# when will she be ready??



## Armitagecm23 (Feb 14, 2012)

question from a possible new GSD owner... I went and talked to a breeder that I am very interested in getting a puppy from, but he told me that his female would go into heat in January....it is now March, is this normal? Should I just be patient or should I start looking for a new breeder?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

if you're dealing with a reputable breeder and you like
their dogs wait.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I'm confused. . . . you have been in contact with the breeder and s/he told you that the female did not go into heat, or the breeder hasn't called and told you anything?


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## robk (Jun 16, 2011)

I agree with Emoore's question. Have you been in contact with the breeder since January? If I really wanted a pup from a certain breeding I wouldn't worry about how long it took for the female to go into heat.


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

My females heat cycles are pretty regular-not sure if that is the norm or not but I woul e-mail and ask the breeder what is happening


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Also some breeders are more comunicative than others. The same happened to me, with months of knowing nothing. I had lost hope and then I just received a mail saying the ultrasound showed 5 pups and "of course" one of them was mine.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

While I agree breeders should communicate, I also think people need to keep in mind that while an individual potential customer may only have one breeder they are chatting with, that breeder may have literally *dozens* of people they are chatting with, who are at various stages of inquiry, commitment, screening.. and often several more inquiries every week. It can be difficult for a breeder to keep track of, especially if communication thus far has been light, without a lot of serious discussion, or the last communication was months earlier. May also be there just isn't any news to report if no breeding is pending soon or already taken place and while a breeder may be good at sending announcements to interested parties when something happens, they may well not see the point in sending frequent updates saying nothing is going on yet.

I also know that many people consider sending an email to a breeder asking about possibly getting a pup in the future is sufficient to get them "on the list", whereas the breeder may not consider that person to be that serious, or that far along in the process without a lot more discussion. The potential customer and the breeder may have not be on the same page with regard to where the person is in the process, and thus what sort of communication from the breeder is fair to expect.

So bottom line, don't automatically assume a breeder is bad at communication or anything else if you haven't heard from them in a while. Especially if there wasn't a whole lot of communication going on in the first place or it was a long time ago. Instead, send an email or pick up the phone and call.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Chris Wild said:


> So bottom line, don't automatically assume a breeder is bad at communication or anything else if you haven't heard from them in a while. Especially if there wasn't a whole lot of communication going on in the first place or it was a long time ago. Instead, send an email or pick up the phone and call.


That's what I was asking. I can't tell from the question of the OP knows for a fact that she hasn't gone into heat, and is asking when she will be ready for breeding; or if the OP hasn't heard from the breeder and is assuming there hasn't been a breeding.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

holland said:


> My females heat cycles are pretty regular-not sure if that is the norm....


That is ideal. Unfortunately, animals don't read books. LOL

Siren SHOULD have been in heat the middle of January. Here it is March and still NOTHING. (which doesn't matter in her case as she will never be bred.)


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

How true, Chris! Buyers should take the initiative to be very clear with the breeder as to exactly what is going on. Breeders routinely hear from people FIRM in their desire for a pup & willing to wait only to hear later that they got one from another breeder or out of the paper or from a friend. Many breeders hesitate to appear 'pushy' about making a sale & don't assume a pup is wanted from them until there's a firm committment.


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## Armitagecm23 (Feb 14, 2012)

We stay in regular contact with the breeder and he knows we are serious.


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