Hi all,

Not been here for a while but could use some advice.  I am preparing to choose stud dogs for my two bitches, one i will breed from in the next 6 months, the other won't be ready for another 12 months at least but i want to be in contact with the stud dog owners well in advance.

I have printed of 5 gen pedigrees for all the stud dogs that caught my eye, i am now busy scanning them all for duplicate ancestors.  Three of the studs have the same GG or GGG grandparents as my bitch Evie. Would i be best steering clear of these altogether?  How many generations should you leave clear before considering a related stud and bitch.

I am relatively new to breeding but want to start my own bloodline so i am trying to learn all i can about bloodlines and showing dogs also as i'd like to try and get a few champions in our Kennel to show the world how fantastic our dogs are.

I appreciate any help you guys can give me, you've always helped in the past so i look forward to your replys.

Kindest regards

Leanne

You really need someone in your breed to help you with this, as we can't possibly know the dogs in the pedigree. This is where a breed mentor (usually the breeder of your bitch) is a big help.  I would get in touch with your breeder and the stud dogs owners and ask for their help.

Just because a dog does not have the same ancestors does not make it a good choice, just as having the same ancestors is a bad choice, if you understand what I am saying ;-) Quite often the best match is dogs that have several similar ancestors, but you need to know the dogs in the pedigree, or someone who does.

Another reason to show -it's at the shows you find the dogs to use, learn about different lines etc. :)

I am relatively new to breeding but want to start my own bloodline so i am trying to learn all i can about bloodlines and showing dogs also as i'd like to try and get a few champions in our Kennel to show the world how fantastic our dogs are.

Don't expect too much too soon! The UK is the hardest country in the world in which to make up a Champion show dog. Many breeders breed and show for decades before ever making up their first Champion.

Many breeders breed and show for decades before ever making up their first Champion.

And some never do LOL.

My bitch and the stud dog of my choice are related the stud dogs dad is my bitch's great great granddad. Within my breed its a perfectly acceptable mating. You need to find a mentor within your breed to aid you in your search for a good stud dog. Good luck.

I would forget about breeding at the moment, as you don't know if your bitches are good enough to be bred from until you show them. We all think our own dogs are wonderful, as we should, but it's not until you have put them up against other good dogs and they win consistently that you should consider breeding from them in my opinion. I would start showing, show for a couple of years at least and speak to as many people as possible about your breed before you consider actually breeding, you may find it better to buy in a new dog to show.

Avoiding common ancestors is not the way to choose a stud dog, breeding two animals together that have no common ancestors will not give you any indication of how the pups will turn out. You need to personally know the dogs in your bitches pedigrees, or find someone else who does to advise you. You then need to see dogs from different lines, and see what different dogs are producing. You need to find old stud books or club books and see the ancestors of the dogs you are considering to give yourself an idea of what attributes you want o solidify and what you want to avoid. But first of all you need to actually know what is a good and bad dog, and for this you need to see a lot of dogs and go to shows :-)  In every breed there are different types and breeders and judges who prefer one type over another. Get yourself out to lots of shows and see what you like, what consistently does well, what breeders stock you like the look of etc

Have you joined a breed club for your breed? This is also a great place to start and they may also hold seminars that you could attend. Judging seminars are brilliant to go to even if it will be a very long time till you can judge.

Following on from what chaumsong said,  before l purchased my foundation bitch, l went to my first Dog Show, which happened to be a Ch show, and thinking that they were all beautiful and how on earth had the Judge placed that one there, and that one there! To my unexperienced eye, they all looked the same! It took a long time before "l got my eye in". LOL

Agree breeding first and showing second is like putting the cart before the horse.

I bred from Megan last year. I bought her from a reputable breeder who has shown dogs for many years, and when i said it was my intention to breed she pointed out which of the bitches would be best to choose. I am no longer in contact with her though because she has moved. :-(  It is one of Megan's pups that i am interested in showing, and maybe breeding from in the future if she is suitable.

If you join the breed club you will probably be able to regain contact with your girls breeder. 

Also it pays to have more than one mentor to get a balance.  The owners of the stud dog if breeders themselves (in your breed very likely as most breeders are able to keep both sexes without too much difficulty), is another invaluable source as they will know which lines complement theirs.

When you start attending shows and breed events you will be able to make friends with others experienced in your breed and gain an even broader picture.

I have people in my breed who I correspond and exchange views with that are in different countries, so geography in the Internet age is no bar to sharing information dn advice, though nothing beats seeing dogs in the flesh (and being able to actually get your hands on them).

Despite coming from a dog breeding family, when it came time to show my own first dog after leaving home I flopped.

YET I thought that she was Perfect! Several alrounder judges agree with me and she did some winning BUT I soon came to realise that she wasnt going to put me on the map in the breed.

It took time to get my eye in to breed type and really see how to fix it in my line.

Look and learn.

I am no longer in contact with her though because she has moved. :-(

Do try to get hold of her -moving should be no problem. The breeder I got my foundation bitch from has moved, it's now 11 years down the line and we are still in regular contact, at least every month -there's still so much for me to learn from her and always will be.

I remember, many years ago, judging at a local ringcraft class. In this class, there was a young bitch of my own breed, who l placed well down the line. After the judging, her owner came to ask my advice with regards to breeding from her. I told him to buy in the best/well bred bitch he could afford. His own bitch had so many glaring faults, that l told him that it could take years, or even never, to get something of showable quality. He couldn't understand this, and l think that he thought that l was just being unkind, but if truth be told, l was doing him the biggest favour of all - by being totally honest with him.

In contrast, my foundation bitch was out of a Champion bitch, by the then, current Breed record holder, and although she too, had one glaring fault, l was advised by her Ch. Sh. Judge breeder, that she would be an excellent foundation bitch. This indeed proved to be the case. Out of her, and my, first litter at my very first Show ( a Ch. Show), we won Minor Puppy Bitch and Best Puppy, and she went on to become a Champion.