We have a female patterdale she will be on her second season due mar-apr 2004 looking for male Patterdale for stud.

Hi Penny

Bitches should not be mated until they are over 24 months of age, so unless your bitch has very extended seasons, which you won't know about as she has only had one so far, she is still much too young.

There should be no hurry to make bitches, they genernally live plenty long enough for them to enjoy their puppyhood and youth and have time to fully develop and mature before they are subjected to the strains and risks of motherhood.

SO, YOU WANT TO BE A BREEDER ....

So you want to be a breeder do you? Good for you! That's what I
am, a breeder. But before you decide to go ahead and breed
dogs,here are a few things you need to know, and a few things
you need to have.

1. You'll need to be willing to clean up vomit, urine, faeces,
chewed up couches, ruined shoes, and destroyed garbage cans.
Then you'll need to be willing to do it all over again the next
day, and the next, and the next....

2. You'll need a strong stomach, to be able to stand the stench
of rotting foetuses aborted mid term by your pregnant bitch
you've been waiting two years to breed. You'll need that strong
stomach when you look down on the occasional deformed monster
your bitch gives birth to, and you'll need it when you humanely
destroy that same puppy.

3. You'll need a strong heart to be able to nurture and love
your healthy puppies until they're ready to be sold into the
hands of strangers who may abuse, neglect, starve, beat, or at
best ignore them. You'll need that strong heart when even the
puppies that go to good homes end up run over by accident, or
put down from illness. You'll need it when the tears of those
good owners are pouring their way into your heart.

4. You'll need lots of room to be able to keep bitches in heat
away from stud dogs, stud dogs away from each other, and
puppies away from everything. Don't forget about those last
two pups that you couldn't find homes for, or the rescue dog
your breed club begged you to take in, or the pup from your
last litter that the owners decided just wasn't right for them.

5. You'll need to be able to stand grief and loss. Like the way
you'll feel the first time you lose a bitch during labour, and
realise that it was your decision to breed her that killed her.
You'll need it when you explain to your kids why the miracle of
birth has a dark side as well.

6. You'll need an employer that will understand if you have to
take time off work because your bitch died in labour and you're
tube feeding the new puppies.

..........Wait a minute you're saying by now! Give me a break!
All you breeders are the same. You only tell us the gory stuff,
the stuff intended to scare us off breeding forever. What about
the money? I mean you guys just don't want anyone else to
compete with you.....

Oh yes the money, glad you mentioned it.

7. You'll need money. Lots of it. Probably lots more than you
have, especially if the above mentioned employer didn't turn
out to be so sympathetic after all. Lets do some math shall
we? Vet bills, Caesarean section, stud fees, registrations,
shots, worming, puppy check ups, special diets, whelping
gear.... Let's say an average of $2500 per litter, if nothing
complicated arises. All this must be paid out before the first
puppy ever sells, assuming that they're not all stillborn, in
which case don't forget the cost of autopsies. Even if every
puppy in the litter is show quality (we can all dream after
all) and you find each one a dream home, you're still going to
lose about $750 per litter.

.........Wait! Where are you going? I didn't tell you about
show fees, or handling, or picking the right stud dog, or
government forms, or AKC registrations, or dog runs, or irate
neighbours, or city licenses.......>>>>>> 

It's like deja vu on this board tonight!  ;)    I've been cutting & pasting everywhere! :D

I end up in tears everytime I read this Lily *sniff* and I'm not a breeder, probably never will be now ;)

liberty

I would recommend that you wait until her 3rd or 4th season. Her 4th would be better as then the puppies would be born in the spring/summer when its warmer. Before considering breeding make sure you have the time, money, and patients to bring up puppies and remember all the puppies may not have homes straight away so you could end up with more than you can chew!

Admin edit: terms of service

thanks for your advice we are a bit curiouse as our patterdale bitch has 9 nipples.