Hello, I'd like to ask anyone for help/advise .... My black English lab is 4 years old. I think he is ready to breed. He is gorgeous dog with solid structure and big head. I brought him from Europe (Czech Republic) when he was a puppy. Can somebody recommend me the website where can I find female for him?
Hi there and welcome to the forum. I am glad you have come here to ask advice first, as breeding from our dogs is not to be undertaken lightly, as I am sure you understand. It is not really a question of a dog being "ready" to breed from, however more about the responsibility. We don't have to breed from our labradors just because they are the right age, or have nice features. Some fundamental considerations (there are a lot more listed in the articles below..) 1. Is the dog registered? In the UK pedigree dogs are registered with the Kennel Club. 2. Are all the relevant and comprehensive health checks undertaken of both sire and dam? 3. Have the dams owners taken all the relevant measures to care for all the pups until 8 weeks old? Are they experienced breeders who have a waiting list of vetted prospective owners? This is a link to a couple of articles you might find useful: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/breeding-from-your-labrador/ It is also worth bringing your attention to this notice: Moderator Note: Important notice from admin: The selling of puppies on this forum is not permitted. However, we do permit members to post photographs and stories about litters that they have bred. These litters are not endorsed in any way by the forum management or moderation team. Like most pedigree breeds, there are some unpleasant diseases lurking in the Labrador gene pool. We urge those seeking to buy a puppy, to ensure that BOTH parents of their future puppy are at least health tested for Hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, PRA, and CNM. You can find out more about these tests here Health Screening For Labrador Diseases
I am so pleased to see this response @Beanwood I did briefly conside allowing Sam to sire a litter, then decided against , for the reasons outlined above . Now , knowing that he could potentially carry the genes which prompted his lymphoma , I am so thankful that I made the right decision x
I'd also add to Kate's excellent advice that a dog who has tied to a female is often far, far more interested in bitches in season than one who has never copulated, so you may experience a degeneration in certain behaviours (focus, recall etc) if your dog scents a bitch afterwards. I would also encourage you to think about why you are breeding. Ethical breeding means breeding from dogs who can offer something to the breed as a whole. That means only dogs with very good health test results, temperament and conformation (which is important not just from aesthetics, but good conformation means reduced risk of joint degeneration and injury). Breeding just because you love your dog isn't good enough. The absolute minimum you should have done as far as tests are concerned is the test for hips, elbows and eyes. Hips and elbows mean your dog will either be sedated or, more usually, given a general anaesthetic, to have x-rays of his joints. For breeding dogs, this is normally done at a year of age; four years is quite old. You may go through these tests, which don't come cheap, to find that your dog's scores are too high for him to be bred from, which means you've spent a lot of money for nothing. It is absolutely imperative that these tests are done, however, as Labradors are prone to joint problems and breeding only from those dogs that have low score mitigates this; it's unacceptable to knowingly breed a dog who either hasn't been tested, or who has high scores. I assume that you have his registration papers, which means you at least have history for him, including any health tests that were performed on his parents?
