I met a lady today while walking the dogs and she had a lovely Golden Retriever bitch with her.  We talked a little as I said I may get a goldie next time I get a dog and she told me she was going to be breeding her girl at her next season and the male was a Newfoundland (belongs to a  friend of hers) - Now I don't particularly have issues with cross breedinig per se, she isn't doing it for a whole lot of money (pups will be £400) and I think her main motivation is just because she believes her bitch should have a littter and she likes her friends dog and thinks they will make nice big cute family pets, still not wise I know and I wouldn't get a pup from her but she isn't a puppy famer either.  Anyway, the thing that did make me raise my eyebrows metaphorically is the fact that the male will be considerably bigger than the female - would this not cause problems with mating and perhaps the bitches ability to give birth if the pups have larger heads than her birth canal?  I was just wondering about what point the size of the dog in relation to the bitch matters?  If it was likely to be a problem I feel I should mention it to her if I see her again but if not I will keep my nose out of it.  Any views on the sizes of the dogs?

> Now I don't particularly have issues with cross breedinig per se, she isn't doing it for a whole lot of money (pups will be £400) and I think her main motivation is just because she believes her bitch should have a littter and she likes her friends dog and thinks they will make nice big cute family pets, still not wise I know and I wouldn't get a pup from her but she isn't a puppy famer either.

Why is she charging anything for the puppies if she's doing it for the bitch's health ? Obviously she is not aware that the most dangerous time in a bitches life is when she is in whelp & shortly after the puppies are born.

Has she health tested her bitch & is the dog health tested ? Both breeds have HD & heart problems I very much doubt she even knows what health issues are in both breeds-crossing two breeds with the same health problems cannot be claimed to be breeding to improve dogs.

.> Anyway, the thing that did make me raise my eyebrows metaphorically is the fact that the male will be considerably bigger than the female - would this not cause problems with mating and perhaps the bitches ability to give birth if the pups have larger heads than her birth canal?

Yes the bitch could have problems carrying the puppies, especially if she is from a unhealth tested background & is unhealth tested herself. The stud dog would also have problems mating the bitch(I helped a friend breed Newfies & it's a four person job believe me)

Why does anyone in this day & age claim that bitches need to have a litter & breeding what could be very big dogs makes them ideal "cutesy"family pets

Print this off for her

Run a mile!!!! MM said it all. Chances are either a dead bitch or a c-section or both. Goldens should be hip scored, elbow scored, eye tested and heart checked, and Newfoundlands the same (not sure about elbows there but won't hurt) -can't imagine them having been done. I had an accidental crossbred litter and I charged £50 per pup, £400 is outrageous. With my accidental litter, which also was half Golden, the dad was very healthy at the time, aged 6, never been ill in his life -but I didn't have him hip scored until the bitch was already pregnant (as it was an accident) and didn't get the results until after the pups were born and sold -he had severe HD (score of 96) despite not having had ANY symptoms at all. He developed symptoms a few months later. These pups are now 7 years old and the dog pup I kept is now starting to show signs of HD, despite the mum having a good hip score of just 12, so there is a good example of how crossbreeding doesn't necessarily improve anything at all, not even when one parent has good hips.

Anyway, the thing that did make me raise my eyebrows metaphorically is the fact that the male will be considerably bigger than the female - would this not cause problems with mating and perhaps the bitches ability to give birth if the pups have larger heads than her birth canal?

Absolutely!!! She could need a C section- If the woman doesn't know how to recognise the signs of a bitch needing a section it could result in a dead bitch and a dead litter. Time is paramount in deciding if your bitch needs a section, 1 minute too late can be seriously dangerous.

Walk away xx

Ok, sounds even more serious than I thought.  I wasn't sure if the size difference was so great as to cause problems (I mean we're not talking Dane/Chihauhau here) but I think if I see her again I will ask if she has been to the vet about advise on breeding?  I don't want to go in too heavy so she doesn't listen, I've only just met her after all.

Breeding Newfies a FOUR person job? Oh the poor dogs, no privacy!  I can't even begin to imagine how funny that must look.  Seriously why do you need four people?  I'm curious now.

I'm definately not going to get a pup from her - even if I could at the moment and even though I love Newfies and Goldies the hip dysplasia worries would already have put me off from the begining.

One to hold the bitch before,after & during, one to hold the dog(just in case he falls asleep when they are tied(& yes it does happen), one to make sure he does the job & the other to bring cups of tea/coffee & chairs if required for the other three ;-)

Scoobysmum, male dogs are also like male men (they have all different sizes "down there").  So with such a massive size difference physically, he might even be very uncomfortable for the female.  My two males are physically the same size, but to my horror and embarrassment one is far more well endowed than his brother - not one you want to think about after lunch I know.

completely agree...when mating my two DDB that too was a four person job, back breaking too when it goes on for 40 minutes!

Mating large breed dogs needs to be done sensibly and carefully, they could do alot of damage to each other if left alone.

>she isn't doing it for a whole lot of money (pups will be £400)

That is a lot of money for crossbred puppies, especially if neither parent is hipscored etc. £150 to £200 is a much fairer and more sensible price.

Not actually doing it is much fairer and more sensible.

Absolutely.

I totaly agree i noticed last week on "that website"  a newfie x dalmation mating  a licensed breeder !! doing it because of the demand for pups from the last litter !!

If you wanted a black and white newfie surely you'd get a landseer surely?  Newfie x dal is quite a size difference.  Poor dogs.  Can't believe folk are still churning out litter after litter of puppies in this environment and I've got friends who are struggling to find any employment.