trouble breeding our airedales

[chuckandtammy]

I need help ... we are trying to breed our airedales..and our female is shorter than our male and he can't reach her..any ideas on what we can do.. we need help... the date is 10/31/04 and she will only be in heat about 5 more days (where she will let him mate with her )

[Shelteez2]

Before I go on please know that you will be questioned on your breeding practices if you continue to post on this board.
Many members work in rescue and see awful things. Many don't believe in breeding while dogs are in shelters dying all over the world. Others only believe in responsible breeding which is the category I fall in.

How old are your dogs and is this the first time for both of them? Somtimes when dogs don't know what they are doing they need to be helped.
Talk to your vet or breeder about Artificial Insemination.

I can't imagine that the female is so short that there should be problems. Afterall they are the same breed so the size difference shouldn't be that great. According to the AKC standard dogs are to be approximately 23" and bitches slightly less. So if your bitch is significantly less than she is not within the standard.

I really really hope that both dogs have some kind of titles, and have passed all health clearances, and I don't mean just being checked by a vet and being deemed fit.

Please, unless your dogs are excellant examples of the breed and have many traits to pass on and improve the breed, reconsider breeding until you have done some more research and are more knowledgeable on the subject.

[chuckandtammy]

Our AKC Airedales are top of the line.. They are over 2 yrs old. we have a waiting list for the puppies so all the puppies will go to good homes. There is nothing wrong in wanting a pure breed . We have both 3 pure breeds and a mutt... We take great care in our dogs...unlike most...

[Tonya]

Hello, welcome to PT. Although I prefer to rescue, I don't have a problem with breeding when it is to better the breed and is done by experienced breeders. Are you acquainted with any experienced breeders that you can learn from? Please forgive me for being blunt, but I don't have a polite way of putting this...your female being shorter than your male is the least of your worries in breeding. That is pretty basic. There are so many other complications that can happen and things that can go wrong. If you don't have the basics worked out, I'm assuming that you aren't prepared for all the other complications that can happen either. I am sure that you love your dogs and would want what is best for them. If you feel that you must breed them, I strongly recommend getting guidance from an experienced breeder.

I'm not saying this to be critical at all. I bought a pomeranian a few years ago with the intention of breeding him. Some friends of mine breed German Shepards and Poms, so they were going to guide me. I started observing what they did and realized that I was getting myself into so much more then I'd expected. C-sections, stillborns, reviving ill puppies, first aid on the mom, even the actual process of breeding can be complicated. One of their shephards was smaller then the male, I witnessed that breeding. And how they dealt with it was shocking to me. You'd be surprised on how much the breeders manhandle the dogs' parts to guide them in breeding. It's quite a bit more hands on then I was prepared for if you know what I mean. Then there's artificial insemination if the bitch is truly to short but you have to consider if she's also to small to give birth. Anyways, I'm rambling. To make a long story short, I was mortified that I even thought I could be a breeder. I decided to leave it up to the experienced.

[heinz57_79]

[i]

Please, unless your dogs are excellant examples of the breed and have many traits to pass on and improve the breed, reconsider breeding until you have done some more research and are more knowledgeable on the subject. [/B]

I agree with this 110%... If your female is that much shorter then she probably is not within the standard, and therefore should not really be bred. Breeding is to improve a breed, and when people get a purebred puppy they expect it to look like the breed. Are your dogs AKC registered? Do they come from good (ie. champion) lines? Are they show quality? These are all questions to ask before breeding.

You are going to find that most on here do not condone breeding unless you are a reputable and established breeder already. there have already been several good points made by other posters, so I sincerely hope you really think about this before jumping into the responsibility of breeding.

[chuckandtammy]

My female Airedale isn't a lot shorter than the male. They both are normal height. It's just that my male is staying up to high he needs to move down about an inch...I wanted to know how to get him to do that...

[Samantha Puppy]

Originally posted by chuckandtammy
It's just that my male is staying up to high he needs to move down about an inch...I wanted to know how to get him to do that...

I think Tonya answered this question above when she spoke of her breeding-experienced friends...

Originally posted by Tonya
You'd be surprised on how much the breeders manhandle the dogs' parts to guide them in breeding. It's quite a bit more hands on then I was prepared for if you know what I mean.

[Miranda_Rae]

Originally posted by Tonya
And how they dealt with it was shocking to me. You'd be surprised on how much the breeders manhandle the dogs' parts to guide them in breeding. It's quite a bit more hands on then I was prepared for if you know what I mean.

Ick! Eww... Oh gosh.... thanks for the lovely picture Tonya.

[FizzGiggs_Mommy]

Originally posted by Miranda_Rae
Ick! Eww... Oh gosh.... thanks for the lovely picture Tonya.

My thoughts exacally!

[K9soul]

I don't have much to add here. I think Shelteez and Tonya's responses were good ones, but I wanted to also add that because a dog is AKC registered does not necessarily mean they are a good representation of that breed. The only requirement to register a dog with the AKC is to be a purebred and supply a pedigree. I have seen many poor quality "AKC pups". A friend of mine's sister got an AKC sheltie from a breeder who openly and regularly inbred brothers to sisters, parents to offspring.

[lv4dogs]

Welcome to pet talk!

I have to agree w/ every one else. If you plan on breeding I don't have anything wrong w/ it as long as you are doing it for the sole purpose of improving the breed and absolutely no other.

I have not noticed any mention of blood tests/x-rays either. Have your dogs been through all the tests for all possible illnesses/diseases/hereditary problems that are common for Airedales?

When I worked in a vets office we had 2 very experienced Airedale breeders, (they were great) but Airedales *can* be a very hard to breed dog, and c*an* be very dog aggressive so make sure you are aware of that when the pups come.

Again like said before I am sure you love your dogs & care for them well, but my experience is that an experienced breeder should of been doing re-search for years & years, w/ books, vets, other breeders, trainers etc.. etc..
I don't mean to be rude but there is really no other way to put it but if you are a true responsible breeder you should of looked into all possibilities of problems before the time comes. A true good breeder would of known the answer to this question way before the time comes.

[wolfsoul]

I agree with everyone else. In my opinion, health tests are one of the most important things to be done, with registration being the least important. AKC does not have good registration policies anyways, and often registers mutts as purebred dogs. Are your dogs pedigreed to show what airedales are in their background?

I did a little research, and airdales should have a few certificates in order to support the health of their offspring. CERF for eyes, OFA for hips, and their hearts and thyroids need to be cchecked too, as well as their skin should be regularly checked by a veterinarian. Have you done all of this before you considered breeding?

[sammy101]

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...threadid=62838

heres the link to her other thread.

i have no breeding experience either,mabye you could find some Airdale breeders.,mabye looks on www.akc.org
that might help you!

[Miranda_Rae]

Originally posted by sammy101
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...threadid=62838

heres the link to her other thread.she's been breeding for 20 years so i think she knows what she's doings
i have no breeding experience either,mabye you could find some Airdale breeders.

Just because someone has been breeding for 20 years doesn't mean they know what they are doing. There are breeders and trainers that have been doing it for decades and they have no idea nor a clue what they are doing, but they act like they do, and many people believe them, sadly.

[Tonya]

Originally posted by Miranda_Rae
Ick! Eww... Oh gosh.... thanks for the lovely picture Tonya.

LOL! I was trying to say it in the most tactful way possible!