I am looking to find a light sandy/golden colour stud dog for my little girl. I am hoping to work closely with the vet as it is mine and her first time! The lucky chap must have a wonderful temperment. If anyone knows of one or has any information about breeding please contact me.
Many thanks for your help.
Anna

Anna

You need to be looking more than for the colour the stud dog is and his temperament in deciding if he is the right dog for your bitch. The best thing you can do is talk to your girl's breeder.

I presume from your post that she is a solid cocker and not a parti. How old is your girl? Has she been shown at all? Has she been proven to be a good specimin of the breed? Do you intend keeping one of the puppies, do you have homes ready for the other pup's? Does your girl have a restriction on her registration that would affect your ability to register the pup's with the Kennel Club? Has she been as a minimum eye tested?

There are so many questions that any potential stud dog owner will want answers to before considering whether to mate your bitch or not.

It may well be that you have the answers to all these and more in which case great - but I would certainly recommend the breeder of your girl for your first port of call.

hth

Pam n the boys

Thanks Pammy, This is litterally the first enquiries I have made about breading my little girl. The breader owns both parents and did it as a 'one off'. I really feel she is not old enough yet as she is only 1.5 years old. She is solid gold and hasn't been to any shows (although I would possibly like to). How do I find out if she is a good specimin? - By a proper breeder or the vet? She is very healthy, has regular check-ups and can run for England! :-) There are no restrictions on her registration as far as I know. I would possibly keep one and I have 5 spoken for within the family already! Talk about counting your Chickens hey?!!!
Many thanks
Anna

Anna,

Can I ask have you thought about why you want to breed your girl? :)

Also if you look at her KC reg there is section on for Endoursements if this is blank then there are no restrictions on her. :)

Tracy

A good way to see how she compares with other quality Cocker Spaniels is to go to ring craft classes, learn the ropes and then enter her at shows! It is great fun and you will soon get an idea of how close to the required breed standard your girl is. If your girls breeder only had a 'one off litter' you could look back via the affix's on her pedigree to breeders further down the line,
Good luck:)

Anna, your vet will not know if your cocker is a good example of the breed, if you feel your bitches breeder is not all that knowledgable either I would suggest contacting the Cocker Spaniel Club and asking them to put you in touch with a breeder locally who could assess her for you. You will then need to have her eye tested. As far as finding homes, I have to say I am a a bit sceptical about 5 members of your family keen to have a puppy yet they have not done anything before now about getting a dog or increasing their dog family until you say you are thinking of breeder :rolleyes:
If you do decide to go ahead I would at this point make no promises to the family and seek advice from an experienced breeder about how to vet prospective homes it is you that will have to sleep at night with your choice of homes and believe me not all close family make good dog homes ;) :)

Anna

Please don't take this the wrong way - but quite often friends and family say they'd love a pup but when it comes to the crunch find it's not what they really want. It sounds as if you are just going to breed her because you fancy a go rather than any real desire to become heavily involved with the breed.

Your vet is unlikely to ba able to tell you if she is a good specimin of the breed - just that she is healthy. You would need to have her eyes tested under the KC/BVA scheme. Only certain vets are licensed to do this testing.The fact your girl is healthy is good but not enough.

It sounds as if her breeder was a "casual" breeder and is not particularly involved with the breed. My advice in your situation would be to enjoy your girl for what she is. Cockers are lovely dogs but put the wrong two together and you can end up with all sorts of temperament problems.

Having puppies can be great fun but also fraught with real problems. Only the other day a member posted on the board about her litter in that two had cleft palates and had to be put to sleep. There have been many cases where the bitch has died or nearly died due to problems. While it may seem easy to put a girl and boy together - wait 60+days and bingo a number of cute podgy puppies arrive - the reality is very often far from that. The basic costs alone is not to be disregarded if you do it properly - for a one off - you will in all likelihood be out of pocket let alone sleep and all the worry etc etc..

There really is so so much to consider. If it is something you still want to proceed with - get yourself hold of "The Book of the Bitch" it will tell you everything you need to know about helping your girl through this.

I presume your girl is KC reg - check the registration for endorsements - I doubt she'll have any if she is registered as I doubt her breeder gave it any thought. If she is KC reg - find your local ringcraft class and get her down there. They'll help you decide if your girl is worth breeding from and help you get ready for the show-world. Once you've done that then you'll have a much clearer picture of whether breeding is right for you and your girl and hopefully you'll have some great fun too:D.

I don't want - seem negative - although I guess that's what I am being - I just want you to be aware of as many facts as possible - but to be honest on a message board like this - it's almost impossible. Hope it's been of some help anyway.

Pam n the boys

Unless the Vet is a dog judge, and a Cocker one specifically then he will be no use other than to tell you if your bitch is healthy!

Breeding carries a freat many responsibilities, to your bitch, her puppies, their owners, and the breed!

It is like marriage, not to be entered into inadvisedly.

As you have plenty of time, and your breeder would seem not to be an expert, I would suggest that you Join your local breed club. attend shows and other events run by them, and get to know reponsible breeders of good standing.

After this they may be able to advise you if your girl is of a quality to offer something to the breed. If she was a result of a one off litter, depending onhow compatible her parents were, then she may or may not be a good example of her breed based on theStandard!

This doesn't reduce her value to you as a pet. If it turns out that she is not of a quality to breed from, there is nothing to stop you purchasing a well bred bitch puppy, show her, and with the help of her breeder and her Sires owner, and other friends you make in the breed, why you should not go on to breed yourself, if you still have the wish after you see what is involved.

Remember you will have a lifetime responsibility to the puppies you breed, and may have to rehome them at any age if circumstances in their homes change!

THANKS EVERYONE!

Everybodys comments - be it possitive/negitive are of great help. :-)
The family members who said they would have a puppy I think one the most part were not serious! :-) They all fall in love with her when she is around because she is obiedient, clever and gorgeous-but living with a dog and just seeing it occasionally are two different things!!
I didn't want to jump into this head first and end up making a mess. I will not even consider breeding from her if it is not in her, or the breeds interest. I would love to bread from her if she is suitable because she is one of the most gentle, genuinely wonderfull dogs. Also I would like the experience personally and possibly keep a golden & white (if she has one-that is my dream colour) If I get two great personalities together it would be nice for others to have a dog as wonderful as mine!
Showing her would be great! I am in Leeds but moving to the the Lincolnshire area in a few weeks. I will contact the KC and find local breaders and groups to join. I am totally commited to her and if breading her is not the right thing to then I won't do it.
Many thanks everyone-if there is anyone elce with information/advise I would like to hear from you.
Thankyou
Anna x

Anna

So glad to be of help - you weren't by chance the lady that phoned me the other day were you when I was out and spoke to my daughter?

You "should" not get golden and white from your girl. I think you mean orange and white and that is a particolour not a solid. Some countries produce what they call a red and white - but I've only seen Orange and White or Orange Roan over here. The only white you should get on a solid colour, is a small flash on the chest. Is it actually an Orange Roan that you are thinking of? If you click on my name and follow the link to my web-site you can see my Orange Roan boy - that would help clarify just what you are trying to acheive here.

The other thing you do need to think about is the lifelong responsibility you have to those dogs. Reputable breeders offer lifelong homes for their dogs no matter how old they are. So you would need to think about that too. So many believe they discharge their responsbility as soon as they have sent the pup on it's merry way:(

There are already a large number of commercial Cocker breeders out there so you would need to be really sure you had good homes lined up for any puppies.

Pam n the boys

Hi there Pammy I have sent you an email. I like your website! :-)
Thanks
Anna