Hi,my name is Gary from salisbury and new to this site,I have to young boxers and wishing to breed them,its not a spare of the moment thing if anyone thinks that,i've thought this through and this is what i want to do.
Anyway i was just wondering,my bitch is only 16 mths old and my boy is 19 mths,would this be a good age or should i wait a few months or longer.
I've read books,net etc. but all say different ages,the bitch is pretty mature for her age but still having doubts about it.
CAN ANYONE HELP? OR BOXER BREEDERS OUT THERE,GET IN TOUCH!!
THANX GARY

Hi

The youngest age you should consider breeding your bitch is 2 years, not before! Although she may 'look' mature she certainly isn't ready yet to have puppies. I don't know what tests boxers have, but both dog and bitch need to be checked out before you even consider breeding! Also do their pedigrees work together?? If it's the first time for both it may not be as easy as you think.

they need heart checks-scores. done before theyre bred, .

Boxers can have serious heart problems. It is essential that you get their hearts properly scored before you use either of them for breeding. This heart scoring is not done by your vet - it needs a specialist. Your best bet is to contact a Boxer breed club to find out when and where a scoring session is taking place.

You have time, because you shouldn't mate your bitch before she is 2 years old.

Your boxers are both KC registered, aren't they?

Hi there Gary

Have you thought about the fact your dog may not be the best mate for your bitch? I can honestly say Being a stud dog owner that I know when our male is not the best mate to put on one of our females (very often) in which case I find the best bred and most importantly best producing stud to tie in with her bloodlines one who can improve on the bitches faults. I feel we have a responsibility when breeding to try and improve the breed not just have a litter of cute Boxers and I would definitely reccommend an experienced stud dog and handler for a first time bitch unless you are very knowledgeable and have supervised matings before.

There are very many Boxer stud dogs out there and they are reasonably inexpensive compared to some breeds so would it really be worth the trouble of having your male heart tested and using him at stud risking a change in his personality in to the bargain. You wouldn't really find a good market for a Boxer stud dog either as there are so many really top flight stud dogs the only interest you would possibly get are from the family up the street who want to make some money for their holidays out of a litter (one of my enquiries this week, needless to say no go).

We have our Boxers heart tested usually at the British Boxer club open show in April for a modest fee, your vet can advise and point you in the right direction if you need someone closer to home.

I would advise the first step would be to talk to the breeder of your bitch. Good luck whatever you decide.

Debbie

hi,thanx for that!!
you've been a great help
GARY

Well hopefully Gary, you will at least think about what these responsible, caring have said to you! There is much more to dog breeding than just mating a bitch to the nearest convenient dog.

First off I wouldn't consider either one of your dogs until all their genetic work-ups/panels have been done for your breed. What I mean is any genetic disorders in our breed that both dogs be tested for these. As an example if Hip Dysplasia is a concern then both need to be x-rayed at the appropriate time,usually 2 years but in Canada they can do a Pin-Hip at 1 1/2 years, blood work, clearances from breeders to breed them if theserestrictions were placed at time of purchase. Some breeders will sell puppies but retain the stud and breeding rites.

Do you know how to read the pedigree of the male and female to see if they would be a good match for each other through their ancestors? If you don't find someone who can read it for you. The combination may be a disaster.

Have you taken time to write down on paper your bitch's good points and bad points?
Have you done the dame for your male?
Do the bad points in the bitch off-set by the good points in the stud and vice-versa?

Breeding a litter of puppies is a big undertaking: responsibility wise and dollar wise!
It is a costly undertaking by the time you pay for shots for the bitch, feed her through the pregnancy, whelp the puppies(hopefully naturally), feed the bitch as she nurses, feed the puppies, advertising the puppies if you haven't already presold most of the litter(waiting list), socialization of puppies, screening new owners(not everyone that contacts you is a good potential owner), work, work, work cleaning up the whelping box. I don't know very many breeders who fulfill these ideals above who do much more than break even. They sure don't make loads of money.

The Ultimate Ideal behind Breeding a Litter is to Produce Puppies that are Better than the Parents.
It is this idiom that most litters are bred by people who are involve in Dog Activities like Showing, Obedience, Field Trials, Agility, etc. They have an ideal dog attributes to shoot for in the litter.

Margaret :) Canada

Margaret, in the UK hips can be x-rayed and scored from 12 months.
:)