Hello,

I have a 3 year old black cocker spaniel bitch and would like to breed her she has a fantastic temperament and I beleive is a very good looking dog, I want her to be bred with a qulity breeder and would prefer her to have full colour pups preferably in the yorkshire area, how do I go about this and what should I bear in mind when making a suitable selection.

Hi,
Have you tried asking your breeder for advice, as they will know their breeding lines better than anyone else. If you bought your bitch from an inexperienced breeder you could always try asking her for the address of the person who she bought her bitch from. I am sure there are other folk more knowledgeable about cockers on this board than me.
I would reccomend though that you do make sure you get your bitch is eye tested under the British Veterinary Association/Kennel Club scheme and make sure any stud dog you use is also tested, for hereditary eye diseases.

Hi guest

As Polly suggested, your first port of call should be the breeder of your bitch, assuming she/he is a knowledgable experienced person. There is a lot more to breeding a litter than just finding a local dog of the right colour - you'll need to find a dog whose pedigree compliments your bitch & if you don't have the knowledge to judge this for yourself, then you will need help preferably from your breeder or if not, another experienced breeder. As Polly also said, your bitch should be eye-tested by a specialist (your own vet will not be able to do this but should be able to tell you where your nearest specialist is) & you might also want to consider having your bitch hip-scored as there is some Hip Dysplasia in the breed, more notably in the solid colours. Most good stud dog owners will also want to know that you are fully prepared for the responsibility of breeding a litter - there can be considerable costs involved (vet fees can be enormous especially if a caesarian is necessary) & you should be prepared for a lot of hard work (rearing a litter is rewarding but can be exhausting & very time consuming), plus you should have the space to look after any puppies who do not sell by 8 weeks old (first time breeders often find it more difficult to sell puppies than those with an established reputation) You also have a lifelong responsibility to any puppies you breed which means you should be willing to take one back if things don't work out in it's new home (no matter how old the puppy is) Hopefully, you have already thought about all these things but it doesn't do any harm to mention them :-)

Jane