I have a purebread basset hound girl who will be a year old in a couple of weeks. My neighbors have a boy basset hound-- i'm not positive that he's purebread tho. Anyway, him, me and my dad talked a short 5 minutes about breeding them, we're not serious yet but we're considering it. They seemed really attracted to each other--i've never seen her act like this!:) She sniffed his but a couple of times--i've heard dogs are attracted when they do this---they were very excited about seeing each other-- they cried some when they couldn't get to each other on their leash. The neigbors hound is obviously older than my pup. I need to know if a year is too young to mate, and, i need some basic info on breeding. Also, how do you know when your pup has started her period--??? PLEASE GIVE SOME INFO SOON ON THESE TOPICS! THANX!

Tell me you're in America - am I right? :D
Sorry, I'm not the one to help but others will.

IMO a year is too young and if you and your family are set on breeding then you must go into it seriously and reserch the background of your bitch and find a stud that will complement her. And breed a well thought through healthy litter to be proud of, then sell them on to their new owners with pride and confidence that you have done your very best to produce the very best. Ja:)kie

we already pretty much know her background--she's registered with AKC and so were her parents--we have papers on the registration and her parents registration i think. she's purebread too--we have proof of that too with papers. we know who her parents are and if we breed we're pretty set on breeding her with the hound next door. Thanx for your coment!:)

Sorry but knowing the names on a pedigree isnt what is meant by knowing her background. Do you know what the health problems in your breed are do you know if her parents were tested for them has she been tested for them as I am sure you would want happy healthy pups if and when you do breed.Has the dog next door been health screened and would a mating between the two produce puppies that are good healthy examples of the breed or just any old pup that you could sell.Sorry to be a bit blunt but you should be answering these questions before you consider mating her and then the next step is also to consider that things may go wrong can you afford a c-section if she has problems whelping losing all the puppies and a big vets bill is tragic also what about your bitch it is terrible to think about but in the worse case you could also lose her.Think long and hard do alot of research talk to the breeder of your bitch to see what they think.Then make an informed decision Best Wishes Gillian

That is not the background that we mean. If you have a registered dog of course its parents and ancestors to the begginings of the breed will also have been registered!

What is meant by background is do you know what their parents grandparents and great great grandparents, temperaments, health, good points, weak points etc were. If you do not then you should only embark on breeding mentored by someone who does!

If you look on your own birth certificate it will tell you who your parents were, but that information will not mean anything if you need to know why your children don't have the same eye colour as you and your partner. the names do not tell you if you have a history of heart disease, or heamophilia in the family, all things you would want to know when you are planning a family.

Val,
Um, what does being in America mean exactly? ;) :)

I think the identity clue was in the spelling of the word *neighbor* ;-)

Ok, now I'm really confused :) Or is "Neighbor" another of those words that the Mother tongue add a "u" to, even when it doesn't need it :rolleyes: ;) :)

Now listen here, Sara, we invented to language the way we want it and we will have as many U's as we like and a few non-U's too. Jau:Dukie

LOL at both you and Barbara :) :)

Yep like colour :D

Cinnamon,
Your female is reacting to preprogrammed hormonal changes that hit during a heat cycle. This can happen up to 2-3 times a year sometimes. There is nothing emotional like "Love" involved. Dogs don't date or look for future partnerships. It is purely instinctual. Your female does not need a litter of puppies to make her "happy" or "fulfilled" as an adult dog. DO NOT BELIEVE ANYONE WHO SAYS SO!!! They are telling you a myth.

You will have to keep her away and inside. She will do her best to escape and other dogs (male) will do as much as they can to mate with her. Having a litter of puppies are not as easy as everyone makes it out to be. There are vet fees involved and health risks. You will NOT make money or get rich despite what some people say. If she does have puppies, are you willing to take in those whose owners are unable/unwilling to keep them later on in life??? Say 5 or 8 years from now?

There are many issues in breeding dogs... If you are interested, please wait and do research on it. But last minute and on the spur of the moment is not being a responsible owner. Keep her inside as much as you can and AWAY from her male buddy. You might have to crate her to keep her from damaging the walls/doors. As far as how long it lasts, others here can answer that...usually around 2 weeks? Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter.
good luck,
toodles

I don't think the poster even knows if the bitch is in season, the signs she mentions are what one might expect of two young dogs meeeting, sniffing of bottoms and willingness to romp and play with another young canine.

Cinnamon, is your bitch bleeding from her vulva, or has she been in the last two weeks? A 'heat' period or a 'season' normally lasts aproximately 3 weeks, though if you have a male dog next door or at home, count 4 weeks for safety. When a bitch is shortly likely to be in season you may notice her weeing small amounts a lot more on walks. this is to advertise her immininent interesting sexual state!

You count the season from the first day that drops of blood can be seen from the vulva, but with a very clean bitch you could miss the start! If you find she is squatting to pee a lot, take a white tissue every morning and wipe her vulva, and note the day you first see blood.

Please do not breed on a whim or without a great deal of thought, as you have responsibilities to the bitch, her puppies for the rest of their lives, the breed (to keep to the ideals as laid down for the standard), and to the prospective owneres of any puppies produced (they have a right to expect a knowledgeable breeder who will help them with advice, or step in if there are problems.)

Cinnamon my pup is an outside dog. She is kept in a big fenced in backyard and so is the hound we might breed her with. I'm not positive that she's started her period but probably--she's goin on a year in a couple of weeks. Thanx for your advice--do you know the most common time a dog should start her period?for the first time?

Cinnamon,
Your bitch is not starting her "period". She's going into season or heat cycle. It is nothing like a woman's monthly cycle. She will WANT to breed. Depending on your city's laws, it can be illegal to keep her outside during this time. Public Nuisance .

If dogs jump over the fence (which they will do their darndest), she can have "sex" with several different dogs and have puppies from each of them. If she does have "sex" with your neighbor's dog, she will also try to have "sex" with other dogs. She has no choice in the matter, it is hormonally driven.

Having a large yard is not a reason for having puppies. Her being a year old and being able to breed is not either.... Just because a 12-16 year old girl can have a healthy baby, does not mean it's right.

If she does become pregnant, are you willing to pay out quite a bit of money to the vet for pre-natal care? What about if she requires an emergency c-section? Will you stay up with her all night long to make sure everything is safe and smooth for her? There are many issues dealing with puppies... to just breed because a bitch has come into heat is very unethical!

Ask yourself, if something goes wrong, would you be willing to bury her or her puppies with no regrets. :(
Sara

Welcome to the forum.

Take a look at this link .. I want to breed my dog!.
I would also recommend that you buy yourself 'The Book of the bitch' by J.M.Evans & Kay White, and have a good read before you do anything else :-)

Awww Leigh, now I'm upset :( I responded properly and sincerely to Cinamon's other post just now. Everything vanished when I hit "post" and the wonderful delete page came up :rolleyes: :( ;) That'll teach me to put a lot of time and effort in it ;) :)

if you would, please reply to one of my messages. i mean you sound like someone who could help me understand the anwers to my messages. well thanx/ :) ;)

Cinamon,
Please stay on one thread and stop posting the same basic question all over the place. It makes it seem as if you are not really interested in our answers to you. I'm not really certain if you are "listening" to what is being said, since there hasn't been any dissent in the advice being given to you.

I have two questions for you. Please answer simply and to the point. :)

Why do you want to breed your 1 year old dog?
Why are you in a hurry for her 1st heat to result in puppies?

Sara

>>Everything vanished when I hit "post" and the wonderful delete page came up

I don't know why Sara. I know I keep getting *server errors*, but usually if you use your 'back' option,your post appears again.

Sorry Leigh, I worded my last post to you rather awkwardly and gave the wrong impression.
Cinnamon had put up another thread specifically about breeding her dog with a bunch o'reasons (last night) and I wrote up a sincere (and non sarcastic) reply ;) :rolleyes: When I hit "post" my long message vanished and brought up the page saying the thread had been deleted because of being pulled off by admin :rolleyes: I really hate when that happens ;) :) :o

For some odd reason, I've never been able to go "back" to an original posting, the "Message body" is always blank... Doing an "edit" is a different subject :D :D

O right .. I understand now Sara :-)
The post was pulled as a 'duplicate'. It repeated most of what was said in this thread. You must have posted at the exact moment it was pulled, because there is only the original post displayed in that thread.

Timing is everything :D :D :D :D ;)

OK a couple of simple questions for you, and a couple of straightforward things for you to think about.
Questions first:
1) Why do you want to breed your bitch - to keep a pup, to sell the litter and make money, because you think it would be good for her, or someth other reason?
2) Why do you want to mate her with a dog who you are not even sure is pedigree? If you dont know he is purebred, you can have no idea about his compatability with your bitch.
3)Have you talke about this to the breeder of your bitch?

Things for you to consider:
1) If you bitch is a Basset Hound she is a largeish, slow maturing breed. One of the main breed features of you hound is the extreme length of back. It is extremely unwise to put the extra strain of carrying a litter on her still developin spine, you could do real damage to her, which may appear while carrying the litter, or not until later life.
2) Bassets can have very large litters (12 plus is not uncommon). Whilst appealing, they are not always an easy breed to sell - not everyone has your large yeard. Are you prepared to keep 6 or 7 pups to 6 months or longer, while you find suitable homes for them.
3)Are you prepared to take back and re-home several of them over the next few years as the new owners discover how hard to train a young basset can be.
4)Do some math and work out how much it will cost you to feed the bitch and raise the litter until they are old enough to sell, basset pups eat an awful lot, and it is essential to feed them a high quality puppy food, they have very dense bone and it is essential they are fed well to allow them to develop. Add in amounts for worming/flea treatment/shots veterinary attention. Then add an amount you would need to put aside in case she needs a c-section (a much higher risk of needing this in a very young bitch). You need all this money up-front before you get anywhere close to selling a pup.
Gwen

Gwen, unfortunatly, don't think thinking comes into the equation. It would appear that some people are only able to ask questions, being totaly unable to listen to answers. Lets hope it is a skill that comes with maturity. Jackie

I just keep wondering something here about this individual.
The poster sounds very young --- 12-16 years old perhaps and definitely living with parents. Her dad was mentioned.
I have to say that breeding is an adult subject with lots of adult considerations including vet bills and lots of hard work esp. 24/7 if puppies are whelped..
Where is the parental involvement and teaching? You don't just leave this up to a youngster to decide and to do
Just me, but it sounds really strange. Perhaps a windup??? :( :( :(
toodles

See comment re: school holidays. Know you have Sara as you replied. Ja:)kie

Yeah, but in the US, half the school districts begin around 13 August. The other half are not until about 10 Sept. Depends where you are in the country. :rolleyes: So who knows? :D :D

Yes forgot the nationality question, perhaps my penultimate post is nearer the mark. Ja:)kie

Odd you brought the subject up just now Jackie. I just got a phone call from my "agent" who organizes my work schedule.
I've just been hired as "long-term" sub for Sophomore English and start Wed. (as in the day after tomorrow!!!!). No lesson plans or schedules from the reg. teacher, nada!!! (he's in a US hospital being treated for cancer--poor guy :( :( ) Have to say, it's a shocker for me! I've usually gone nuts after 2 weeks in the same class. Now I'll be trying it out for 2-3 months or more!
Now I gotta go clean and put together my 'wardrobe.' I haven't got a thing to wear :rolleyes:

Good for you Sara, now don't forget to uses the uses, sorry 'U's'. Had to look up Sophmore, we say second year or year two. Does that mean we will hear less from you. Ja:)kie