Hi, This is my first post and I am hoping some of you can point me in the right direction, or give me an idea where to start.

I am English but currently living in Sydney Australia. My husband and I are returning to UK soon and we are very interested in becoming pedigree dog breeders. I have lots of dog owning/training experience but none in breeding. We want to be good, ethical breeders, so would like to do a lot of researching and learning before we take the plunge.
Are there any good books/ websites/ courses that we could investigate to help us learn and feel confident in what we want to do.

Thanks in advance

Hi Dolly

Most ethical breeders start out as enthusaists of a particular breed - they usually either work or show 'their' breed and spend some time learning from sucessful breeders .
They would not consider breeding unless they have a bitch that has 'proved ' itself as being a good example of the breed by being sucesful in the show or working ring and most importantly that has good health test results for the breed. They would also not breed until they know enough about their dogs pedigree so can make a well informed decision on which stud dog to use.

It is , in my opinion. almost impossible to breed ethically as a way of earning a living - the pressure to meet mortgage payments and daily bills would inevitably lead to over breeding and to the kind of puppy farms that churn out dogs indiscriminatly - and I'm sure you have no intention of going down that route !

Oh and I forgot to add that a good breeder takes responsibility for what they have bred - they usually undertake to either have their dogs back or help with rehoming if they are no longer able to be kept by their owners -and this is a BIG commitment.

To my mind a reputable breeder breeds  as  part of the huge passion they  feel for 'their breed' and is usually the end result of years of commitment to it .....take a look at the Champdog websites of most breeders on here and you will have a good idea of what I mean.

Yvonne

Thankyou for your reply Yvonne. We most certainly have no intention of being a puppy farm that is what i want to avoid at all cost. I think i may have come across wrong. We dont want to make a living out of it, I see it as more of a hobby/ interest of ours. When we return, we are hoping to buy a small place with a little land, have some chooks (sorry chickens etc) and like you say get interested in showing dogs and moving onto breeding eventually. My husband has a good job lined up and i will need something to occupy my time.
I have proven talents in obedience training, now looking for something extra. Thanks for the advice i will take a look around the breeders sites.

Hi Dolly,

What Breeds or Group interest you most?

Hi Dolly, you sound like you are really giving this a good deal of thought, and you've come to the right place for help.

I would advise that you start by choosing one breed, and go to some championship shows to see the dogs and speak to the exhibitors. You'll be able to see which dogs appeal to you, and you can then decide which breeders to contact. Buy the very best bitch puppy that you can afford, make yourself aware of what health screening is neccessary in your breed, and ask lots of questions.

When she's old enough, get your puppy into the ring or whatever 'arena' you decide upon, and hope she's successful. The next stage would be to have her health tests done at the apropriate time, and again, hope she has better than average results, if not, forget it and start again. As you can tell, all this takes time, but as my signature says, ''there's no shortcut to experience''.

So, with alot of passion, some good luck and a bit of time and patience, you'll get there in the end.

Dawn R.

good luck with  your plans - and welcome to the wonderful ( and somewhat mad ) world of pedigree dogs !!!

Places with land are quite pricy here in the Uk - the best places to look are in Lincolnshire, Wales or Scotland but your location may be restricted by your hubby's job - we have a smallholding in Lincolnshire and I can heartily recommend it for the kind of lifestyle you are looking for !.

Yvonne

Be aware that you will find it very difficult to obtain a good quality puppy of any breed if the breeder suspects you are buying it with the intention of breeding. In a lot of breeds reputable breeders will only sell puppies if the registration is endorsed preventing the buyer from breeding and registering puppies, and will only lift the endorsement if they are happy that the dog is suitable to be bred from and you are breeding for the right reasons.

I agree with Sibbas
If you're after an excellent quailty pup you will find that most breeders place endorsments preventing them being bred from.
Although in some cases the breeder will lift the endorsment if you have proven yourself in the ring and or working depending on the breed

I would hope that most good breeders these days put endorsements on the pups they sell, and lift them only if the dog is good enough to breed from, i.e. type, health (passed relevant health testing) and temperament, and only if the potential breeder is going to breed for the right reasons and has the commitment and knowledge.