Breeder Politics

[poodlefan]

Poodlefan I understand how cryptic this is with specifics. I have a type gun dog, group 3 he'd be classed in. I have looked at agility and gun dog trials too. While I'm not new to ownership, in the passed my family has had Rotties Dobers and GSDs as well as a chihuahua,a border collie and a corgie. I am new to the competitive and breeding side. I first wanted to get into working shepards about 13 years ago, but I never found the right girl to breed from. Owned some out right gorgeous Shepard. It was all put on pause 7 and a half years ago when I had my daughter and didn't have time for the training side. My kids are now at school and I study from home so about 12 mths ago I decided I wanted to get back into the love I had for dogs. At this time we had a pet female (desexed) of the breed in question and decided to follow on with that breed. This is basically the exact story I inform breeders of when I first contact them. I accept if they are denclined to help and respect their decision. I had considered showing but have been put off at least for the time being.

Want some more honest advice? Try it for yourself before you let a few people ruin it before you start. I don't know what breed you have but if you posted that you were going to enter a particular show in the showing forum I bet there'd probably be someone from your group that would help out. Have a couple of lessons if you can, get a show lead and away you go. No one's every died doing it that I know of and there are a lot of ordinary, sane people out there at weekends who enjoy themselves win lose or draw and will be a great source of friendship and advice.

Breeding dogs is no cakewalk whether you show or not. I really do suggest you test the water of the show world before giving it up based on the biased views of a handful of people who have their own particular baggage or axes to grind.

I can tell you that through showing I have met people who would get out of bed and break the landspeed record to my house in the middle of the night to help with a whelping. You won't tend to meet them anywhere else but showing.,

Edited June 7, 2011 by poodlefan

[Angeluca]

Well honestly I know I keep saying it but I really do appreciate it.

And the way you guys have responded has really reassured me. I didn't know what to expect when I posted. But I see people who love what they do defend it was a polite passion, and those who see the breeders point of view, explain why it may have happened that way. I was never made to feel like I needed to defend myself rather then explain.

I Currently have golden retrievers and Will defiantly be going to shows, I may just stick with the obedience for the very near future and maybe branch out a little later, but keep an open mind when contacting and meeting show breeders. And I will probably look into getting the prefix just in case everything works out.

[Gayle.]

Well, I'm still going to encourage you to join your state breed club if there is one. A good breed club isn't just about shows, it's about everything that particular breed can do. The Vic GR Club have field trials, obedience trials, tracking and retrieving trials, as well as open and champ shows. They also appear to have fun days too. The NSW GR Club seems to be similar in variety of events.

The breed club I'm a member of hold agility, obedience and herding trials as well as shows, fun days and there's a comprehensive and interesting newsletter, a shop for breed and club merchandise and plenty of support for owners of the breed.

If you never showed your dog, you'd still be able to build up a network of contacts, make friends within the breed and find some good support via a well-run and active club.

[jr_inoz]

Oh my sorry about the spelling, i need a new keyboard I try to proof read first but was in a hurry

As for the prefix, Is it really better to obtain it first?. Kynan Your raise a point of view I hadn't really thought about in that way.

I guess I believed by not getting it I was showing I wasn't trying to rush things.......

I really Appreciate the constrictive criticism, and support in what I'm trying to achieve. And i Have more often or not rang rather then email as tone and enthusiasm is lost and I have a chance to explain and define what I mean before they have concluded their opinions, most of the time at least.

I think too, that getting a prefix will help you. Are you a member of the Canine Association in Queensland? (Dogs Queensland)? That will help too. Breeders will be happier if you know that you are a registered breeder and so will (hopefully) abide by the code of ethics.

When you visit the show you are going to, make sure you see if you can buy the catalogue for the show - that way you can see the breeding of the dogs and bitches you like the look of.

I understand where you are coming from, but I can see breeder's points of view too.

Hang in there and keep asking questions.

[Danois]

I don't have a prefix yet I don't intent to get on until I know I have good enough breeding stock everything will be planned out well ahead of time.

I'd say therein lies your problem with trying to get breeders to come on board with a bitch. You have no prefix and have only been in the breed 10 months and have an immature dog. You're an unknown - who is to say you're a backyard breeder?

Get a prefix, do the time studying the breed and breed standard - you should known this almost verbatim, get out to shows - not necessary to show but to learn what is an excellent example of the breed, join your canine council and breed clubs, learn how to critique those dogs, find a mentor in your breed and learn from them including whelping a litter or 2 with them, if you have a breed with colours then learn about genetics and I'm sure experienced breeders will be able to add further things to cross off the list before getting 2 dogs of the same breed and letting them mate.

[OSoSwift]

I agree with what others have posted, but what I have done also with my breeder is she will send me photos of her puppies, I would critique them as I saw it, she would then tell me what she thought and why. It has been extremely helpful. It was also very helpful in helping me figure out what I was looking for in a puppy and how that puppy then looked as an adult. It really really helps to have someone who is very open and helpful like this. And most of all be a sponge!