When someone enquires about breeding from their bitch the standard replies seem to be "ask your breeder". 

How often is this a good idea though, how many breeders actually know much about their breeds?

Perhaps we should refer people to  breed clubs rather than their dog's breeder, if they were that confident about them they would have contacted the breeder before asking on a public board?

Christine

there again. what if the breed club is manned by volunteers that havent bred or owned anything themselves>>????????    id much prefer anyone with anything id bred to ask for advise.-------but as nearly everything i breed leaves with breeding restrictions then i doubt it will ever happen .  :D

I also think that some breeders are first time breeders, so they may not be much of an expert!

You certainly have a point there Kerioak. I think that I assume that the breeder will be someone like 'us', knowledgable caring and interested. Our stock advice would be useless if the animal in question came from a backyard puppy producer, pet shop or Exchange and Mart advert. We need to encourage more guests to join up so we can find out a little more about their situation.
Dawn R.

Thinking about this, I suppose it would depend on how good a relationship the owner had built up with the breeder. Also, I suppose some people might be embarrassed to admit they were having problems. As with parenting, people will seek advice from whoever they feel most comfortable with.
Cathy.

Hi
You have a very genuine point there!
not all breeders are willing or capable of answering questions.
as has been previously said to be more helpful we need peole to registr and give us some back ground information.
:)

You unfortunately do get people who do not wish to contact their breeder because the bitch/dog is endorsed. I think if the pup was purchased from a reputable breeder then this should be their first port of call but of course not all pups come from a caring breeder but then are they a good example of their breed. A very difficult debate, again information is the key but would you get it?

Perhaps we should devise a list of questions to ask people wanting more information on breeding their bitch (or dog come to that)  such as

How old is your dog
Where did you obtain it rescue/friend/its breeder/shop
Has it been bred from before
What health tests has it had (this does not include a vet telling you it is fit to breed from)
What is your purpose for breeding: it is good for a bitch to have puppies/I want a puppy/my friends want puppies/the children want to see/other - please specify
Have you ever shown your dog
Does it meet the breed standard (have you ever read your breeds Standard?)

etc

Christine

Not a bad idea at all.

Karen

Karen!!

You aren't just supposed to agree but to come up with some more, or refined, suggestions :D

Christine

In the perfect world the bitches breeder is best, they know the lines of the bitch and would have that bitch and their own lines at heart when advising the new breeder. Also to have an experienced breeder on the end of the line to help you during your bitches whelp and to send you puppy buyer that have approached them is also useful.

But then again, some pups are bought from people who have not a clue or a care about breeding, and just put their bitch to the nearest stud and hoped for the best, those sort of breeders are next to useless but there again if you have a bitch from such a breeder you would be lucky if it worth breeding.

Think I would suggest anyone who is so taken with a breed they feel they would like to breed, would be to join a breed club, become involved, learn as much as you can about the breed and learn to recognise a good example when you see one. Then go and buy a foundation bitch from a breeder who's stock you like and refer to the first paragraph.

This year the owners of a bitch I bred decided to have a litter.  She has been shown and done moderately well.  They had her hip Scored and Eye tested and results were fine.  She was well over two years of age at that stage, and I applied for endorsements to be lifted by the Kennel club, and they applied for an Affix which was added to the bitch's name.  They are members of this forum. 

They have done something really sweet and printed a Thank you to myself and the owners of their litters sire in our breed club magazine, for any little help we have been to them.  Really gave me a warm feeling.

I was able to be on the phone for her when whelping was imminent.  They have had the ups and downs of breeding and homing, including timewasters, having a puppy returned for the silliest of reasons after three weeks, and now having a 6 month pup back due to marriage break up.  A real baptism of fire.  Their reason for breeding?  To breed a puppy hopefully better than her dam, and a growing involvement and passion for the breed.

This is how it should be done.

All breeders have to start somewhere and the subsequent puppy buyers are entitled to have knowledgeable back up, be that directly from the breeders expereince, or as is usually the case the collective wisdom of the breeder and their mentors and fellow breeders.

You also need a breeder who's researched her line and knows which other lines suit hers.  Just because a dog or bitch looks absolutely wonderful doesn't mean that this dog, bitch is going to produce the best dogs in the world.  I've had Pom's. who aren't the best looking and wdn't get anywhere in the show ring but put to the right dog have produced wonderful pups.  As they say "Looks aren't everything".

You need a breeder who has a really good knowledge of her breed.  I've known people who have only had one litter of a breed and tell you that they know everything that there is to know!!!