailments from being passed onto the litter. Once you settle on a female Golden, you will have to thoroughly examine her and determine how close she matches the breed standard. If you notice any shortfalls, then you will have to find a male that is strong in these areas. In this way, you can have a better chance at a good litter of puppies.

Sometimes, when breeding Golden Retrievers, the mother of the litter will prove to be poor at motherhood, which will require more work for you. If the mother isn’t doing her job of nurturing her young, then you will have to assist her to ensure the puppies live. This can be the most time consuming aspect of breeding, because you will have to feed the young and make sure that they turn out as healthy as possible.

Aside from that, as a breeder, you will face many costs. As well as the cost of food and vet bills, you will have to pay stud fees for the male if you do not have a suitable one of your own. When you add up all of the costs, you will quickly realize that breeders do not make much money when they make a sale. In fact, most breeders do it as a hobby, not as a money making proposition. Quality breeders usually are not concerned with money as much as they are with the quality of their litters. Quality is better than quantity, as even the best breeders have problems selling puppies from time to time.

Although breeding is fun for hobby breeders, it is something you really should not be doing if you do not have the experience. If you are very sure that you want to breed your female Golden Retriever, then find a knowledgeable breeder who will give you the assistance you will need to ensure you end up with a healthy litter and that you do not endanger your pet’s health. If you are the least bit unsure about breeding your female, then I advise you to get her spayed so that you do not end up with a litter of unexpected mongrels. A purebred Golden Retriever should be bred only with dogs of her breed, to help preserve the breed and keep their bloodline going. If you have thought about breeding in the past - you should study long and hard before you actually make it a reality, because there is a lot of work and responsibility that you must undertake when you do it.

Until next time,

Teia

Dog Shows

Dog shows, breed shows or conformation shows are competitions where the judges either examine dogs of a specific breed or dogs of all breeds, to see whether each dog meets the breed standards or not. Kennel clubs and breed clubs conduct such shows. Shows where only specific breeds are examined are known as specialty shows.

The standards for each breed of dog are set. However, because of the wording in the standards, the judges decide what interpretation they will use prior to the show. The judges for the show use their interpretation of the standards as their criterion for determining the winning dog in each breed. Most of the standards are very specific, but a few like “full coat” or “cheerful disposition” are open to interpretation. This is why the judges discuss what they will use for a particular show. During the show, they choose dogs which match their agreed upon definition of the set standards for their breed. Not only is one dog compared with another, but each is also compared to the judge's image of a dog which meets the breed standards almost perfectly.

The objective of each dog show is to select winning dogs which match their breed standards as closely as possible. However, since each judge might have a slightly different view on the standards that are open to interpretation, different judges will pick different dogs as the one that most closely matches the standards for their breed. This has led to a number of disputes regarding these shows. To counter the possibility of judicial prejudice, most countries have stated that for a dog to become a champion of its breed, it must have been judged by several different judges and it must have gained points from several prestigious shows.

A long list of a dog’s features, called conformation points, make up the published breed standards for each breed of dog. The fur is one of the most important factors. The pet's fur colour, pattern, length, type and quality are observed carefully. The distribution, quality and quantity of the markings are also observed.

Healthy skin, with no pigmentation differences, is also one of the important criterions. The shape and colour of the head is also taken into consideration. The general attitude and temperament is noted down for each breed of dog. The jaw-line and the structure of the teeth and how they align when the jaw is closed are compared. Shape and colour of the eyes and shape and set of the ears are observed. The sizes and the ratio of the length and height are also compared. The style of walking and gait is compared. The shape of the tail and feet are closely observed. The dogs which enter such competition should be well groomed. Some judges even check for skin wrinkles and measure the flews (the pendulous flaps of skin hanging from the side of the lips of certain dogs, especially hounds).

The name of each participating dog in the show should be recorded. Every dog's registered name is attached with the breeder's kennel name. Every dog can have a registered name as well as a call name. The kennel club uses the registered name, which is usually quite long. However, the owner refers to the pet by its call name. For example, the registered name could be Trombley’s Anthony The Great, but its call name could be Tony.

There are many dog shows conducted on various levels. There are local shows, regional shows and national shows, which attract competitors from different parts of the country. Usually dog shows are hierarchical competitions. The winners earn certain points in each show. Depending on the points earned, it will determine if they are eligible for the next level of show. The dog which wins shows that are at the highest level is declared a champion. 'Ch.' is appended to the dog's name, for example, Ch. Trombley’s Anthony The Great. Such shows are called prestigious shows.

These shows only allow pets which have already won a championship in another show to attend. These shows aim to choose the best in each breed. Such shows make the reputation of the dog, breeder and kennel higher. The puppies of that particular dog are then sold for a surprisingly high price. This is because other people want to buy a pet which resembles the champion. The popularity of the breed increases rapidly. There are two such prestigious shows, The Crufts in Great Britain and the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in the United States. Neither mom, dad or I have ever attended these shows. In fact I have never attended any dog show, but mom and dad have attended a number of prestigious Canadian shows and we have all watched the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on television.

If you are a dog owner, or you like dogs, you should attend a dog show or two. They are quite informative and a real “eye-opener” to observe.

Until next time,

Teia

To Breed or Not to Breed Your Dog?

It is very tempting to think about having a litter of small cuddly puppies from your beautiful bitch, but before even thinking about it, there are important factors to consider.

First of all, you may think your dog is the best in the world, but is it really? Look at her dispassionately. Is she of sound construction and reliable temperament? Is she free from any genetic defects? If she is a pedigree dog, is she a good example of the breed, coming from a good lineage?

Do not be tempted to breed a dog that has serious defects and do not contemplate breeding as a means of trying to compensate for any signs of nervousness or distress in your bitch. Your dog should be mature enough to physically cope with a litter (in a large breed this will be when the bitch is at least two years old.)

If you are happy so far that breeding is the right thing to do, then you should turn your attention to the pups. Have you the room for a whelping box and then perhaps 12 pups running around? Have you the time to sit with your bitch while she is birthing, perhaps more than 12 hours? Then there is the cleaning, weaning, feeding routine for the next eight to 12 weeks. What about money? The cost of the feed can be expensive and you must remember to budget for any veterinary costs that are caused by complications in the birth. Finally, what will you do with the pups? You must be in a position to look after them all. If it is a pedigree dog then you will be looking at registering the pups before they are sold. If your bitch is not a dog with a pedigree, you will be either giving the pups away or selling them for the going rate, in your area, for that type of dog. Either way, you should be checking very carefully where your pups are going, possibly including a home visit; this again takes time and money. Remember that the breeder is usually responsible for ensuring that the puppies have their first set of vaccinations before they are sold or given away. Remember also, that you are responsible for the birth of the pups and you should always be prepared to take them back, for whatever reason, as they are ultimately your responsibility for life.

If you still think breeding is for you, then your final consideration will be the stud dog. If attempting to breed a pedigree dog, then your ultimate aim will be to produce sound, quality dogs of both structure and temperament, that are ideally as near the Breed Standard as possible. Therefore, you should look at your bitch against the Breed Standard, identifying strengths and weaknesses and then look for a stud dog that will complement your bitch, building on her strengths and compensating for her weaknesses. If your bitch has poor pigmentation then do not use a dog that also has poor pigmentation. Study the dog’s pedigree and antecedents. Do whatever research you can to try to ensure you breed healthy well-developed dogs.

Remember you are breeding living animals. Their quality of life should come first and not your own interests, especially money.

Until next time,

Teia