# Having Pups Should I or Not ?



## Maika (May 11, 2012)

Well Maika is nearly 11 months old now and is a fantastic friend and I love her dearly more than I ever thought I could get attached to a dog, even the wife says I am with Maika more than with her. The idea of her having pups is now getting stronger and stronger. She is an only dog and would love some company. I am 51 and take her for a 45 minute off the lead run in the mornings and the same in the evenings but she still wants to play later with me and her toys and if I don't she lays down on the carpet in front of me and moans and groans and sometimes sitting with her head on one side watching me and making sort of telling me off noises. Now I have a problem and the wife knows !!!!. If she has pups am I going to be able to let them go later on, if they are all like her I am not sure if I could, I know it sounds crazy but I cant see myself letting them go to someone I don't know. On the other hand I know she would love to have one of her own to play with and have as company. Are other people as stupid as me?. The wife thinks I have a screw loose. OK I have 5000 m2 of fenced land for any number to run around inside and taking them for walks is the same as taking one as I believe they would all stay together. Then of course there is the vets bills and food and house training although I think Maika herself would teach them to go outside with my help. I don't know what to do at the moment as these are just thoughts. I still have to study on finding a male with good temperament and is 100% GSD. Has anybody else ever been down this road? if please let me know. Thanks


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## Abby142 (Oct 16, 2012)

I would highly recommend against it. 

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...r/149386-should-i-breed-my-dog-flowchart.html


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Whether or not you start to breed should depend on the dog and not just the fencing. I know people with less space that breed great quality dogs. Tell us more about Maika... what sort of training does she have? What health certifications are you planning on doing? What stud dogs do you have in mind and can you fulfill the requirements they have in order to allow the breeding? 

ETA: You could save yourself a LOT of time, money, and possible heartache by going back to Maika's breeder and getting a second dog, if you like the temperament of her lines.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I know I never will unless I could start filling the shoes and be able to really do it properly. There are too many good GSD's out there with people just breeding. If I didn't really know what I was doing with a goal in mind and ability to work towards it, I do NOT need to add any more dogs to the general overpopulation going on currently.

THis is what I know I'll never be! ---> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/choosing-breeder/137533-things-look-responsible-breeder.html and unless I was, there is no breeding in my future.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

No. Just because your dog is awesome doesn't mean she ought to be bred.
That said, you're in Spain...where did your dog come from?

As others said, go back to the breeder and get their input and if their answer is also no, then get another puppy from them.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

First of all...as a novice owner/breeder you would have no idea if an 8 week old puppy will be just like your girl at 11 months of age. They all have different temperaments, personalities, energy levels, drives, ect.

Second of all...they'd get half their genes from the sire, so the likelihood of them being exactly like your girl is very small. Since you don't work your girl, and haven't proven her to be breedworthy, you're likely to not get a very good sire to stud to, and you'll end up with a pet quality stud. Since neither you nor the owner of the stud probably know that much about genetics and pedigrees you have no idea what to expect out of a breeding.

Third of all...are you seriously considering the fact that you'd try to keep 6-10 GSD puppies? Pretty much just sounds like raising a pack of wild wolves. You think you'd be able to train that many dogs at the same time? Run that many dogs at the same time? Do anything with that many dogs?

I know you think your girl is amazing...we all think our dogs are amazing. But she's only 11 months old, she hasn't even matured yet. You have no idea what her temperament will be like in a year, or two when she's going to be fully matured. It's just not the right time to make any kinds of decisions on whether or not you should be breeding her.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Maika said:


> On the other hand I know she would love to have one of her own to play with and have as company.


If you want another dog, get another dog. Maika won't get along any better or worse with a companion that's "one of her own" than one that isn't, and frankly, breeding her solely for the purpose of creating a companion for her is a really bad idea. I won't call you stupid, but I will say I think you're way off base in your thinking.  She could have just a couple of puppies, or she could have 10 or more - what would you do if she had a large litter? Could you be sure that you'd be able to find good homes for all of them, and are you prepared to keep a bunch of them if you can't find homes for all of them? There is a big difference between having two dogs and having 6 or 8 dogs. 

Why don't you just go back to Maika's breeder, as others have suggested?


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Having 5 _Dachshunds_ of varying ages is a nightmare in and of itself at times, I can't imagine 5-10 GSDs all the same age! :wild:


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

> ETA: You could save yourself a LOT of time, money, and possible heartache by going back to Maika's breeder and getting a second dog, if you like the temperament of her lines.


Excellent idea...Of course, I'm probably biased b/c that's exactly what I did when I got my 2nd & 3rd GSD.

Keep in mind that many people when choosing their GSD are seeking both an excellent dog & an experienced breeder who has a proven record of selecting appropriate breeding pairs which produce excellent dogs & who also provide great service & support throughout the dog's life. 

Some years ago, a very good friend tried to talk me into taking one of her Boxer pups from an oops litter. IF I had wanted a Boxer I would have been talking to her dogs' breeder about a pup, NOT my friend. I liked her dogs but there wasn't another thing about the accidental breeding that remotely imporessed me. And she wanted to GIVE me a pup!

I've known several extremely conscientious but relatively inexperienced breeders. They struggle placing their very nice pups largely b/c they haven't established a name for themselves & don't yet get the word of mouth recommendations.

Breeding is never easy. Good breeding is incredibly tough in so many ways. The more I've learned about it the happier I am that I haven't been bitten by that particular bug!


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

I have three beautiful, purebred dogs that all had to be rescued at one point.

Not trying to say any of your pups would end up that way, just saying _Please, Please don't_.

Maika will be just as happy with a companion that you purchase or adopt, and no matter how hard you try there will never be another one exactly like her...or maybe you should just have her cloned? JK.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Ok, let's think about this. If your bitch would have 2-3 puppies, and they all run in your yard, and everyone loves each other, and they play together, and everything is hunky-dory and then one day when they are 18 months old, someone bumps into someone else, and that one gives a retaliatory nip, and then it is on. Momma and the other pup do not just stand on the sidelines and watch, they get in on the action, and suddenly you are trying to separate dogs and keep them from running up vet bills. 

Ok, GSDs generally have litters of 7, 10, even 14 puppies. 

Frankly you don't think you can give them up to strangers? Then do not breed your bitch. It really doesn't matter if you have 500 square meters or 5000 square meters. 10 to 15 dogs is no longer a family it's a job. It's a job keeping them fed, training them all, getting them vetted, grooming -- ick toenails! And poop patrol. You will be singing poo-songs like me. And are you willing to keep each of them in a separate kennel when you cannot supervise. 

Heaven will find me running in a great open field with all my past and present dogs. But here on earth, we really have to be practical. I have a bunch of dogs and it is not for just anyone. And they are not all puppies. Puppies take a lot of work, and raising one puppy is ok, that's easy. Raising two is like raising 5 singly. Having a group of dogs can work, but it is better to get them at different times, so that you can get each through the puppy stages, and the basic training, and also when you have some gaps in age, you can avoid some of the inter-pack issues that happen when you have two or more dogs who are close in power. 

Realizing when the puppies are 6 or 8 months old that you are over your head is not good.


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