Has anyone had a puppy from this method.I mean has anyone that has got a puppy this way found any difference in there progress and health defects, would you say they are more prone to health defects, I am a bit unsure, as I have been offered a puppy sired by a dog that died 10 years ago. He was an outstanding dog and I had no idea that this had been done untill an american breeder contacted me, as I had been on his list for 2 years.

Does the UK Kennel Club allow this ???
What breed of dog are you getting Britney ??
Somehow ( jsut my humble opinion) it doesnt *feel* right ??
Lel

Hi
yes the KC does allow A.I .There has been an AI litter of elkhounds born in the UK which is now being shown and bred from successfully.
Archer

This a puppy I am bringing in from America

In America a lot of people use AI just for convienience, often doing an AI on a bitch before letting the dog subsequently mate her naturally. This is mainly because shipping can put bitches off, or the male isn't available but semen can be shipped to the bitch owner, and also there is much more worry about infection with Brucella Canis being a problem.

Some toy breeds are notoriously hard to mate, so AI is done routinely.

I was talking about the problems I had trying to mate two maidens, and both my Australian and American counterparts were surprised I simply didn't do AI, as I was getting the dog ejaculating outside the bitch. I rather though they think we are rather backward in this respect, and cannot underatand our KCs reluctance.

Oure KC will not allow AI between dogs living in UK, and you have to get permisson to use imported semen, and they want assurances the donor dog has mated naturally.

So what I am saying in a longwinded way, is how the sperm got to the egg makes no difference!!! The main problem is that the chances of pregnancy and litter size is reduced compared to a normal mating, but with fresh semen AI at optimum time is nearly as productive.

Discussing this subject at a seminar some years ago, the general opinion was that the KC was reluctant to allow this routinely because it could, in theory, encourage the reproduction of animals who lack the normal instincts to breed (because the semen would not be released 'naturally'), which would then allow their "defective" genes into the general population when their offspring breed. This could then reduce the viability of the breed in general.

I think this only likely with animals that show no libido, as this is inherited. That is why the KC insist that the donor dog has sired naturally. Using semen from a keen stud wll not somehow make his offspring incapable of natural breeding.

With a lot of toy breeds being difficult to achieve natural matings, it would seem ths has already happened, and will probably get worse if AI is used to help animals reproduce that otherwise couldn't/wouldn't.

I was speaking to an Australian breeder where my breed has a small gene pool and few litters are bred. This means that they often need to use dogs that are in pet homes, and this is usually done by AI, due to perhaps their inexperience, and not being able to guarantee them a proven bitch. Also pet males may be reluctant to actually mate due to being discouraged by their owner. In these cases the males are usually given the opportunity to follow up with a natuaral mating, and sometimes this is achieved, sometimes not!

From what little I have heard of AI, the litter size can be smaller than usual, but I haven't heard that the puppies that do result have any associated health problems. I think with IVF in people the quality of the stored sperm can deteriorate over time, but whether or not it's the same with dogs?........

Archer
is that AI from living parents though ?
It doesnt seem right to breed from a dog thats dead somehow . Is there a limit to the number of litters that can be produced ?
I am really surprised because i have never heard of this before
lel

I think you're right, Lel, that the KC will only allow it if the sire is still living. :)

No, that is not correct. There is a litter of Griffon Bruxellois, now about 7 months old, born via AI, where the father died 7 years or so ago. You have to apply for permission but it can be done.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth.

Obviuosly the bitch was living but not sure about the dog.(think he was still living).One AI litter was born in 1974(2PUPS) and one in1998.Don't believe theres a limit on number of litters
Archer

I have a feeling in one of my breeds an AI litter is currently being planned from a dead dog.....our KC are not hot on AI, but in some Countries it is commonplace to store 'straws' from Studs to be used after their deaths eg Australia

It just feels like *cheating* though if you do that .
I still dont think its ethical I'm sorry
Lel

Surely if a sire was good and has a lot to offer, to a breed with a small gene pool,rather than in- breed what is in this country,Most dogs in my breed at the moment go back to the same dogs.Most dogs at the moment go back to continental lines, it has been a long time since any lines have come from America. I had been offered a puppy from another litter but this to went back to lines we already had.I have reservations but!

Yes, I think the size of the gene pool is what decides things with the KC and Griffs have a fairly small gene pool.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

My new Weimaraner is now six months old and is an A.I. puppy from a litter of 5 dogs and 3 bitches. Her sire died quite some time ago. It was the first litter whelped from this store of frozen semen and it has since been used on 2 more bitches. As for being any different from a pup conceived in the natural way (re: first post), she most definitely is not! She is just so full of life and healthy like a normal 6 month pup should be. I think I'm so lucky to have her and wouldn't be without her for the world :D.

Go ahead, have the puppy and enjoy it. Whether sire is dead or not doesnt matter. What if he died the day after the bitch was inseminated? Would it make any difference if he died the day before? Anything else is just a matter of degree. Personally, if he had lived a long healthy life with no hereditary problems or cancers, then I would view his semen as more healthy than that unknown quantity two year old champion. Just my humble opinion, but then I breed for health as well as the show ring.