Luvmy4 Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 I have been Interested in this for a long time. I would love to breed and show Staffordshire Bull Terriers was thinking once I have all my kids in school and have the time (a few years away) I'd love to hear from breeders how to start, whats involved, why you did, the pros, the cons and what not. Just any stories. btw I'm in NSW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 There are a few threads on this too you can look at... I would first consider putting the show before the breeding... start by showing a male, see if you like what is involved, get to know what is required in the standard, then consider getting a bitch to show and breed IF she meets the standard... i am sure others will have a bit more to add. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 I'd also like to add that breeding and exhibiting dogs isn't necessarily a "part time" thing. You can't just do it when the children are in school. To maintain a show dog in fit, healthy condition and to give proper care to a brood bitch and her litter aren't things that will happen on a timetable. You need to be able to be flexible and you will find that you can't just schedule things to happen during the times that the children are in school. Dogs just don't read timetables or rule books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozjen Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 I'd also like to add that breeding and exhibiting dogs isn't necessarily a "part time" thing. You can't just do it when the children are in school. To maintain a show dog in fit, healthy condition and to give proper care to a brood bitch and her litter aren't things that will happen on a timetable. You need to be able to be flexible and you will find that you can't just schedule things to happen during the times that the children are in school.Dogs just don't read timetables or rule books. Yep, I remember having to get my kids out of bed on a cold stormy night and drag them along to the vets close to midnight so a bitch could have a c section. I didn't have anyone to leave them with but they were great kids and didn't complain. The joys of being a single parent. Seems that when bitches need vet help they always pick the dead of night and horriable weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyMolly Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 why a male?? People ALWAYS suggest a male first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 I personally got a male first because I didn't want to have to deal with seasons . Plus you are more likely to get a better male then a bitch because the breeder is more likely to keep the best bitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 why a male?? People ALWAYS suggest a male first I would say to get the sex you are happiest with, whatever you get, the first dog will be the one you learn with. show you are keen to keep showing and learning and you are more likely to get a better dog in the future. You don't have to breed with the first dog you buy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 This course is put out at under cost price and covers everything you need to know.It includes a text book. It covers the questions you wont know to ask yet and you get access to a lot of resources such as contracts and forms to help keep records and loads of research tools to teach you how to go about it all and lots of support along the way. http://www.mdba.net.au/product_info.php?cP...;products_id=48 Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassie Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 This course is put out at under cost price and covers everything you need to know.It includes a text book.It covers the questions you wont know to ask yet and you get access to a lot of resources such as contracts and forms to help keep records and loads of research tools to teach you how to go about it all and lots of support along the way. http://www.mdba.net.au/product_info.php?cP...;products_id=48 Julie I didn't know such a thing existed, thanks Julie I'll be looking into this for sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabs Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Breeding is not some hobby for the light hearted! A hell of a lot of blood sweat and tears goes into being a successful breeder. It is not just a matter of putting two dogs together and having a litter. Many years of research, failure, loss, travel, money, heartbreak and the odd high is needed. It is not like stamp collecting. Start showing first and see if you have what it takes to continue on and become a breeder. Breeding is the hard part. I don't know why people all want to become breeders. It is much easier to show other breeders dogs. Showing is the fun part. I have a one week old litter at the moment. Have not had a proper sleep since they were born over a week ago. Breeding is something you need to have in your blood. You need drive and dedication. You also need a very good understanding of your chosen breed and it can take years to acquire this. Breeding is not a money making venture. Prepare to have very DEEP pockets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 why a male?? People ALWAYS suggest a male first For the "uninitiated" a male is usually a better bet for a number of reasons. Most importantly, the novice show exhibitor is almost 150% more likely to be able to acquire a good quality male to try their hand in the ring than they are an equal quality bitch (unless they've got a sh!tload of money to spend and want to be tied up in more strings than a macrame potplant holder!). A good male is an excellent way to test your toe in the show ring waters, see if you like it, experience the highs (and many lows) of dog shows and learn the particular care, preparation and handling that it takes for your breed. And believe me, just because they are "boring old Staffords" doesn't mean that they don't require WORK to get them into show condition and keep them that way. You can take some shortcuts with a long coat but when it is all on display with a short coated dog, the underneath bit of the package has to be spot on, or the outside doesn't gleam and ripple with muscle the way it should! A good male will also be an excellent way to learn how to research pedigrees and get your "eye" in on the breed so that when the time comes to decide whether or not you would REALLY like to breed (and do it properly) you will have a better chance of getting yourself a quality bitch. And that includes finding out which lines are free whelpers or which have issues that you wouldn't like to reproduce in your own breeding program. And to be honest, in some breeds, a male is sooooooooooooooooooo much more pleasant to live with too. IMO Stafford bitches are essentially a "necessary evil". I love my girls but they ARE just that.....EVIL!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystiqview Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 (edited) One suggestion would be to try and get a good breeder and maybe see about meeting them at some shows and ask to handle one of their dogs for them while at a show. You meet them at a show, and handle the dog for a few to see if you really want to get into it. Even if you handle one of their dogs in an Open Show and watch the breeder/exhibitor handle the dog for the Champ show. See if you like it first. Even if you do not get to handle a dog in the first few times, watch and learn. There are pluses and minuses to each sex. The lack of a season in a male is certainly a plus. A breeder is more likely to give you a male to show, as with a bitch, you may not get out there and just breed the bitch to anything. Not stopping you from doing the same with a male. You get a bitch from elsewhere and breed the two regardless. There are plenty of people who do this within the breeds anyway. You may find also the breeder will have the dog on a co-own agreement with you. This means you cannot breed the dog without their signature. This is easier done with a male. The prefix rules are assigned to a person and bitch must be registered to that person/prefix in order to breed. If the bitch is co-owned, the prefix must also be in co-own names. A co-owned dog can be used over a bitch, so long as both co-owners sign the mating certificate. Beware co-owns as well. You have to be sure that you and the breeder understand the terms of the co-own and will see through to the end with it. Get any conditions in writing! Many co-owns work and many don't either. If you have a co-own dog/bitch and you have a falling out with the breeder or they change their mind, you are stuck. You cannot breed that animal without the other party's signature. Even if you have done all the right things to the animal and breed (exhibited, health tested etc). Just because a male and female may be "handy" does not mean the two animals are a best match to each other. When you are starting off, I think personally it is better to go to an outside stud than to have a stud and try and get a bitch to breed to him. By going out, you have the choice of all available (within reason of course) studs to pick the one that best matches and compliments the bitch's strong and weak points. Edited: Grammar Edited February 9, 2010 by Mystiqview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 To show entails weekends, when kids aren't in school. Are your kids interested in travelling to showgrounds where there is usually very little for them to do and it's usually either boiling hot or raiing, sitting around all day then going home? When they're older than just-started-school they may well get interested in handling and your will end up driving them around, but until then can you cope with cranky bored kids? Unless your partner is prepared to stay home with them at weekends while you wander off around the countryside, showing dogs is something the whole family needs to be interested in. Staffordshire Bull Terriers are one of the most exploited and over-bred breeds in the country, to breed properly is a work of years not months. Definitely consider starting with a dog for all the reasons given above. You will learn the ropes and work out if the whole thing is for you or not. If you end up with a very nice dog you may even get people with good bitches wanting to use him at stud, which might give you the possibility of being able to get second pick out of a litter you may otherwise have no access to. If the dog turns out only average that's OK, you've learned a lot, got your foot in the door and probably decided which breeder/s you want to consider for your next puppy. Buying a bitch you can show and breed from is not difficult if you are prepared to start with the first one you can buy on main register (just look at the adds on here) but you are unlikely to be successful in the ring with such a bitch and it's all to easy to decide the show ring is corrupt and just go off and start breeding with your pet quality bitch. Once you've bred a litter or two from a pet quality bitch you will find serious breeders (who are the ones you need to help you) will back even further away and be even less likely to offer you a good place to start - dog or bitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 why a male?? People ALWAYS suggest a male first I would say to get the sex you are happiest with, whatever you get, the first dog will be the one you learn with. show you are keen to keep showing and learning and you are more likely to get a better dog in the future. You don't have to breed with the first dog you buy! Personally, I'd start with a girl. If you have secure fences and can cope with a little blood, seasons aren't a big deal. If you show, you'll learn your dog's strengths and faults and be in a position to look for what sort of 'partner' your dog should have to build on strengths and correct faults. If you have a boy, and your initial dog is short on a few points, you won't find anyone willing to loan you a girl. If you have a girl, and are good at describing your breeding objectives and saying why you want to use a specific dog, you'll generally find you can get stud services. for me, the buzz of breeding is seeing what comes out of a mating . . . setting goals for each litter and then seeing if the resulting litter lives up to those goals. Very hard to do with a dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I hope Lindal doesn't mind me jumping in here but I'm toying with the idea of registering a prefix and getting a bitch (hopefully my foundation bitch) next time out.. won't be for a few years though. Are there any books breeders recommend a prospective breeder read? I like the sound of the MDBA course too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 poodle fan I just read Adavanced Labrador Breeding by Mary Roslin Williams which would be a great read if you can get your hands on it. It has therioes about how novice breeders get stuck and how mediocre breeders are made and what is needed to become a great breeder. (Dislaimer: I am planning in breeding one day down the line, I am just researching now so I don't get wrong information/ideas when the time comes) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 poodle fan I just read Adavanced Labrador Breeding by Mary Roslin Williams which would be a great read if you can get your hands on it. It has therioes about how novice breeders get stuck and how mediocre breeders are made and what is needed to become a great breeder. (Dislaimer: I am planning in breeding one day down the line, I am just researching now so I don't get wrong information/ideas when the time comes) Thanks! If that's the one that was republished as "Reach for the Stars" I've read it and it was excellent. Being able to objectively look at your dogs and move on those who will not improve your next generation is one of the sticking points for me. That, and vetting puppy buyers. I"m not committing to the idea of breeding yet and have a long way to go in my new breed but it is something I'm thinking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Born to Win Breed to Succeed is a good book too, if you can wade through the irrelevant American-ism's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 poodle fan I just read Adavanced Labrador Breeding by Mary Roslin Williams which would be a great read if you can get your hands on it. It has therioes about how novice breeders get stuck and how mediocre breeders are made and what is needed to become a great breeder. (Dislaimer: I am planning in breeding one day down the line, I am just researching now so I don't get wrong information/ideas when the time comes) I loved the way in that books she noted that as an English breeder, she always had the option of exporting her second string dogs to breeders in other countries.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 (edited) Born to Win Breed to Succeed is a good book too, if you can wade through the irrelevant American-ism's Ooh I think there's one for sale on the classies! ETA: It's the old version. I think I'll hold out for the 2009 revised edition. Edited February 10, 2010 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now