Breeding my gsp

[bow.hunter123]

I am going to breed my 3 year old gsp when she comes in next. What are something i should look for in the stud. Or just any comments or just advice for me.

[Will]

IMO, and in no particular order: Stud should possess desirable traits you seek to add to or strengthen in your bitch, proven to pass these traits through previous matings is great (but they all have to start somewhere), proper conformation, health (hips, eyes, etc), genetics (line breeding? out crossing? known genetics with successful previous breedings).

Seeking out the opinions of successful breeders could be very enlightening. You'll get lots of good advice here and posting her pedigree might help if you want to get more specific.

[Coveyrise64]

I am going to breed my 3 year old gsp when she comes in next.

The first question you have to ask yourself is.....why am I breeding?

cr

[RoostersMom]

The question I always ask myself is "can I buy a better dog than I can breed for?" The answer for me, has always been YES. So I leave the breeding to the guys and gals with the background, understanding and desire to breed the absolute best to the best. I buy a puppy from them and then I don't have to worry about the whole litter going to good homes or what I do if I have 4 pups left. I'm not willing to worry about that litter for the rest of their lives - like a good breeder would do. And I certainly don't want to get back a dog when it's 8 years old because of divorce or whatever (which recently happened to my breeder).

At a minimum for me to consider breeding my dogs (which I did consider with my well-bred Vizsla) - I made a deal with myself that if I couldn't get a bench title on him and at the very least, a MH title or FT points, then I wouldn't breed him. I neutered him at 4 years old because I didn't have the interest in showing him in conformation classes (even after a nice win). I can buy a pup from the same breeder that I bought him from - and she's breeding even nicer dogs now.

[Sharon]

Personally I think 6 pups should be sold/deposits before any breeding.

Pick a stud with a proven record for whatever it is you are wanting .

[bow.hunter123]

I have placed her in 3 fun trials and won 2 of them. I just hunt her and i plan on breeding to a good all around hunting dog. The reason i plan on breeding her is to keep another puppy off of her and i have alot people wanting puppies off of her if i decide to breed her. Is 3 years old a good age to breed.

[SubMariner]

I have placed her in 3 fun trials and won 2 of them. I just hunt her and i plan on breeding to a good all around hunting dog. The reason i plan on breeding her is to keep another puppy off of her and i have alot people wanting puppies off of her if i decide to breed her. Is 3 years old a good age to breed.

IMHO none of these are good reasons to breed a dog.

FWIW,

[volraider]

Get her hips OFA'd and breed her. Breeding is a lot of work but it's also rewarding when you raise a littter of nice pups and have a lot of happy owners. Have a plan together on what happens if you have 2 or 3 pups left over, make sure you have room for leftover pups. If you have hardcore bird hunters wanting pups from her then she's probably a nice dog. Breed to a nice dog!

[Brooks Carmichael]

Get her hips OFA'd and breed her. Breeding is a lot of work but it's also rewarding when you raise a littter of nice pups and have a lot of happy owners. Have a plan together on what happens if you have 2 or 3 pups left over, make sure you have room for leftover pups. If you have hardcore bird hunters wanting pups from her then she's probably a nice dog. Breed to a nice dog!

You will need to have a Brucellosis test done on her. Most individuals who have good stud dogs will require this. I wish all individuals would have their females brucellosis tested if they are thinking about breeding them.

[ezzy333]

Get her hips OFA'd and breed her. Breeding is a lot of work but it's also rewarding when you raise a littter of nice pups and have a lot of happy owners. Have a plan together on what happens if you have 2 or 3 pups left over, make sure you have room for leftover pups. If you have hardcore bird hunters wanting pups from her then she's probably a nice dog. Breed to a nice dog!

This is about as good of advice and you can get. Follow through on it and you will be OK. Three is about the perfect age to breed for the first time.

Ezzy

[KwikIrish]

People under estimate genetics. I would strongly encourage you to research your bitch's genetics and gain as much understanding about them as possible. Things like history of hips/eyes/elbows/bloat/temperament/mon or crypt orchid/ etc are all things you, as a future breeder, need to know and understand. If you have a bitch epilepsy behind her (meaning somewhere in her family, there is epilepsy)even though she is NOT an epileptic, you now you have to avoid any stud with a genetic history of epilepsy.
What happens if you produce a litter and sell them to their friends and a puppy has some genetic disorder? You, as a breeder, have to be prepared for the worst.
What if you have a litter of 14? That was my last litter size, oh... And the Caesarian section was over $2000. You, as a breeder, need to be prepared to face these expenses. Go out and look how much a dog of similar breeding is selling for. Realize the average breeder does not break even. We have done a c section, only to have 1 of the 2 puppies survive. I tell you this to help you understand that this is not a simple decision.
Good hunting GSP's are readily available. What makes your litter special? You need a notch in that market. And find a mentor in your breed, who is knowledgable about breeding and GSP genetics, and learn everything you can from them.

Above all, breeding is not for the faint of heart. We lost one of my 14 to a liver shunt. We got him to 5 weeks old before we couldn't keep him comfortable enough, and we had to let him go. We had to euthanize a 2 day old puppy because of cleft pallet. I'll be darned if we just dropped him off at the vet... I held him until the end. We recently had a buyer lose a puppy at 11months old. We wept with them for their loss. I saw a puppy born with 5 legs this year. I saw the associated vet bills to fix said puppy's extra limb. Would you euthanize that or would you treat it? These are the kinds of things you, as a breeder, will face.
Good luck.

[mm]

I breed my first liter this year. It was a lot of fun and very rewarding. I have a good female and choose a top stud dog which cost $1000. In the end I had 2 pups and there was no way I could let one go so they are both mine now. It was a good thing I did not have 8 or 10 because I have a small yard. All kidding aside I had many new owners lined up that I had to disappoint them. All advice given here is good. The main thing is to realize there is no money in dog breeding and it cost a ton of money and you are going to have be prepared for that. These pups cost me about $2000 each when all is said and done but I would not let them go for anything. I enjoyed it but I don't think I will do it again.

[Del Lolo]

Just wondering.
What kind of genetic tests on the parents are considered adequate for GSPs ?
For Labs, it's
Hips
Elbows
CERF
CNM
EIC
PRA

[Adam]

GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTER
Heart-
OFA evaluation with exam performed by a Cardiologist
or OFA evaluation with exam performed by a Specialist

Hip Dysplasia
OFA Evaluation - OR
PennHIP Evaluation

Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist- recommend annual exams until age 6, every 2 years thereafter
Results registered with OFA - OR
Results registered with CERF

Cone Degeneration
Optigen test results registered with the OFA.

Elbow Dysplasia (Optional)
OFA Evaluation

Autoimmune thyroiditis (Optional)
OFA evaluation from an approved laboratory - It is recommended that the test be repeated every two years.

[KwikIrish]

Side not, my friends bitch just whelped 17 puppies. All are healthy and happy. These numbers can happen with the larger breeds. Finding homes for the ones you aren't keeping can be exhausting!

[Cajun Casey]

GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTER
Heart-
OFA evaluation with exam performed by a Cardiologist
or OFA evaluation with exam performed by a Specialist

Hip Dysplasia
OFA Evaluation - OR
PennHIP Evaluation

Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist- recommend annual exams until age 6, every 2 years thereafter
Results registered with OFA - OR
Results registered with CERF

Cone Degeneration
Optigen test results registered with the OFA.

Elbow Dysplasia (Optional)
OFA Evaluation

Autoimmune thyroiditis (Optional)
OFA evaluation from an approved laboratory - It is recommended that the test be repeated every two years.

Add lupoid dermatosis to the CHIC list, depending on the pedigree.

[Adam]

Last I heard they're making changes to the LD test as there were quite a few false positives showing up.

[Cajun Casey]

Last I heard they're making changes to the LD test as there were quite a few false positives showing up.

If the pedigree is dicey, it's still something to be aware of. Personally, I don't think they have a handle on it to begin with.