# a question for the breeders...



## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

So my husband has given me the go ahead to seriously start looking at breeders and REALLY narrowing down my search in who i'd be interested in possibly going through for our next landshark. I've seen numerous dogs i would LOVE to have a pup from and its REALLY difficult to narrow it down but i'm working on it. 

anyway, my question to the breeders, is how far in advance do you plan a litter? I have a basic list of qualities i'd be looking for in a pup and future adult. but since i wont be getting a pup for at least a year and a half, i figured it would be safe to ask the basic question thats been rambling around in my brain. So how far in advance do you plan your litters and how often do you do repeat litters?

Thanks!

oh and i guess i should probably mention i'm looking into working lines and trying to avoid showlines unless there is magically a pup for me from showlines that would work.


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

Well I am not a breeder and have no answer but wanted to say congrats! I know you have been waiting for this


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

vat said:


> Well I am not a breeder and have no answer but wanted to say congrats! I know you have been waiting for this


 
thank you! i most certainly have! i think he got tired of me looking at breeder websites and then telling him about this dog or that dog so he's finally given in and said okay but i have to wait at least the year and a half. He wants Shasta to be almost 3 before another puppy comes in if he has his way though lol. We'll see. A year and a half will put her at a lil under two and a half so it works!


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

So you figure your finances will turn around in a year and a half? We all know but want to forget -- It's not just the purchase price. I bring that up because the last major thread you were on vacation staying with relatives in a place you were uncomfortable because it was free; you were sad to leave a former dog there because you didn't like the way she was cared for but you couldn't afford her meds. This economy is tough.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I would think it varies by breeder how many litters they have planned. Variables to consider: training schedule, what chosen studs are available at the time their bitch is in heat. 
Researching which breeder you want to go with should be more important than their timeline of litter whelping.
I would just look at the breeder who's lines you are interested in and develop a relationship with them. Then when they have a planned breeding in your time-frame ask to be put on a reserve list. 

In the meantime, have fun while training the pup you have now!


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

middleofnowhere said:


> So you figure your finances will turn around in a year and a half? We all know but want to forget -- It's not just the purchase price. I bring that up because the last major thread you were on vacation staying with relatives in a place you were uncomfortable because it was free; you were sad to leave a former dog there because you didn't like the way she was cared for but you couldn't afford her meds. This economy is tough.


 
as far as not being able to afford Zena's meds, we can afford a $10 a month steroid shot and to clean her ears 3-4 times a week. Considering the humid climates we're likely to be stationed at given my husband is NAVY and tends to go where there is water, it is healthier for Zena to remain in Colorado. As far as PERSONAL FINANCES, yes i do believe our finances will turn around in a year and a half and theres no promises made we would even be GETTING another pup at that time anyway. Thats just the EARLIEST we would consider it. and not all of us are loaded with money and can stay where we want, when we want for however long we want. I dont like the way Zena is cared for because my mother in law is an idiot and my father in law is not only working but attending college classes to further HIS job, though not needing the money and the two hound mixes they have along with my sister in law, her stupid boyfriend/fiancee and my husbands best friend living there and doing nothing with HIS dog... no i dont like the fact that Zena is there but if being there means she is healthier and not in and out of various surgeries for her ears then i will deal with it. I am well aware its not JUST the purchase price of the pup. The ONLY reason we were in Colorado is because i promised a dear friend that i would be in her wedding. Otherwise we never would have made the trip. not to mention staying with my parents in THEIR TRAILER with my baby siblings and my grandparents was NOT an option. Considering you know NOTHING about our finances, i honestly dont think its okay for you to question whether or not we're able to. People do research and start asking questions YEARS in advance. To put it simply, THATS what i'm doing. 

I am allowed to ask questions as i'm a CURIOUS as how far in advance litters are planned. i am also asking because if there is a particular sire i'm interested in or a dam i'm interested in, i would be curious to know how far in advance they plan litters, even if it is tentative, involving particular dogs.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> I would think it varies by breeder how many litters they have planned. Variables to consider: training schedule, what chosen studs are available at the time their bitch is in heat.
> Researching which breeder you want to go with should be more important than their timeline of litter whelping.
> I would just look at the breeder who's lines you are interested in and develop a relationship with them. Then when they have a planned breeding in your time-frame ask to be put on a reserve list.
> 
> In the meantime, have fun while training the pup you have now!


 
i guess its not so much a the timeline but more along the lines of how different breeders, even involving the same lines, plan their litters and how soon they start thinking about it. thank you for adding in those. That also helps my thought process. and believe me, I'm having a blast with Shasta and how well she is doing is just amazing me. The likelihood of us actually getting a puppy in the next 36-48 months is slim. We probably wouldnt be getting another pup until AFTER the station we're in the process of heading to. I'm simply doing the research. I've already knocked out a couple breeders i was looking at. I'm trying to narrow it down to a list of no more than 5 to seriously consider when the time comes if they're still breeding. and i know i'll probably change my mind a few dozen times before its settled.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Thats a problem, you decide early on and then things change with a chosen breeder. 
If they only have a few females(not a commercial kennel but a responsible hobby breeder), you may have to wait for one to mature, and then it would be a first whelp.
So taking a chance, but trusting the breeders program is most important. 
When you go with a particular breeder, you can be sure whatever they are breeding fits _their_ criteria for producing the best possible.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> Thats a problem, you decide early on and then things change with a chosen breeder.
> If they only have a few females(not a commercial kennel but a responsible hobby breeder), you may have to wait for one to mature, and then it would be a first whelp.
> So taking a chance, but trusting the breeders program is most important.
> When you go with a particular breeder, you can be sure whatever they are breeding fits _their_ criteria for producing the best possible.


 
and naturally i fully intend on asking for breeder opinions here since i'm new at the whole breeder thing. I've never gone to a breeder for anything. Wasnt until recently (my junior year of high school actually) that normal people could go to breeders for their pets if they wanted to. I grew up with cats. Strays would show up, my grandpa would feed them and kittens would appear and we'd have pets. My parents never went to a breeder (parents are a disappointment for a lot of things so i wont go there) and they never kept a dog around for more than a few months. I hated it. I know the best i can hope for is when we're ready, the breeder we go to in the end, we can get a pup from the sire and/or dam we really like.

i should also point out my breeder list is very open for change.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Good luck on finding a pup!

Make sure you pick a breeder that you are very comfortable with!


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> Good luck on finding a pup!
> 
> Make sure you pick a breeder that you are very comfortable with!


 
thanks Laren! thats the plan. i'm just glad my husband is finally okay with the whole idea and has given his blessing to start looking even if we dont get another pup for a couple years. I want to get Shasta to a certain point before seriously starting the breeder/pup search and knowing me, it'll be a while anyway because i'm a research dork. lol


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

I would just do a lot of browsing (window shopping) for now. Breeders that have been breeding for several years, dont change their lines over night. Chances are if you were to get a pup today and then get another 2-3 years from now, you would get the same quality out of both. 

My point is, you can pick a handful that breeds for what you want in a dog. I am sure most of them will still be breeding in a couple years and have pups to fill your order.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

dawnandjr said:


> I would just do a lot of browsing (window shopping) for now. Breeders that have been breeding for several years, dont change their lines over night. Chances are if you were to get a pup today and then get another 2-3 years from now, you would get the same quality out of both.
> 
> My point is, you can pick a handful that breeds for what you want in a dog. I am sure most of them will still be breeding in a couple years and have pups to fill your order.


 
thanks. 

I think people are getting confused however. I asked the questions merely because i was curious how breeders figure it. I already have two breeders that are pretty much permanently on my favorites list. *I'm not so much worried about the dogs* because i'm sure i'll find something i like about them and when i speak with the breeder, go more in depth about it. Though my husband did say it was possible to get seriously serious about it come a year and a half, i very highly doubt it'll be that soon. We're most likely going to wait until Riley is gone but we'll see how things go a couple years down the road as i'm certainly not ready for another puppy that needs to be housetrained just yet. having enough trouble potty training my daughter! LOL. 

I tend to ask questions because i have a curiousity that eats away at me for answers to some pretty random questions and other not so random. This isnt something i can just search for on the internet so i was asking. Its interesting to me to see how different breeders handle planning future breedings and litters because i know everyone is different in how they do things like that.

when i say the bold part i mean i'm not so much worried about the dogs in the sense i know they get retired after a certain point. I mean i'm sure i'll find something about the breeding capable dogs that i appreciate and would like to possibly see in the litter.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

I understand your question (I think).
Breeders should have *future goals* in mind when they are producing litters.
Such as/example: *Litter C prospect (out of A & B parents)...bred to Litter F prospect (out of D & E parents).....
OR
Stud dog X ...bred to litter prospect C...should produce litter prospects Y...etc..etc...
*I don't think it's too soon to ask your favorite breeders....which possible genetic combinations, they may be planning for the early future.
We just had a young woman wait through 3 different litters for her *special service dog prospect*....
Robin


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

there's probably a puppy in any line
that will work for you.



KZoppa said:


> oh and i guess i should probably mention i'm looking into working lines and trying to avoid showlines unless there is magically a pup for me from showlines that would work.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Then for the next year and a half, instead of concentrating on breeders, I would concentrate on going to as many dog events involving German Shepherds as possible. Get an idea what the breeders are peddlin when the dog grows up....just my thoughts.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

robinhuerta said:


> I understand your question (I think).
> Breeders should have *future goals* in mind when they are producing litters.
> Such as/example: *Litter C prospect (out of A & B parents)...bred to Litter F prospect (out of D & E parents).....
> OR
> ...


 
Robin that is pretty much it. thank you for putting it in terms that may be more understandable! I know what i want when the time comes. I've posted before asking if i was asking for too much and was told the traits i was looking for were extremely possible with the right puppy parents basically. Thanks again for rewording enough other might understand.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

cliffson1 said:


> Then for the next year and a half, instead of concentrating on breeders, I would concentrate on going to as many dog events involving German Shepherds as possible. Get an idea what the breeders are peddlin when the dog grows up....just my thoughts.


 
i dont have that luxury but thanks for the tip.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

KZoppa said:


> ..... So how far in advance do you plan your litters and how often do you do repeat litters?


It depends. I usually plan my first litter for after my female has her SchH1, but she may be 3 or 3.5 when I do the breeding. The second litter might come a year later. Vala's 3rd litter will be more than 2 years after her second. That has been the plan for awhile. Who I breed to, though, is often not decided until a few months before. 

I don't breed that often since I breed primarily for myself. I had my first litter in 2003 and my fifth will be born this year.

Wanted to add after reading more of the posts: I have an idea about where I want to go with Deja (later next year), but too early to have decided on the specific male.


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

I understand what your question is now. In fact, a puppy from this litter that Yoko just had, is going back to Yoko's breeder. When we were searching for males, the most important aspect was, how will these bloodlines play out 3, 4, 5 generations down the line in her breeding program. What lines are in her program now, and which male has lines to complement those.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

lhczth said:


> It depends. I usually plan my first litter for after my female has her SchH1, but she may be 3 or 3.5 when I do the breeding. The second litter might come a year later. Vala's 3rd litter will be more than 2 years after her second. That has been the plan for awhile. Who I breed to, though, is often not decided until a few months before.
> 
> I don't breed that often since I breed primarily for myself. I had my first litter in 2003 and my fifth will be born this year.
> 
> Wanted to add after reading more of the posts: I have an idea about where I want to go with Deja (later next year), but too early to have decided on the specific male.





dawnandjr said:


> I understand what your question is now. In fact, a puppy from this litter that Yoko just had, is going back to Yoko's breeder. When we were searching for males, the most important aspect was, how will these bloodlines play out 3, 4, 5 generations down the line in her breeding program. What lines are in her program now, and which male has lines to complement those.


 

thanks guys. that helps my understanding a great deal. I know breeders put a great deal of thought into their breedings but didnt know/understand what they considered. thanks for the info!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I'm not a breeder but know some who plan before their next pup is even born. Like, they have a dog they want to breed to certain lines, hold back a puppy, and breed that puppy to certain pre-determined lines. But these are cases of breeders breeding a dog that THEY want for training or breeding, not necessarily breeding to satisfy demand from puppy buyers.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Liesje said:


> I'm not a breeder but know some who plan before their next pup is even born. Like, they have a dog they want to breed to certain lines, hold back a puppy, and breed that puppy to certain pre-determined lines. But these are cases of breeders breeding a dog that THEY want for training or breeding, not necessarily breeding to satisfy demand from puppy buyers.


 
see and thats a LOT of planning ahead. Thats similar to a 10 year plan. This stuff is stuff i find interesting.


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