Has to be quality dog for our KC reg poodle bitch. Colour unimportant but conformation and temp must be A+. Puppies will be staying within family. e-mail. eventer28@hotmail.co.uk

Hi Ben

Your first port of call should be your bitch's breeder - she will be able to tell you what lines would compliment hers. Failing that why not go to one of the big dog shows and look at some dogs produced by the best kennels - that will give you some idea of the type that you like - you could then contact the breeders of studs you may be interested in and show them your bitch's pedigree - they should be able to tell you if they will be compatible. I'm not sure what health checks need to be done for poodles but again talking to those experienced in the breed would let you know what tests you would need to carry out before breeding. Don't hurry this preliminary stage - It's really important to do all the 'groundwork' first and if this means missing her next season whilst you do your research then that's ok. - Get this stage right and you will be rewarded with well bred, healthy and typical pups that will bring years of pleasure to their new owners - get it wrong and you could have years of vets bills, coping with poor temperaments and pups that look nothing like the breed  :D

Good luck !!

Yvonne

Thank you for the advise.. Im certainly in no rush to get the bitch mated just starting to get the ball moving. Unfortunately for some unknown reason the breeder of my bitch has been less than helpful when I asked for advise regarding mating, I think she is worried about her niche. Im not interested in breeding show dogs, (my bitch is a pet and has only three champs in her ancestry) just as long as they are good quality, healthy poodles like there mum then all will be happy. She will be having all the relevant physical/medical exams performed at the local vets.

Please don't think too badly of your bitch's breeder.  I also wouldn't encourage someone who'd bought one if my puppy bitches as a pet, to breed with no experience.  Not to protect me, but to protect my bitch and the family.  If you read these threads, both posted in the last few days, maybe you'll understand what I mean.
http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/board/topic_show.pl?tid=61858 
http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/board/topic_show.pl?tid=61875
Breeding a litter without experience is certainly putting the bitch at risk, and that isn't what I bring my puppies into the world for.  Having said that, I have no idea what experience you have in mating bitches and whelping puppies, but I'm glad that you're asking questions before you make your decision.:)

I understand your points and I can understand the breeders point of views. Like I have said previously, We are not breeding pups to make any money whatsoever, I make a good wage and I wouldn't ever exploit my pets like to make a few ££'s, although I understand many people do!! My bitch will only be bred once in her lifetime to produce a small number of pups for family members and as a family we all have grown up with poodles/labs as pets.  My bitch was bought as a good quality pup for show, breed or pet! She is a good example of her miniature poodle. I do have limited experience of mating dogs, whelping pups etc but I am sensible enough to be working with the vet, asking questions here, gathering enough information as possible to ensure things go as smoothly as possible for our pet.

try to buy the "book of the bitch"
its good,full of info & will also ansewr questions you never knew you needed to know!!!!

Will look into that! Thanks :)

Sorry but my experience (as an ex Veterinary Nurse!) is that Vets know very little about mating, whelping etc.  If you decide to go ahead, do try and get an experienced breeder to mentor you through.  You'll get support here, but it's not that same as having someone with you who can see what's really going on.

Im not sure my vet would agree with you as he has been breeding afghans for years. Some of the junior vets are lacking basic knowledge though!

Lucky you if you have a Vet who breeds!!  :)  I used to have one whose wife bred Danes, but apart from that .................:(

My vet's father breeds, I think it may be more common than you think :) and I should think just about all vets have several breeders on their books so probably see a lot more that the average hobby breeder who maybe only breeds 5 or 6 litters in their whole show career.

Ben, you should also be aware than very often friends and family who claim to want a puppy from your bitch will back out when the time comes, and the 'breeder' is left with 6-10 puppies to find homes for at short notice :(

I do understand where you are coming from on that note but I can safely say that these pups will remain firmly within the family (not friends) and Im also aware that miniature poodles usually have around 4 pups, although I know that its possible for them to have more.

Also, bear in mind that owners of the type of dog you describe may not want their A+ dog used to supply puppies for pet homes - they will be looking to get their boys puppies (if good enough) in the ring, so you may have difficulty finding the owner of a good stud willing to let you use him. Go to plenty of shows (open and champ) and get talking to the exhibitors and breeders. Try to get your girl assessed by one of them so you know what to look for to compliment your bitch.

Hmmm. Good point! I really dont want to have to settle for an average stud dog. Thanks for advice Fillis.

Your girls papers do allow her to have a litter don't they?  Only querying this as you say that the breeder is none to happy about her having a litter.  If she has put a condition on where your girl isn't to be bred from you may find it hard to find a stud dog owner who would want to use your girl with their dog.

No, her papers don't have any conditiion excluding her from breeding KC reg pups.

I would contact the breeder and have a chat as to why you wish to breed and I am sure they will be helpful if:
a) She is good enough
b) You are going to do it properly
c) You will take full lifelong responsibility for the pups produced.

Most breeders will be looking to protect their line and breed from exploitaion by those who don't care or don't know how to do things properly, but if you show a genuine abiding interest are more than happy to mentor you.

I received all the help I could have wished for from my breeder (now sadly deceased) and from the owner of the sire of my foundation bitch(still with us with over 50 years experience).  I would be guided by them if they honestly think she isn't of breeding quality, as only about 1 in any litter are likely to be.  If she isn't up to scratch then why not have another pup from the same breeder?  In the long run it will be a lot less expensive,a nd less long term commitment (thinking of the pups produced here).

Just in case you think I am against new folk breeding I can assure you I am not.  Of the pups I have sold soem new owner/exhibitors have gone on to breed their own litters, but only after I have been assured they were going to do things right.  they were all Hip Scored and Eye Tedted before I removed the endorsements off their papers.  Saying that though there have only been 3 new people breding on, and one was already a long time breeder in Australia.