Hello to you all.
Can anyone with Breeding Knowledge please help with this subject,
I was thinking of breeding my choc, lab, Bitch but have been told you should only do this if your dog/s are showing.
I do not show my bitch and never purchased her for anything more than a much loved family pet, She is a pedigree and did have relevant checks but to be honest i have never looked into her pedigree as have never needed to untill now as i am aware that this is just one of the basics to do so you can ensure a good line for breeding from.
I am a novice' and would like to know if it should only be show dogs who breed even if my dog is a pedigree.
thankyou,
with kind regards jenny.

I am not a breeder but there are pets out there who come from good lines and who would indeed be good enough to show but arent.
There are so many things to consider when breeding and I am sure some one with more knowledge than I will be able to help you
Lesley

Hi jenny the best advice I can give you is to give your girls breeder a ring, they will be able to advise you about pedigrees,suitable studs,the implacations such as cost,time ect
She will also need to have her eyes tested and her hips x-rayed (scored) your vet will advice you about this.
good luck
:)
edited to say I would also join the breed club and attend some shows/trials even if its just as a spectator you will see the standard desired and meet some knowlegable people

Hi Jenny - welcome to the board!

As the others have said - talk to your breeder - what does she think? She should be able to advise you on lines that are compatible to yours. As I understand from your posting, you didn't buy her with a view to breeding, so it may be that your breeder has placed restrictions on her - i.e. you may not be able to register puppies without the breeder lifting any endorsement that she may have placed on her when first registering her. If s/he thinks your girl is suitable you will have to then arrange the necessary health tests - hip scoring and eye testing - before the restrictions are lifted.

I recommend this so often, that I've been accused of writing the thing - but buy a copy of the Book of the Bitch (you can get it from Amazon) - and read, re-read and read this again. It really is worth its weight in gold ;.

You've also been recommended to join the breed society - John will be along soon, no doubt, he is the gundog guru on the board - and he will give you sound advice. The Breed Society will also help you - and the recommendations may well be not to breed from your girl - sadly there are soo many badly bred labradors out there and I'm sure that you wouldn't want to add to them - the fact that you have come on here BEFORE going any further shows that you are thinking things through first of all!

Breeding puppies IS wonderful - but it's also hard work - you've got to be able to take time off when your girl has puppies, if as most of us, you have to work outside the home - and it's not cheap, despite all the people who say - oh you can make a mint of money with a litter of labs - you can't if you do it properly!!
You have the expense of the tests, the stud fee, the extra feeding of your bitch, extra heating if you have a winter litter, plus labs can have large litters so you might finish up having to supplement feed the smallest babies PLUS when they start to wean, mum isn't as keen on cleaning up after them - and believe me, puppies produce pots and pots of poop!!! You've also got to take time to make sure that the people who want your beloved babies ARE the right people for them - being prepared to take puppies back if necessary because people can't cope - and when they are fully grown, and in families, if the family for some reason cannot keep the dog, the breeder has a moral responsibility to that dog.

It's all a lot to take in, and I don't want to sound either patronising, or presuming that you haven't thought things through - you may well have thought all this through and decide that it is for you - and your breeder will agree - in which case - welcome to the wonderful world of puppies!

Do let us know what you decide.

REgards

Margot

I would love to contact the breeder but sadly she has moved and i am not able to find a forwarding address for her. Would anyone have any other good contact numbers about this. I will look into seeing the showrings and talk to the lab owners. I am in nodoubt that breeding is not something that should be taken lightly and i will do my very best to get all, the infomation, and help that i need to find out more.
Sadly there are to many unloved animal's of all kinds and i do not plan to add to the long lists.
I take it the book of the Bitch, that was named is a very good book so i will put that on my list of to do things.
I will breed, belle if and when i think that a better line on what i already have can be achieved for the breed itself and only when i know this and have enough knowledge on breeding will i go ahead.
thankyou all for the replys that you have posted to me.
with kind regards jenny.

Hi Jenny,
No, it's not vital that you show your bitch before you breed from her, but showing has the advantage of proving whether an animal is close enough to the breed standard to make breeding a sensible thing to do. There are many thousands (34,000 I think) labrador puppies registered each year, so your pups have to be up with the best!

She would also need to have a good hip-score (you say she has had the relevant checks - how did she do?) and a clear eye-certificate for any reputable stud-owner to allow his dog to be used.

Probably the best person to contact for advice would be the breeder of your bitch, who should know if your bitch fits the breed standard closely, or is, for whatever reason, purely 'pet quality' (like 85% of all dogs).

Good luck though. I'm sure she's lovely (well, she's a lab, isn't she!!)

One thing for sure - you have to be 100% sure that you want to breed as its a huge step to take. As for contacting the breeder of your girl, post the kennel affix on here - someone may recognise it.

westburydown i think the breeders business was just you average house so would this make a difference, and would i find the exact name on the pedigree?
I know it may sound a silly thing to ask, but i am a novice to it all.
thanks jenny.

I think you're beginning the right way! Asking questions, learning all you can and all that is the first step to a responsible breeding. This is my first litter with my Golden, and everyone is right... it is very hard and very expensive. Don't do it if you're looking to make a quick $. Just as an example, Daisy cost us $600 this weekend alone in vet visits because of unforseen troubles. You'll be lucky to just break even. :)

I hope your dogs troubles are not to serious and are resolved quickly.
People breed all to quickly these days for a quick buck im glad to say that im not one of them.
Hope your bitch is fine and her whelp goes well.
jenny.

Hi Jenny the bitches breeders Affix is the first word of her kennel club name like [Woolmark Spinning Jenny] the word Woolmark would be the breeders Affix. Have a look on the registration and let us know and someone [John] may be able to help locate the breeder for you.

Also most serious breeders (as in intent not volume) are members of at least one bre3ed club, and people within the breed will know where they are.

If you have no joy here I suggest getting a list of the breed clubs from the Kennel Club and ring round asking the club secs. if they know of her. they won't of course pass out her details but will be able to pass a letter on for you to help you regain contact :D

Joining your local breed club will also help with yor research.

Good evening.
Can i just say thanks to those who have, left me more messages since yesterday evening, and can i also say a big sorry to Jeangenie for not replying to you sooner. I was half asleep last, night and when i was
"Re-reading" all the replies Today, I noticed that you had asked me about Belle's tests. Belle's mean score for her hips was 8 this was done when she was 12 months.
I am not sure how often this is done, but Belle has only had the one, her eyes have been tested twice 6month's and 18month's by the ERG test and the vet, gave her the all clear, this should be performed once a year if i'm correct. I was also, thinking of having her tested for "elbow dysplasia" she has not had this yet, as she, is only just two, is this test one that should be checked in belle's case.
I'm going to pull the pedigree down from the loft over the weekend so i'll keep you posted but thanks, for the help on finding, the name.
Kind Regards
jenny.

hi

when i needed to locate my dogs breeder, the KC said to right the a letter to the breeder but put a note in fotr the kennel club asking for it to be passed on to Mrs so and so, and there forwarded it on to here, then its up to her to get back in touch you will nedd to put in your leter to kennel club the dams name and here kennel club number sorry forgot

Hope it all goes well, were in the process of finding a mate for my Black Lab dog,

Clare