i would really like to start to breed when older but i  was just wondering about some stuff.

1. i know it is important to breed only if you have a list of people serious about buying the pups but if you are starting up how are you suppossed to get a list if you are not well known. therefore do you have to start and then become well known to begin to get a list of people wanting pups.

2. do you think that you should only breed from dogs that you have shown first or if you have a lovely pet would you breed from taht to get started.

sorry these are probs really obvious questions but i was just wondering for the future.

please don't think that i am going to start now however much i would love to.

thanks in advance
Anna

You need to know whether or not your bitch (however good the pedigree) is of suitable quality to breed from. Naturally we all think our own dogs are the best in the world :) but we all tend to have rose-coloured spectacles! So we need to have her assessed by a few unbiased outsiders; the easiest way to do this is to take her to a few shows. If she consistently does fairly well then she has possibilities - if she's consistently unplaced then she may well not have the quality nedded to add to the gene pool.

Also, when you've been to a few shows, and she's done quite well, people will have heard of you and will be more interested in her offspring - and you'll have seen a good selection of possible studs to choose from!

just a little thing that will probs make you laugh but i actually do have rose tinted glasses as they help me read as i have dislexia.
LOL

Hi Anna - you are obviously starting at the right end!

First of all, chose the breed that you really and truly love.   Study it carefully - go to shows - and if your breed is a working breed, go to working trials/obedience/agility shows too.   Talk to established breeders.   Learn the faults of the breed as well as the highlights of the breed.   Then, chose your breeder - one with whom you can establish a good empathy.   Tell the breeder that you hope to breed, and establish whether you could count on his/her support.   If you couldn't count on this support, I personally would look to finding another breeder/mentor.

Let your breeder/mentor pick out the pup that should best suit your purposes.   Please bear in mind that it is impossible to predict exactly which pup is going to be the winner :D - but hopefully, provided the puppy then matures nicely and turns out to be an excellent example of the breed in all aspects, then you might have your bitch.   Of course, she will have to have all the relevant health checks for her breed - which, if you have been doing the "homework" set out above, you should by that time know.   

You then have to ask yourself :  why do you want to breed from her?   Are you prepared for all the hassle tht goes with it?   Are you prepared to commit yourself to take back any puppies so produced by you for the duration of their lifetime (remember, dogs shoudl have long lives).

If you have taken your bitch out, and either shown her, or taken part in working/agility/obedience trials, people will have seen her, and get to know her - and this can be the start of your "puppy list".

A lot of hard work, I know.   But far better to go along this path.   Your bitch should, first and foremost, be your lovely pet.    But not all lovely pets should be bred from.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Regards

Margot

This link will give you an idea of what you should be aiming for and the responsibilites involved in doing it properly :D
http://www.dog-play.com/breedercomparison.htm

thank you everyone for the replies.

i have thought about all of that and yes of course my dogs will always be my pets first and formost as i can't even bear to think about a life without a dog.

the reasons i would have to breed are: 1. to continue a healthy line of the breed i love (short haired vizslas).2. to continue a line that is as close to the breed standard as possible. 3. to give other people the best quality, healthy, good tempramental pets as i can.

i would be of course willing to take back any pups which is why i am unable to breed at the moment as i am still living at home and firstly need to get a job to give me some money, also i don't think my parents would be too happy if i took pups back in. oh and also the dog i have at the moment is very nervous temperament wise so not what i want  to be bringing into the breed.

thanks for all the replies and i am starting out to show and such in the new year so will hopefully be learning much more than i do already.

good luck with all your dogs
thanks again
anna

Hi, Besides showing your Vizslas, you might also want to get involved in working them.  A lot of people are not sure about the idea of guns and shooting things, well gundog working tests don't involve any shooting, only dummies, and spring pointing tests involve only hunting, pointing and flushing - no shooting or retrieving.  Only field trials involve actually shooting, so you could just avoid those if you're worried about that side of things.

I just thought I'd mention it, because the HPR breeds are trying to make sure that dogs not only meet conformation requirements (ie - do well at shows) but also maintain their working ability and remain truly dual-purpose dogs.  If you want to breed Vizslas, this is definitely something to think about - to attempt to prove the working ability of your stock and not just their physical appearance. 

that is really useful thanks.

only problem is that i live in london  so i don't think there are many classes about around me

if you know of anywhere i would be really greatful to know as she is actually a brilliant pointer and setter (we visist scotland every year) the only problem is that she is awful at picking things up in her mouth except tissues and sticks (any ideas would be help ful - may post this on another board)

thanks again for all the advise - i know alot about generally looking after dogs and obeidience training and tricks but not alot about showing and nothing about working dogs.

anna