I don't mean to start arguments was just wondering, I am about to breed my Rotti for the first time before I get her spayed, I have made sure she has a worthy sire and that.
I was speaking to a few people who didn't have their pups tails docked but they said they found it really hard to sell them
I was just wondering if I choose to have them docked (which probably won't happen) who do I go to, I heard the kennel club will come out is this right ??
if not how much would it cost me to have them done ?, I have heard Rottweilers can expect upto 14 pups ?

Hi, I have recently had a litter of boxers who are now almost 3 weeks old. You will need to join the council of docked breeds if you are thinking of getting their tails docked but it could too late as it maybe banned by then. But if not they will send you details of any vets in your area who will dock for you. It costs around 5-10 pound a tail. Almost every phone call I have received enquiring about my pups they have asked if their tails are docked, i'm not sure if it made any difference to whether they came and had a viewing with them or not but I suspect so. Hope this helps. good luck with your future litter and its really hard work and sometimes lots of heartache but worth it. Louise

Hi

The council of docked breeds will give you a list but you need to check with the vets on the list that they will do rotties.

The list they sent me for my last litter actually has my own vet on it but when i asked he would only do working spaniels I have russells. Would not do them even when I said they were a working breed. Even though I knew they had done show spaniels for a friend but I wasnt suppose to know about that lol

This time I used the vet of the owner of the stud dog but  had to sign they were going to working homes only.

Ask your studs owner if they can recomemd someone.

I know that we are constantly told that the public do not want docking but last litter that didnt get docked I did sell but it took a while and I did lose a lot of homes because of it. This litter they are all booked at 2 weeks.

I really think this will be my last litter because of the tails issue, so much so I am not keeping a bitch as planned.

Wendy

why is down to the public to say not to dock.what to they know about the breeds and the hard work that gos into breeding and rearing litter of good stock for the future.

again where the freemon of chioce here.

I guess its down to the public because its they who are buying the puppies! (if they want a docked dog or not) i would think the majority of pups bred even from show kennels go to pet homes, and really all their interest is that the pup has been well reared and from healthy parents of good nature. They may like the idea of a 'red' pedigree to show their friends, but at the end of the day the paperwork is soon left in a file, and many don't even bother to change ownership from the breeder. I don't think they really take on board the time spent with lines etc, or in many cases even understand it, or the results of health checks, but are just happy the parents have them and they can see the results, no matter how much you tell them what it all means. the excitement of a new puppy sort of clouds it all. The freedom of choice remains with you, as it always has, to dock or not, and who you sell your puppies too, the general public can't take that away from you. trouble is, with the media, even my local paper carried a letter from a vet stating how cruel docking is, and to contact the local MP re the animal rights bill. Its not just glossy dog mags that carry this now, its local press. makes people more worried about whats on the end of the bottom than all the other hard work, etc etc that goes into producing a dog sound in mind and body, that actually carries the conformation and type its breed standard requires.

>I have made sure she has a worthy sire and that.

Just curious, but how have you decided what makes a 'worthy sire'?

I am going to get shot for this to JG as I think the post sounds very inexperienced.  Is the dog 18 months old also ??

In the nicest possible way I can't understand why would someone who may expect 14 puppies be concerned about the cost of docking 14 puppies.  The fee is for 1 puppy so each puppy bares it's own cost whether £10 for £100.

To the original poster you should never consider breeding a bitch with little or no experience and certainly without a good mentor. If you had any of these you would know or have been advices that the KC doesn't doc puppies.

This type of breed and the number of puppies it has is incredible work to raise and rear. Requiring weeks and weeks of 24/7 monitoring.

How would you cope in a crisis?

All things to think about.  This is another breed I think has more that surplus pet bred puppies out there without adding to them to be honest.

Away to hide now.

What I meant by this is that the sire is good natured and has had hipscores ect

What is your bitches hip score and has she had any other health screening as recommended by the Breed Club.  I have a feeling elbows are recommended aren't they?
Even if good you would also wish to know she was a good example of the breed so as not to introduce genes wandering away from the standard this is usually demonstrated by success in the showring.

Hi SarahLouise, at 18 months your girl is too young to breed from.  You don't say why you're breeding her, but it's a common misconception that bitches should have a litter before spaying, and if you have heard from breeders who have found it hard to sell their pups would it not be better to simply get her spayed?

In Australia it would be hard to sell an undocked rottie in particular there are some breeds that are amongst the docked breed but they seem to sell fine docked or not but rotties is difficult and my understanding is in the uk it is the same. So if you are not prepared to dock i would not breed because you may be left with an entire litter and then the only place for them to go would be a shelter and that is not ethical responsible breeding. You really have to find out if there are people out there who dont mind an undocked rottie before you even consider breeding. As JenP said 18 months is to young so you still do have a little while to find out if people would want an undocked pup or if you would change your mind on having any pups docked.

I come from a family of dog breeders admitedly not the Rottweiler but I also have a staffy that was spayed before having a litter big mistake on my part as she is so maturnal we had our Rotti and our staff started milking she also done this when my next door neighbour had a kitten that she used to bring round she has even done it for my daughters hamster I wont make that mistake again I feel really bad for her and think I should of let her have a first litter
That is why I am letting my Rotti have a litter before being spayed

I don't think spaying had anything to do with your Staffie's behaviour in fact I think most people would say they are far less likely to behave like this if they are spayed and never have a litter.

Sorry but this is an old wive's tale.  Letting her have a litter before being spayed is not going to stop maternal behaviour - if anything it will make it worse because the behaviour has been encouraged and allowed to show through in having a litter - so she will be even more likely to behave maternally than if spayed!

Don't forget she also needs to be hip scored and eye tested, not sure if Rotties need other testing as well, and really you need to have people lined up for the pups BEFORE she is mated.

I have freinds who had a Rottie pet litter a few years back, completely inexperienced.  Think there was 12-13.  SHe was literally giving them away at the end. Honestly.

I remember her calling me at 4am in the morning when they were about 3 weeks old for help as she was having to top them up..  :rolleyes::rolleyes:

As the duplicate thread has been locked, adding my reply here  to Enfieldrotts :) :

I guess it depends on what you define easy as - my friend was not to sure about doing this but as they are friends of her friend they are very trusted and they took the time to come over here to stay with the pups and get to know them before flying them home - there were lots of routes to go down before letting them out of the country, certainly not as easy as handing a pup over to someone 10 miles away LOL!

True, of course but Sweden is one of THE easiest countries to export to as you no longer need an import license, in fact you need very little at all -microchipping, a passport which basically is just a vet's certificate stating the pup has been wormed -no need for rabies vaccination or blood testing, and then all you do upon arrival in Sweden is go through red in customs and declare you've brought a dog in. :)

I started importing animals from England to Sweden when I was 14 and it has just got easier and easier. :)

U guess it is fairly easy then in comparrison - I have never imported to buy or sell a pup so do not know the ins and outs and it was my friends first time too - I would have thought it would be harder as time goes by but I guess not :D  Shows how little I know about other countries and regulations LOL ;)

to be honest money is no issue here, my partner would kill me for saying this but if I couldn't find buyers for them they would live with me and be happy, loved and looked after the best way anyone could look after a rotti, don't think the neighbours would like it though lol

to be honest money is no issue here, my partner would kill me for saying this but if I couldn't find buyers for them they would live with me and be happy, loved and looked after the best way anyone could look after a rotti,

Most of us find 2 littermates a total nightmare, so you're saying you'd keep TEN if you had to??? Your reasons for breeding are not good enough, the only good reasons for breeding is to further and improve the breed from proven show or working animals with all necessary health testing.

I bought a natural Doberman puppy (uncropped and undocked) and it's just adoooooooorable! I can't imagine her not having a tail..

Katie

im starting to wonder is your post is a wind up. You dont let a bitch have one litter just because she can.

You dont know enough about rotti's and about breeding to be breeding.

If you think because its a first litter you wont have many pups think again i have a new breeding girl and she had 9 on her first litter my breeding girls before her had around the same number on their firsts as well. Fair enough i dont breed rotti's but my understanding is rotti's have large litters wether it be their first or 3 it does not matter you could be left with alot of pups running around and it is the hardest job taking care of a large litter of pups and i dont think you quite understand this.

I don't meant to be rude but where on here does it state that I think her first litter is going to be small, it may be it may not be, to be honest I came on here for information not for people to judge me or my breeding
I understand fully but I don't care I have plenty of acres here to handle 1 - 14 puppies and as I have stated before if you read money is no issue, I don't plan to be a breeder I will leave that up to my father

It doesnt say that on here anywhere i was just making a point because even on acres you would still need to have the pups in your house for safety for a while.

I just dont think you have thought this through i am not judging you

What if all 14 pups got sick at the same time which is possible with things like kennel cough and parvo and other contagious diseases in dogs would you have thousands of dollars to pay upfront at the vets because you would have to.

Oh and whether you breed you girl once or 300 hundred times it doesnt matter you have still bred so you are still a breeder. It just depends on if you do it ethically and responsibly. you claim you are not a breeder but then you say i came on here for information not for people to judge me or my BREEDING.

are you going to have them all regestered?

if you dont keep all the pups who are they going to?

how will you advertise?

will you screen your puppy buyers?

what is your plans for vet care of the pups until they go?

You may have all the money in the world but that does not mean you have thought this through to the end all im saying is before you make any decision really think it through. Your girl is only 18 months so you still have time to learn and decide if this is something for you to do and we are all very willing to help you learn. But when you jump on and say you are about ready to breed her which gives you only a small window of time you can not honestly expect people to be encouraging when it is very obvious that you are inexperienced and have alot to learn you may have watch breeders for many years that ofcourse does not mean you are experienced in any way.

first get the book of the bitch and then find out you kc rules and regulations on your breed.

and then get back to us all your girl is only young and she will have another season for you to breed her on.

By 8 weeks old any litter needs the stimulus of a one-to-one relationship with an owner.   Keeping EVERY puppy in a litter will just create a large pack who will be 99% interested in what their littermates are doing rather than what you want them to do.   It is foolish to even imagine you could keep a litter of Rotties even for having acres of land.  I have a full brother & sister - 20 months difference between them - and sometimes the bond between them is stronger than I would wish for.

Chocolate box puppies are not what breeding is all about I'm afraid.  Large breed puppies are demanding, eat you out of house & home, poo & pee for Britain, can be destructive, noisy - need I go on?

http://www.geocities.com/bluegracepwd/vb1.html

http://www.dogplay.com/GettingDog/breedercomparison.htm

http://www.dogplay.com/Breeding/index.html

Thankyou it was worth reading

I don't plan to be a breeder I will leave that up to my father

The moment you mate your bitch you become a breeder! :rolleyes: Just like a human becomes a parent when they have a baby regardless of whether they only ever have 1 or 10!

Sarahlouise, you still have not said if your bitch is hip scored or not yet - have you had her assed by another breeder to see if she is suitable bitch to breed from?   Personally I think that heath tests and temperament are the most important thing when breeding however you should also be breeding to better the breed, not because you will feel guilty for your bitch. 

If I were you I would either hold fire for a year or so (your bitch is too young to have a litter now anyway) to see how the whole acceptance thing goes with rotties and tails as you do not want to end up with a whole litter - trust me.  It is not as fairly tale as 101 Dalmatians and many times you struggle to have litter brothers meet happily let alone live together without having a scrap.  It will cost you no end of money and to be honest will be crueler for your bitch to have 8 or so pups always hassling her (they do as my boy of 23 months still thinks he is 9 weeks old).

It really is not a wise thing to have a litter at the moment and without prospective owners in mind.  Take your time and look in to it before jumping the gun - you may regret it otherwise.

I don't want to have a go at you or judge you at all but at this moment and time I think it is crazy for an inexperienced rottie breeder to have a litter with tails.

Thankyou, I appreciate your comments and am thinking of holding it off for awhile, it is nice to have someone who actually gives you information without having a dig at every chance