HI WE ARE LOOKING TO BREED OUR LOVELY BORDER TERRIER BITCH  (LEXIE) WHO HAS A REALLY GOOD PEDIGREE AND WE ARE LOOKING TO BREED HER WITH A  REALLY GOOD PEDIGREE STUD IN THE CHESHIRE AREA IF YOU CAN HELP OR HAVE A STUD PLEASE EMAIL US WITH DETAILS (SHE IS NOW 14 MONTHS OLD AND WE ARE LOOKING TO BREED HER IN FEB OF 2006). THANKS

To be honest, if you come on a forum like this to find a stud, you are not ready to breed. What makes your bitches pedigree so good? The pedigree is a very small part of deciding whether a bitch should be bred from - she needs to be an excellent example of her breed, and if she is you need to know what lines are compatible when finding a stud dog. The right dog is very unlikely to be living locally - you may have to travel hundreds of miles for a suitable stud. Has your girl won at shows? Has she been assessed by someone knowledgable, has she been health tested (and not just a once over by the vet, but the recommended tests for her breed), and have you asked yourself why you want to become a breeder?

I AM SHOCKED IN RECEIVING SUCH A RUDE EMAIL, MY GRAN AND GRANDAD HAVE BEEN IN DOGS ALL THERE LIFE THEY HAVE SHOWN AND JUDGED ALL OVER THE WORLD INCLUDING WINNING BEST OF BREED IN YORKSHIRE TERRIERS AT CRUFFS AND HAVE BREED MANY CHAMPIONS OVER THE YEARS AND THERE SHOW NAME IS STILL WELL KNOW IN YORKSHIRE TERRIERS, SO TO RECEIVE AN EMAIL LIKE THIS IS VERY UPSETTING WE ARENT OUT TO MAKE ANY MONEY OUT OF OUR BORDER TERRIER AND WE ARE PERFECTLY AWARE OF ALL THE COST IN VETS BILLS THAT MAY ACCURE BUT MY PARTNERS PARENTS BORDER HAS RECENTLY DIED AND WOULD LOVE A PUPPY FROM OUR DOG AND MY SELF WOULD LOVE TO RAISE A LITTER, AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION WE HAVE HAD OUR DOG HEALTH CHECKED AND IS IN PERFECT HEALTH AND IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF HER BREED, I THINK YOU SHOULD ASK MORE QUESTIONS BEFORE JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS ABOUT PEOPLE AND ACT MORE PROFESSIONAL YOURSELF!!

As you know, there's an eye problem under investigation in border terriers, so I'm assuming your bitch has a clear eye-test certificate from an ophthalmic specialist.

Sorry, Crewe Terrier, we can only act on the information that you give us:  you didn't give us very much, and sadly, as you will see if you look at some of the other posts, about stud needed, etc, you will see that some people only have the very basic knowledge - i.e. "I've gor a girl, and she wants a boy and we want puppies".   

More information would have elicited a more positive response, no doubt.

Margot

With all that knowledge and information behind you, why haven't you contacted the Breed Club, or at least stated the qualities/lines that you are looking for?

If your family are already very involved in dogs I would expect that they would have advised you to contact and join the breed club/s.  there you will be able to accesss the information about studs through their annual publications, shows, working events and possibly websites.

Time needs to be spent studying the various lines and those behind your bitch and the shortlist of males that you have seen and admired, there is no other proper way to do it.

Your bitches breeder if reputable and knowledgeable should be able to help and mentor you, having the knowledge that you do not. 

You cannot breed responsibly without in depth knowledge which you will gain over time or your mentor must already have if you are to breed from your bitch.

If you go to the Kennel Club website click on breed standards, find that for the Border Terrier (print off and study it) and at the bottom you will find breed club contacts.

I'm afraid as the owner of 3 Border terriers, who I show and work, I agree with the other posters. I would think if your family had the necessary "connections" and is so well known in dog circles they could of helped you find a suitable dog, not opt for the find the nearest available scenario!  Border Terriers are at present being bred in large numbers for the wrong reasons, I would suggest you speak to the breeder of your bitch, and seek a proffesional opinion of her from a qualified judge before you consider breeding a litter.  If you have not had much experience with the breed, you may not be aware of the necessary points to look for in a suitable specimen, i.e mouth, conformation and temperament.  I assume she was from a reputable breeder?
Dawn.

Actually, I asked 5 questions in my reply, so how many more do you want? The fact that one person would love a puppy from your bitch and you would love to raise a litter is not really the perfect reason to start breeding. What do you plan to do with the rest of the litter - have they got homes lined up? As others say, if your family have such a "doggy" background, you should be able to find the perfect stud dog without asking on here, and you should know that you are unlikely to find that dog locally.
If you think I have been rude, I am sorry, but I stand by my original reply. I am not here as a "proffessional" anything, just a dog lover like the majority of other members.
By the way, it is Crufts, not Cruffs.

With regards to this can anyone tell me what health tests are SUPPOSED to be carried out on BT's as my friends have 2 and I am 'trying' to talk them out of letting them mate!  I would normally advise to get hips and eyes tested but don't know how big a problem they are in the breed and if there is any other tests that need to be done before breeding 'responsibly'!?

Your help and info is appreciated as always :D

MY GRAND PARENTS RETIRED FROM DOGS OVER 5 YEARS AGO AND DONT GO TO SHOWS ANY MORE DUE TO ILLNESS SO THEY DONT HAVE MANY CONNECTIONS ANY MORE AND WHO THEY DO STILL KEEP IN TOUCH WITH BREEDS YORKSHIRE TERRIERS WHICH ISNT MUCH USE TO US THEY DO STILL GET PHONED FOR ADVICE SOMETIMES, THEY WOULDNT RECOMMEND USING THIS SITE BUT WE THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE BEEN A GOOD WAY OF GETTING MORE CHOICE IN OUR STUD DOG THE MORE PEOLPLE THAT WE CAN FIND THE MORE CHANCES WE HAVE OF FINDING A GOOD ONE BUT HOW WRONG COULD WE BE! I THINK ITS GETTING A BIT PERSONAL WHEN YOU ARE INSULTING ME FOR MY SPELLING MISTAKES, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN GRATEFULL FOR USEFULL ADVICE AND COMMENTS BUT ALL WE GOT WAS INSULTS.

Actually your posts in capitals are classed as rude & shouting on the internet

Surely going back to the breeder of your bitch would have been the advice your grandparents would have given you ? The breeder should have a good knowledge of your bitches faults & strengths & which lines suited their breeding

It is not the nearest dog you should be thinking of but the best one to complement your bitch which may or may not be in your area

The best advice is to ask the breeder as usually, nobody will know more about your girl's bloodlines than the person who produced them. Another good idea is to have a look at her pedigree and see if you can find the breeders of her grandparents too. Most serious breeders have an affix and should be easy to trace. Enter her into a show or two as that's a great way of making contacts in the breed and seeing how your girl measures up.

Also give it a even more thought than you already have - it might be less hassle and expense to just buy your in-laws a puppy.

Dear poster
I think you have missed the point, if as you say your grandparents were sucessful breeders and exhibitors and judges of their chosen breed then they can advise you how you should go about looking for a stud dog for your bitch, they can do this without any contacts in your breed.  For instance i would advise someone who wished to breed to visit dog shows, talk to breeders, and listen and learn, then after a long time they might have learnt enough about their breed to enable them to select not only a suitable stud dog but also a suitable bitch, as quite often your much loved pet dog is rarely good enough for breeding. 
As many people have advised your first port of call should be your girls breeder, if they are the type of breeder who does not want to know then sadly your bitch was probably bred for the pet market and is not of sufficient quality to breed.

If your motive for breeding is to have another dog, then please buy one.

The only genuine reason IMHO for breeding from a bitch is to try to produce at least one puppy who is likely to excell in the chosen field be it showing or working and who is free or potentially free of any health problems affecting your breed or likely to affect your breed, any other reason is irresponsible and most likely money driven.

Most people on this forum care deeply about their chosen breeds, it is soul destroying to see people - some of them well intentioned (i want to breed from my much loved pet) who due to their ignorance contribute to the mounting numbers of dogs in rescue and or with debilitating health problems all of which can be so very easily avoided.

Please don't be surprised when you ask for advice showing at the same time that you have done absolutely no research at all into your breed, lines, health status and with the relevant breed clubs, that you recieve answers such as those given.  People on this site are trying to encourage owners to think before they breed and before they add yet more dogs to rescue or worse, the advise you have been given is excellent, what you choose to do with that advice is up to you...

Sharon

If you are in the Cheshire Area the best person to speak to would be the Secretary of the Southern Border Terrier Club.

Her name is Melanie Lewis and her telephone number is 01656 880770.

To be honest like the other posters I would suggest that your first port of call should be your breeder, they will hopefully have spent a lot of time, effort and thought into breeding your bitch and will also hopefully have the know how to advise you of bloodlines that will suit your bitch.

We do have one or two health problems popping up in the breed at the moment, HD, Legges-Perthes, Cramping and we are the suspect list for Early onset Cataract.  Again I would suggest that your breeder would be the best person to advise you of lines that need to be avoided.

There are one or two sites dedicated to Border Terriers and if you would like to pm me I can give you the addresses.  But to be honest I would not expect the answers to be too disimilar to the ones you have already had on here.

Border Terrier breeders are very protective of their chosen breed, and you may find that not all stud dogs are available to just any bitch.  Indeed my own stud Dogs are to approved bitch's only.  I have today turned a very nice lady away, but as her bitch was bred by someone I have no respect for, I could not guarantee that her pedigree was as it was written down on her Registration.  For a change she was very understanding of my principals and has now decided not to breed from her bitch.  Out of interest her mother was a responsible breeder of Labradors in the past, and yet this lady still got took in by someone I consider to be a puppy farmer.

Lady Dazzle, is their a northern club as Cheshire and I presume Crewe are in the North West not the South! :d 

ooops so much for my geography :-D Apologies

Yes there is, The Border Terrier Club Secs. name is Kathy Wilkinson - email addy: otterkin@aol.com

Its interesting that the grandparents wouldn't have any idea of where to go and who to contact to help with this, I have only one breed and show only about 4 times a year, yet I have helped many people find responsible breeders of their chosen breed, find breed clubs and information and also helped people find out about availabliity and suitability of Stud dogs (usually through responsible breeders of the dam) 

I found the breeder of my first Bedlington after phoning a retired German Shepherd Champshow Judge who was a friend, he still knew how to go about it all, despite illness and being 'retired' from the show scene ;)  He was an enormous help and still had his finger 'on the pulse' ;)

Exactly - even after YEARS out of the showing game, anyones first advice would surely be to get in touch with one of the breed clubs, health test and get the bitch assessed. No contacts needed for that.

I also have not bred or shown for a number of years, But I could have pointed you in the right direction the same as other posters.
People now when buying puppies of any breed, are getting more knowledgable re health checks etc. and if these have not been done, then you could well be left with some puppies on your hands.

I think it is a pity that the KC does not enforce the health checks, so that no puppies can be registered unless the parents have had the necessary  health checks done.  But I think we will live in hope for a long time.

Actually to the experienced breeder we know where to go and what to do.
But thinking how I got started in breeding I had no idea.  I contacted the
guy who bred my bitch and asked him, he told me that I should use the father
that he owned. I came off the phone thinking, surely thats not right. I found my
first stud through my vet funny enough. He knew of a litter that had been born
and gave me the womans details. Then she gave me the sires details.
Thinking back I had not a clue which direction to go in. So I dont think the post was
that off the wall. I agree knowing what I do know I would say, go through a breed
club, or show exhibitors. Meet a few studs in advance, get your bitch health tested.
But when you start out, and when you have no idea what to do, then we do ask questions
which may seem offensive to those of us that really know how to do it all.

Rachel

Not everybody who starts out in dogs realises that there are breed clubs and although many have been going for years, even 10 15 years ago I wasn't told to be a member of my breed club (Pomeranian's) even though I entered their shows!

So I think a lot of the above is uncalled for.

We need to educate people not take the mickey out of them!