Dog for breeding

[Jim964]

Evening everyone,

I was introduced to Minitaure Schnauzers by a friend who owned one; Henry a pepper and salt dog.

I subsequently used this site to find a breeder and am the proud owner of a (now) 4 year old predominantly black dog with full Kennel Club registration and in the peak of good health. He is intact and although I had considered introducing him to breeding but read the advice here and haven’t done so, with the intention to have him neutered in the near future to prevent health issues as he gets older.

Unfortunately, Henry passed on during lockdown and my friend is now keen to find a new puppy Schnauzer to move forward and offer a lovely home to. After being let down by a couple of supposedly reputable breeders since, my friend has asked me asked me if I would consider breeding my dog due to his temperament and features - which brings me here.

Despite the advice often proffered here, could anyone offer support to help me to breed my dog and help my friend.

Jim

[Dawnspell]

In a nut shell I wouldnt even consider breeding Jasper or my previous intact male for a puppy for myself never mind someone else. In my opinion I would be just as responsible for the lives of the pups created as the bitches owner and it can affect the behavior of your own dog once they have mated. With Jasper having recently run off across fields just to get to bitch in season I have no doubt his behavior would changed if he was mated.

[zeta1454]

Hi Jim,
Due to the current situation in the UK regarding Covid-19 restrictions, most reputable breeders are delaying breeding until life returns to some level of normality since home visits and close contacts between breeders and puppy seekers throughout the interview process and the first eight weeks of the puppies lives has been almost impossible for the last six months. As a result most puppies being advertised of any breed are from puppy farms via dealers and backyard breeders. If your friend is looking for a puppy from a responsible breeder he should try to get on a waiting list from e.g. a KC Assured Breeder or a breeder who has the highest standards of welfare as a priority. Is he a member of the schnauzer breed clubs? If not I would recommend he joins one or more of these as he may have more opportunity of meeting breeders who can help him.

Breeding a bitch or a dog is a huge responsibility and should only be undertaken after careful consideration of the consequences as regards the dog’s future health and temperament after mating and with a full understanding of the health test requirements for the breed. No dogs should be used for mating randomly as you need to be certain that both parent dogs do not carry genes for any hereditary condition so, as regards miniature schnauzers, you will need both dog and bitch to have been DNA tested clear for MAC (Mycobacterium Avian Complex) and have clear eye screen results from a BVA ophthalmologist for Hereditary Cararacts and Progressive Retinal Atrophy. Hopefully both dog and bitch will also have a health test pedigree to confirm that previous dogs in the pedigree have tested clear also. Temperament is obviously also important and in-depth knowledge of the breed and its needs as regards grooming, nutrition etc. as breeders are the first point of call for advice and information from the puppy buyers and they should also offer a lifetime of the dog guarantee to take back or help re-home any dog they have bred. While the latter will not apply to the stud dog owner necessarily, a stud dog owner should be certain that the owner of the bitch their dog is using can and will fulfil this responsibility.

There is also good advice on this link if you read through it fully:

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/dog-br ... g-at-stud/

[Jim964]

Thank you for the comments and link,

I’ll take these into consideration as I did previously.

Jim