Breeding

[bckrazy]

I really love ClearWater, Jordan! All of those kennel names are great.

It depends on what my adult life is like, what job I have, how much spare time/breaks I have and how stable my income is in the future (like, 10 years from now), but I would love to at least work & show my dogs. If I have dogs that I feel are worthy of breeding and I have the resources & time necessary, I would love to breed beautiful, healthy, working dogs. I love Border Collies and Cardigans, I especially love Cardigans and the lack of herding Cardi's could really stand some better breeders. Of course, I will *always* be involved in rescue, and I will keep as few dogs as necessary to give each one all of the private love & exercise they need... probably no more than 5 dogs at one time, not including the fosters that I hope to keep.

That said, I definitely will not breed dogs unless I'm completely dedicated to improving the breed. I won't do it for fun, or for money, or for "just one litter", because that is not improving anything, just adding to the overpopulation.

[IRescue452]

Not dogs. There are way too many homeless. I don't care if it has the looks to be a show dog, does being good looking give you the right to live while others die?

[binka_nugget]

Once my business is stable enough, I would love to start breeding Shelties. Not a huge kennel though.. I want my pups to be perfect examples of the breed. Shelties are so popular now that there are a bunch of bad examples of the breed popping up. I want my Shelties to be able to work like they're supposed to, while still being a picture of elegance.

The more I learn about Belgians, the more I want to breed belgians too. I'd LOVE to breed Malinois cause I just love high-drive dogs but seeing as how Malinois are too much dog for most people, I've been thinking about possibly breeding my future Groen.. depending on her working ability, conformation and what boys I find for her.

Of course, I will also be rescuing. I don't believe in breeding if you don't/can't rescue either.

[wolfsoul]

I don't care if it has the looks to be a show dog, does being good looking give you the right to live while others die?

I think this is a bit irrelevant --- whether or not a dog deserves to die based on heritage is not the topic. Just because some of us choose to breed a certain look doesn't mean that we feel thatour dogs are better than other dogs and therefore deserve to live while others should die. I am breeding mainly for temperment. Good breeders also do rescue work. This year I have placed 12 kittens and one puppy, and am talking with a breeder about fostering a 4 month old tervuren, AND there are two pregnant cats coming here so that I can place both them and their kittens. I am applying to become a registered rescue through the SPCA. We are starting a kennel club and I am going to be head of rescue. I do 100 times the amount of rescue work than I do breeding. So just because one breeds, doesn't mean that one can't rescue.

That's cool that you might want to breed herding cardis Erica. That's one reason I want to breed Belgians -- not for working ability though, but rather temperment. There aren't many good tempered Belgians these days. In fact, it is one breed I hate grooming, and if I weren't biased, I would probably really dislike the breed. Belgians are big freaks; most people feel that breeding for show is terrible, but I won't breed to a dog that isn't shown. If you have a Belgian that actually stands for a judge, that says something to me.

[Lori Jordan]

I'd say yes we might be breeding Maggy in the spring,Not too sure yet but has been talked about.Good Luck with the fostering your doing a great job helping animals in need.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Why are you breeding Maggy..?

[bckrazy]

Why are you breeding Maggy..?

I second that. I'm not trying to critisize, I just want to know what assets she has (herding titles? health certs? temperament tests?) that makes her worth breeding, besides cuteness of course!

[Roxyluvsme13]

I second that. I'm not trying to critisize, I just want to know what assets she has (herding titles? health certs? temperament tests?) that makes her worth breeding, besides cuteness of course!

Yeah, I'm not trying to criticize either, just wondering as to if she's breed-worthy.

[Lori Jordan]

Maggy and the stud dog have both been cleared,She will be going in again before breeding is even an option some people do not realize i've done this before.........I know what i'm doing

[k9krazee]

Oh! Maggy is in flyball and agility! I did not know that! Does she have any titles?

[bckrazy]

"I really don't think it's about Breed worthy"

From that, I understandably got the idea that you were breeding her without proving her as worthy of passing on her genes. Please do explain further next time, so that there is no need for anyone to make assumptions, which I guess I did and I apologize. =P

I know you love BC's, I just mentioned that because I totally adore the breed as well, and I hate what BYB's who never even think to work or test their dogs are doing to the breed. I basically posted thinking that Maggy had not been tested or worked, as you haven't posted anything about that at all. I had no idea she was in Flyball or Agility. I also had no idea about her hips & elbows being cleared, because you mentioned in another a post that you didn't do so for the GSD's your bred, so I made another assumption. Just fyi, Gonzo can also go "work" some livestock, I think any decently bred BC can... it's different between a BC who can round up livestock instinctively (which I've seen 6 month old puppies doing with no training) - and a dog who can do a great out-run, take commands from a distance and work independently, who has been trained and worked with to do so. IMO, only the BC's who work regularly and can excel at advanced trials should be bred, because they need to be able to perform the work that they were bred to do. I understand your view on not showing working dogs, even though it's often advised to at least have conformation that fits the standard, and totally respect that. But, if you are not breeding for conformation, at least breed for an excellent working dog who has been trialed and proven. About "others" who breed their dogs, I think some of them do get encouragement, because some breeders on PT have planned their litters and posted about plans literally years in advance, and we've taken the trip with them through health certs, working, sports, conformation, etc. If you're asking why we all support Jordan, she didn't just come on saying "Well... I might breed Visa, it depends. meh." She explained how she was going through dog sports, herding, & conformation with Visa, her researching studs, her health testing, everything. So, yes, we do feel like we know a lot more about Jordan and her breeding ethics than what I could collect from your brief & indecisive post. Just for the record, I would tell the exact same thing to anyone posting that they're thinking about breeding with no background info, no matter who they were.

I highly recommend the boards at http://bordercollie.org, there is several great BC breeders there, and lots of info on trialing & working dogs. Really great, informative posts even to just scan through.

[Lori Jordan]

Oh! Maggy is in flyball and agility! I did not know that! Does she have any titles?

Not of as of yet we have missed alot i have some pictures.She is up against dogs that have done this since the age of 6 months she knows what she is doing it's amazing how fast they pic up.We have a big meet mid August we will be attending in New York she is third in the class we are in now.She enjoys Flyball more than agility but she does well at both!

[bckrazy]

I totally agree, temperament is more important than anything. A dog who looks amazing & can work shouldn't be bred at all if they have an unpredictable temperament. That is the case with a lot of breeds, I hate that some breeders become so obsessed with appearance that they miss the fact that dogs are companions first. I've had first-hand experience with our Champion Cocker who attacked my sister for no reason, and went on to attack another child. I also know a lady who breeds GSD's and trains them in the same complex where we train for Flyball, often on the same days. Her dogs are drop-dead gorgeous, but the lady has more than a few screws loose. I witnessed her training her GSD stud in the field next to us, with a 3-foot-long metal rod, and beating him with it when he lunged toward our dogs. We yelled over to her that she needs to leave if she's going to hit her dog, and she replied for real saying "I'm training this dog for Search & Rescue! I have to do this! Do you want him to kill a child?" She's seriously breeding a GSD and attempting to train him for SAR after he has bitten children, AND she's beating him on top of that -_-... it makes me sick when people breed with no regard to future puppies & future generations. I also know a lady on my team who brought her (AKC pointed) Border Collie bitch, in season, to practice and intends to breed her. It crushed me because this dog literally IS a black & white Golden Retriever! She has no ball drive, won't even hit the box, is slow, doesn't have an ounce of herding drive in her, has a fluffy coat and short muzzle, she has at least 15 pounds and 3 inches on my male BC, and she's totally aloof to other dogs and people. She doesn't have the BC spark in her eye, which to me is just as bad as breeding a dog with an aggressive temperament. If they are breeding dogs with a personality that is against how the breed should be, that is doing a disservice to the breed. It's really great that you emphasize a good personality in your dogs, because that is huge.

I understand where some of you guys are coming from, and breeding truly is not for 99% of people because it consumes so much time/energy/money and takes a truly dedicated person. But, reputable breeders are not producing the dogs that die in shelters. As a breeder, it is their responsibility to keep track of the puppies they produce and ensure that the homes they go to either keep the pup or return it. If their pups end up in shelters, they are not a reputable breeder no matter what. The vast majority of breeders ARE BYB's or puppy mills, and they do not care where the dogs they breed end up. I definitely agree that breeding dogs should not be done if it is not done responsibly and to better the particular breed.

[critter crazy]

NEVER!! I have my hands full with rescues, not to mention the fact that i would love to run a rescue of my own. I have never been interested in breding and never will. I dont care about breed or conformation, all i care is that the dog is mine, and being well taken care of. I also would love to own a horse rescue facility, and have never thought to breed my own horses, there are just too many out there that need good homes. There are very many breeders out there and unfortunately most are not responsible! Breeding is not for me!!

[luvofallhorses]

NEVER would I get involved in breeding. Like Kay said, there are too many animals needing homes already and I don't want to add to the problem. I'd rather rescue/adopt than be involved in breeding. and I will ALWAYS rescue/adopt, not get involved in breeding, ever.