To breed or not to breed?

The edition of Jack in our lives has made the entire family fall in love with him and staffy breed. So much so, my brother wants to get a staffy of his own, a female one. We have discussed the idea of getting one and possible breeding. Personally, I think it would be a fantastic thing to experience for the family. I've already had interest from other family members about adopting a pup if it happens, we are also committed to keeping one too. I'm also aware that the pups will need supervision, to get checked by the vet and to be vaccinated, wormed and have the appropriate documentation. Jack is 9 months old, so he is almost out of that puppy stage now. How would keep a female pup away from jack when she has her first couple seasons?

I wanna assure people here that this is not about money or trying to make a quick buck.

I value your opinions guys and I want your feedback, particularly if you've had experience in what I'm talking about. The pro's and con's etc. Am I showing myself to be a complete novice by putting this out there?

Whether the pups happen or not, it's very likely we'll still be getting another staffy

Breeding is a huge responsibility and a lot of hard work. I understand that you are not doing this for money and that you currently have homes lined up for the puppies. However by the time your pups are born and ready to go to their new homes many of the potential owners will have changed their mind or got another pup (bearing in mind Jack is only 9 months and needs to mature, the bitch will be pregnant for 63 days and the pups need 8 weeks to mature and be weaned). I only had 3 pups from the last litter and before they were born about 10 homes! Only when they pups were actually ready to go to new homes most of the potential owners hadn't waited and had got other pups, or didnt have the money or had changed their minds. In order for my pups to go to the best possible homes I had to keep one for an extra 3 weeks and drop the price.

I see that the offspring will be pets, but with the amount of staffords in rescue I think it is important if you are breeding to be breeding something that is desirable in an already overcrowded market. As you dont even have the bitch you might breed with Jcck yet you do not know how good an example of the breed she is, her health etc. It is important also that the two dogs compliment one another and that their combined temperaments and conformation will mean the pups are born the best they can.

You also have to think about the cost factor involved. Noone ever makes money off pups, your lucky if you break even! The bitch will require health checks and possibly an ultrasound (at £80 a time!). If they aren''t already you also need to ensure all relevant health checks have been done (HC, L2 and Eyes) which cost about £170 for all of them. Then theres the cost of an emergency cesarean which can come in at £2000 if its out of practice hours. Of course then there is the obvious heartache of losing the bitch during whelp or the puppies being stillborn. Then you have to worm, feed and give first injection to all the pups, depending on how many there are each course of vaccines is about £40 x (amount of pups).

The pros obviously are that you get to continue your dog's line, you get some cute puppies and its an experience to say the least! But those are about it, if you are just doing considering breeding to get another dog similar to yours I would recommend going back to his breeders and trying to get a relation. However if you have your heart set on it and want some more info or details then please ask Breeding terrifies me and I was so scared when my bitch was in whelp, it certainly isn't for the faint hearted!

obviously people on the site can only advise and give you the information that is out there in the end the decision is yours but please read and think about all comments and advise before making your final decision.

with the bad press the staffies have at the moment the shelters are over run and cannot find homes for them all so sadly there are a great number put to sleep. i would think very long and hard if you want to breed because although you may think that all the pups went to good homes it only takes one person to buy the pup thinking it looks cute but not realise the effort and commitment it takes to bring that dog up and look after it for the next 14 years or so. one of those pups could quite easily end up one of the statistical few who end up on death row.
my avatar is our new dog Lottie she is one of the few abandoned dogs that has been lucky enough to be rescued. she was due to be put to sleep. its not fare on the dogs. its not their fault but they are the ones that suffer in the end

_julie_ wrote:obviously people on the site can only advise and give you the information that is out there in the end the decision is yours but please read and think about all comments and advise before making your final decision.

with the bad press the staffies have at the moment the shelters are over run and cannot find homes for them all so sadly there are a great number put to sleep. i would think very long and hard if you want to breed because although you may think that all the pups went to good homes it only takes one person to buy the pup thinking it looks cute but not realise the effort and commitment it takes to bring that dog up and look after it for the next 14 years or so. one of those pups could quite easily end up one of the statistical few who end up on death row.
my avatar is our new dog Lottie she is one of the few abandoned dogs that has been lucky enough to be rescued. she was due to be put to sleep. its not fare on the dogs. its not their fault but they are the ones that suffer in the end

Of course, I value the opinions on this board and a lot of you will have more of an understanding than I would.

I don't have any experience of breeding however I know of two people who have just recently had litters (one was Rommel's breeder and the other owns one of Rommel's brothers) and in both cases both had a puppy which died within hours of being born. Infact one of them has ended up with only two puppies in the litter.

Rommel's breeder also ended up hand-raising a litter as the bitch died three days after giving birth .... I cannot imagine how hard that must've been.

I think it must be a great experience if everything goes well but not a situation to be entered into lightly.

I remember my Aunties dog having pups and it just seemed like such a massive hassle. Vets out at 2-3 in the morning, having to build a big box thing for them to live in and special heaters, half of the puppies didn't make it, mamadog wasn't too interested in the pups, and then the work of looking after a bunch of puppies. I don't have the patience for it at all, so it's not something I would consider doing.

Even now I know my dog has fantastic lines, she has done well in the show ring, has had all health tests and I have chosen a fantastic dog to couple her with. I am still worried and keep putting off breeding from her! I have one chance left with her upcoming season but even though her mother's prgnancy and birth went perfectly I am still apprehensive. Puppies are hard work and although I want to continue my line I can't bear the thought of losing my baby!!!

Can't add too much, to be honest.

As already said, the bitch you buy (although she may well be from excellent lines) may not be show quality, or may not compliment your boy. And you won't know for certain till she's mature, so around 2 years old!

Also, keeping an entire dog away from an in season bitch is, I can assure you, a major headache! Been there, done that!

I know that it sounds like we're all trying to put you off - we're not, really, just pointing out the possible pitfalls & headaches. Please think very, very carefully before you commit yourself.

The general consensus I'm getting in here so far is similar to what I'm reading elsewhere. At the end of the day its not the motivational factor in getting another staffy, so we'll be getting another one next year regardless, male or female.

The breeder that Charlie come from bitterly regrets breeding her bitch. She was not a novice breeder, she knew what she was doing and the amount of work that went into it. Charlie's mum had had a litter previously and all went well but Charlie's litter was a heartbreaking disaster.

The pregnancy went well, but an emergency c section was needed. The first 2 pups were stillborn, the last 5 seemed healthy, but a couple of weeks later, one died, then a few days later, another died. A week later, another died. Within 1 month, the only pup left was Charlie. It turned out that the bitch had an infection which was passed to the puppies through her milk. The vet thinks that the only thing that saved Charlie was his size. He was the biggest in the litter by a large margin.

The breeder said her bitch just hasn't been the same since, and she truly regrets breeding her. They lost 6 puppies, and the bitch has completely changed. The breeder said she will NEVER breed again. She is pleased that Charlie is with me and being loved and well looked after, she'd have been devastated if he went to the wrong home and was mistreated or sent from home to home or ended up in rescue, but she said that although she's happy for Charlie, she'll never put herself, her family (she has 2 young children who were there throughout) or her dog through it again.

She lost thousands. The c-section was expensive, all the pups had check ups and antibiotics as did the bitch. Plus the money for the food and extras when the pups came along, and it was heartbreaking for her and her family.

I have no personal experience of breeding, but what the breeder went through for Charlie's litter is more than enough to put me off even considering breeding.

Personally i don't think you should breed for a family member. It can lead to a lot of arguments and it is a big responsibility. Also there are so many homeless dogs needing homes.

Just to add, i have bred labradors before and one litter was 15 and only 4 lived

5 died within 24hrs and then one died everyday until 4 were left. the biggest pup had to be taken away and handreared at 5 weeks because he was bullying the others and kept breaking out of the pen and wobbling to the road.

It was emotionally, financially and physically exhausting.

I would never breed again unless i was at home 24/7 basically!

i did consider it when i first got Woody as a friend thought he would breed well with his bitch. however i happened to watch battersea dogs home one night and cried my eyes out watchin all theones already abandoned and decided i couldnt add to it as i also couldnt control who the pups went to with only having the stud.

its personal choice though Dan and no one on here would be negative if thats your choice and you are prepared

I bred two litters - one of Border Collies & one of Belgian Shepherds. Both were without mishap & both had good sized litters. Both bitches were healthy throughout & all the pups went to really good homes.

However, it cost me so much.....not just monetary (that was expensive enough!) but sheer nervous energy. I worried myself stupid through both pregnancies, and the time & energy needed to look after a litter of 6 or 7 healthy, lively 6 - 8 week old pups is phenomenal! You need 10 pairs of hands & eyes in the back of your head! At the end, each time, I was physically & mentally exhausted & skint!

After the 2nd litter I decided never again.

Under much consideration I've decided not to go down this road. The most of what I've been told from experienced dog breeders has been the general consensus from you guys in this thread.

This wasn't the motivational factor in getting another staffy, so we'll still be getting another one sometime next year. We are looking at getting a pup from Jack's parents next litter. Boy or girl we are not sure yet.

Thanks for all ya feedback guys