hi board ,
            my neighbour is thinking of breeding her lab bitch both dog and bitch have the same sire is this ok ?

Depends entirely how much knowledge she has about the genes they are carrying. It would be a very bad move if she doesn't actually know the dogs in the pedigree.

It very much depends upon whether or not the dog and bitch are quality animals, and whether or not there are any genetic health issues going on in the background.

It is a mating I have done but I did it under the supervision of the top breeder in my breed.  So it's not something novices should do without help.

Dawn R.

thanks for that , not to sure if she know anything about genetic's ,her lab is a pet and she justs wants a pup .I have told her she really has to think about it long and hard as it is hard work having a litter of pups and it cost's a lot of money ,but as i said she just wants a pup from her girl and say's she can sell the other pups easy enough:rolleyes:
if only it was that easy

clearly she will be doubling up on that sires genes, great if theres no problems...BUT if there are problems there...................:rolleyes:
also by doubling up she could bring out problems that are currently hidden.

its so important that the lines & genetics are known inside out before this is done

her lab is a pet and she justs wants a pup
Then she will know nothing about what she needs to know! :(  Tell her about eye testing and hip scoring.  Hopefully the cost of that will put her off before she starts.

Tell her that 46,000 were bred last year.  I heard last night that a couple both working full time and with very busy social lives - often out of the country too - have acquired a 3 year old male labrador through rescue.  Golly they MUST be desperate.  Nice people but there's no way this is a suitable home! :(

If she wants another pup she'd be far better off finding a good breeder and buying one! Breeding isn't for the faint-hearted or inexperienced and "just wanting a pup" is probably the worst of all reasons to go ahead with the idea.

And elbow scoring. Going by what my vet charges and what I pay for eye tests, it should cost a tidy little sum of around £1000 to have both parents tested (hips,elbows, eyes) -and if they are not she leaves herself open to be sued by any puppy buyer who ends up with a pup with problems.

Oh dear, it is a very common story. If sh likes her bitch so much, (which I fully understand, when you have a good dog you want more of the same)  why not drop the hint to her, that the best and least expensive idea would be to go back to the same breeder and get a real sibling or half brother sister from the knowledgable breederwho will have matched the best Dam and Sire to produce, good, sound, healthy pups.

She may very well have two good dogs, but breeding is a heck of a lot more that just mating two dogs, there is so much more involved, if she wants to spend a good year or two (I took 4) to look into it properly, all well and good.  So much can go wrong, she may loose her bitch!

Also tell her with so many lab pups born each year, people are becoming more aware of the difference between a good knowledgable breeder and a 'lets have a go' pet breeder. Health testing, etc is becoming very important to jo public and they will shop around with so many on offer. Your friend may well be left with pups she can not find homes for.

Hi bbgirl,

perhaps if you let your friend read the replies to your post and also the links at the top of the breeding forum she will have a re-think :)

It's often the case that someone loves their dog/bitch so much that they crave replicating it by having a puppy from it - however that is rarely what results - even the top breeders in all breeds don't always manage to re-produce their best dogs and they generally have decades of experience with all the lines in their own breeds and so are far better equipped with knowledge.

It's also worth mentioning the dangers to the bitch by being mated - we've had many instances on the forum where knowledgeable breeders have lost entire litters and the mother because of complications :(

Perhaps if you acquaint your friend with the realities of mating she will be in a better position to understand that this mating would be better not going ahead and her original breeder may well be able to provide a puppy of similar breeding to her existing girl.

regards, Teri 

Another thing to tell her is that there are 45,000(yes fortyfive thousand)Labrador Retrievers registered with the KC every year & possibly the same number bred without being registered So to breed because you want a puppy is foolish to say the least, in my local paper tonight no less than 6 different litters of Labs 4 of which include chocolate puppies !!!! only one advert states the puppies are KC Reg :rolleyes:

Like the others have said better to find a similarly bred litter to her own dogs, then add to the ever growing total of Labrador puppies produced each year

Let them look at The Kennel Club Site Puppy List for Labradors, so many breeders to choose from and they are all registered litters.  If they haven't had hips etc done and KC register the pups they could be left with lots of tiny feet and and awful lot of poos to clean up!!

>It's often the case that someone loves their dog/bitch so much that they crave replicating it by having a puppy from it - however that is rarely what results

I've already been approached by four people who've asked if Nips can sire a litter with their JRT bitches when he's old enough because the lad seems to fit the bill so far as "textbook" breed markings and characteristics are concerned. It's very flattering to get all this favourable attention but I always politely decline because I haven't a clue what I'd be doing, I didn't buy him to use as a stud and also there's absolutely no guarantee that his offspring would turn out anything like him! For sure, he looks nothing like his mother or two of his three litter siblings who are black and tan.

A couple I know have the most charming little (and I mean little...he is one of the smallest I have seen) JRT and they too were approcahed to use him at stud. They thought it was a great idea :rolleyes: and went ahead. Bitch produced a healthy litter of 8 and they decided it would be nice to have a little Mini-me of their JRT and took one of the pups. The pup is HUGE!! He was as big as his sire at 14 weeks old and is a totally different character all together. A nice dog, but not quite what the owners were hoping for :rolleyes:

Firstly, she needs to get her bitch hip scored, elbow scored and eye tested. Then she needs to ensure that the dog has also had these tests and the results are within the accepted guidlines. Then she needs to get in touch with the breeder of the sire common to both dogs and find out more about him. Then, if all is well, when the bitch has been mated she needs to feed her the sort of food only normally served at the Ritz. Then, if the whelping is straightforward and doesn't incur vets bills, (very unlikely with a novice breeder and a maiden bitch), she needs to be prepared to sleep in the same room as the bitch and puppies for at least 2 weeks, surviving on about 4 hours sleep per night. Then, if all is still going well, she needs to start weaning the puppies, (still feeding the bitch her Ritz diet. The puppies will be on the junior Ritz diet). Then, if all goes well, she can register the puppies with the K.C., work out that she will have earned about 70p an hour over the eight weeks, join the several hundred other people trying to sell their very healthy, expensively and lovingly reared puppies to suitable homes and finally, she can take telephone calls from people who inform her that they can buy a Lab puppy from a puppy farm in Wales for half the price.

She should also have both dogs DNA tested for PRA only costs about £100 per dog-to breed so close & not to do so is out & out negligence

Hi Guys ,
            thanks for all your advice i let her read all the posts and she has decided not to breed after all but is going to see if she can get a puppy from a breeder

thanks again

That's great to hear! :)