baileydog said:
Good point, but not enough to stop us. We are not being irresponsible. we plan to check out bloodlines and do whatever we have to.
This is some information from a GSD forum.
As for when she should be bred... After she is at least 2 years old, has her hips and elbows certified, and has been through a complete health screening and bloodwork check for other genetic defects. After she has been through a comprehensive training program and has been titled to show that she possesses proper temperament and nerve for a GSD. After she has proven that she is a superior representative of the breed, as determined through an objective evaluation by a qualified judge. After you have thoroughly educated yourself with regards to the GSD standard, how to determine if a dog is breedworthy or not, how to read a pedigree and select breeding partners, how to care for a pregnant #####, how to whelp puppies, how to care for the puppies, how to evaluate the puppies and select homes for them, and are aware of all of the things that can go wrong during this whole process, how to recognize signs of trouble, and what to do about it. And after you have a waiting list of interested buyers for her puppies.
In terms of the male you already own, which I assume you would consider using for her, he should also not be bred before he is 2 years old, thoroughly health screened including hip and elbow certifications, and has also been through a comprehensive training program and has proven his superior quality.
There are thousands of very well qualified stud dogs to choose from. Dogs with a slew of titles proving their breed worthiness, hips and elbows certified, strong pedigrees behind them, and progeny on the ground that can be viewed to see exactly what they are producing.
Raising a dog for breeding (at least assuming that the person cares about the quality of the dogs they produce and the future of the breed) is a crap shoot at best. Raising a dog worthy of being a stud, especially when compared to all of the fantastic studs out there who can be used for a relatively nominal fee, has only slightly higher chances of success than winning the lottery.
If you feel your dogs have the potential to be an asset to the breed, and honestly that is impossible to determine until the dogs are adults and have proven their abilities, your best route to success is to first learn all you can about the breed, join a training club and attend events where you can see other high quality animals and learn how to judge breed worthiness and compare your own dogs to them, and where you can hopefully find a mentor to guide you through the process.
I would also suggest you read the information in the following links:
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/comparison.html
http://www.4gsd.net/breeders.html
Both articles are intended to help prospective buyers find a good breeder and pup, but I think they are also an excellent read for someone considering being a breeder as well. No one wants to be a "bad breeder" but many people are ignorant as to what it takes to be a "good breeder". These give a good idea of what is involved in becoming a respected breeder who produces good dogs. IMO, anyone who is unable or unwilling to follow these guidelines and contribute to the breed, rather than contributing to the huge numbers of sub-par GSDs ending up in shelters and rescues, should not be breeding at all.
If we only took these measures as humans before breeding.
Thanks Catt