# Finding a Female to Breed With



## eralune

Hi guys, so my family recently lost one of our two German Shepherds. Her passing has been very hard on us, and so we are wanting to breed our other German Shepherd who is a male in order to have a puppy from him. We are wanting to breed him without a stud fee but having first pick of the litter instead. However, I do not know where to start in finding a female for him.

He is healthy and sweet-tempered; I will have more specific testing done on him if I am able to find a prospective female but otherwise he's just a good looking, healthy, and sweet GSD. 

Note: Please do not post to advise me to buy a new puppy or not to breed. Although I have never bred dogs, I have been around horse breeding my whole life and am familiar with general dangers/ramifications and procedures. Thanks.

Thank you all for your help and insight!


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## holland

If I owned a nice female of breeding age I would not breed her to an untitled male-I would be more than willing to pay a stud fee-sorry not the answer you wanted


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## konathegsd

Is your male registered with the akc?


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## sebrench

I'm sorry you lost your female. I'm sure she was a very special dog, and I imagine that you are still grieving. I'm sure that your male is a very special and worthy pet as well. I'm glad you're going to get his health clearances--hips/elbows should be cleared at a minimum before you think about breeding. I doubt you will find much support for breeding on this forum unless you work or title your dogs in something. As a puppy-buyer, that is one of the things I look for in breeders. I'm sorry to be discouraging, but there are lots of sweet and good-looking GSDs (sweet, is not really in the breed description for GSDs, actually). I think you should have a deeper reason for breeding than that. I do wish you and your puppies the best should you go forward with a breeding. Make sure any female you choose has her health clearances and a good temperament (not overly shy or fear-aggressive, ect). If your dog is not working or showing, you can probably only breed him with another pet, which might put you in the realm of backyard breeder--not something that is generally encouraged. Again, I am very sorry that you lost your girl. I know how hard that is, but I think there are better ways to cherish the memory of beloved pets.


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## kimbale

Very sorry to hear about the loss of your girl. That's always tough and it's almost impossible to find another dog quite like the one you loved. But that's one of the reasons dogs are so great, because every one is a bit different and has their own unique characteristics.

My recommendation is to not breed your male and instead go out and find a puppy from a quality breeder who health tests, trains and titles/works their dogs. I'm currently raising a potential stud dog and the competition out there is high! He's 9 months old and just got his first conformation title this weekend, and man are there some nice dogs out there! By the time he's ready to breed, I plan to have a respectable conformation title on him, breed survey done, Detection Dog title, hips and elbows tested, and an IPO title on him. My primary goal with him is to get an FH1 on him. Even with all of that, the competition among breeding males is very high. There are a lot of quality stud dogs out there that pull in a lot of money and respect and people with quality females are happy to pay the stud fees to breed to those males.

If your boy isn't health tested, registered and titled, you simply are not going to find a quality female to breed him to. 

Enjoy your boy and search for a top puppy from a reputable breeder.


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## WateryTart

eralune said:


> Hi guys, so my family recently lost one of our two German Shepherds. Her passing has been very hard on us, and so we are wanting to breed our other German Shepherd who is a male in order to have a puppy from him. We are wanting to breed him without a stud fee but having first pick of the litter instead. However, I do not know where to start in finding a female for him.
> 
> He is healthy and sweet-tempered; I will have more specific testing done on him if I am able to find a prospective female but otherwise he's just a good looking, healthy, and sweet GSD.
> 
> Note: Please do not post to advise me to buy a new puppy or not to breed. Although I have never bred dogs, I have been around horse breeding my whole life and am familiar with general dangers/ramifications and procedures. Thanks.
> 
> Thank you all for your help and insight!


I won't tell you not to breed, but I will tell you I wouldn't touch that litter with a ten foot pole unless your male has been titled (show or performance, depending on line type, and breed survey if working line). Sorry.


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## mycobraracr

One thing to keep in mind, is stud fees are on average $1,000. Puppies sell for $1,500+. So by the female owner giving you a puppy instead of stud fee, they are losing money.


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## thegooseman90

eralune said:


> *He is healthy and sweet-tempered*
> 
> Well at least he has that going for him, but what makes him truly exceptional? Lots of healthy good looking dogs out there are junk as far as genetics go. Maybe post a pedigree and let's see what he's got behind that sweet attitude and good looking exterior
> 
> *otherwise he's just a good looking, healthy, and sweet GSD*
> 
> Again, who is going to offer up a high quality bitch and give you pick of the litter for an unknown quality male just because he's healthy and good looking - both of which are mostly meaningless and very subjective.
> 
> Note: Please do not post to advise me to buy a new puppy or not to breed. *I have never bred dogs*
> 
> Like or not I'll tell you, as will most others, don't breed the dog. Instead buy a puppy from a reputable breeder who knows what they're doing. Here's the truth of it, anyone willing to offer their bitch to this male you doesn't have a quality bitch and chances are you're just making more junk for the shelters to try and deal with.


Others have said they wouldn't touch this litter from a male without testing and titles. Even if he had titles I wouldn't touch them because they're coming from an inexperienced breeder with zero experience and what sounds like no mentor.


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## konathegsd

They won’t sell for 1500 if they are non akc registered....maybe 300-500


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## Sabis mom

I could introduce you to my dog, who's parents were sweet and nice looking.
Of a litter of 11 she is the only one that made it. 
She has cost me thousands, I have cried myself to sleep countless times and she cannot ever be away from me for more then the day. Who wants a dog that cannot remember anything for more then a few minutes, is afraid of the world and bites when she's afraid?
So you will take one pup, what happens to the rest?


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## Dainerra

you aren't going to find a female and THEN health test. You are going to need to do the health tests before the owner of a quality female will even consider your male. The pound is full of nice friendly dogs and rescues are over-flowing.
Puppy instead of stud fee isn't likely to attract a quality female either. They may take the amount of the stud fee off of the price they charge for a puppy and then you pay the difference. 
You will also need to find a female that has all of the necessary tests.


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## Jax08

If you've been around horse breeding then you must know that your male has to have something to offer the genetic pairing. So, what does your dog offer my pretty, well mannered, female?? You are basically asking us to condone your backyard breeding that seems to have zero thought to genetic pairing. 

You are going to do whatever you will. Just something for you to think about.


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## cdwoodcox

** Post removed by ADMIN. Let's keep the sarcasm to ourselves. It serves no educational purpose and serves only to ridicule the OP. You also know better. **


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## GSDguy4EVER

eralune said:


> Hi guys, so my family recently lost one of our two German Shepherds. Her passing has been very hard on us, and so we are wanting to breed our other German Shepherd who is a male in order to have a puppy from him. We are wanting to breed him without a stud fee but having first pick of the litter instead. However, I do not know where to start in finding a female for him.
> 
> He is healthy and sweet-tempered; I will have more specific testing done on him if I am able to find a prospective female but otherwise he's just a good looking, healthy, and sweet GSD.
> 
> Note: Please do not post to advise me to buy a new puppy or not to breed. Although I have never bred dogs, I have been around horse breeding my whole life and am familiar with general dangers/ramifications and procedures. Thanks.
> 
> Thank you all for your help and insight!


Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and as you can tell, many on this forum have strong opinions against breeding if it is perceived to be substandard. I don't know your whole story so, I like to keep an open mind and not make assumptions or prejudgements. I will say this. You will find it difficult to find a dog owner willing to lease their quality female to you for breeding to your male, unless he is a proven stud dog with working or show titles. If you are adamant about finding a female, you may want to look at Pedigree Database. They have a very active classified section. However, you must be careful as there are alot of scams in the dog business. So, make sure you do your due diligence.


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## wolfstraum

I am sorry for your loss....I recently lost a very very beloved female and I understand your grief.....

Breeding choices are driven by the owners of the female - owners of mares peruse stallion ads for months or even years trying to find that ideal mate that will give them their dream foal.....owners of female dogs are no different. While you want one pup for your self (and a puppy is a very very expensive stud fee!!!), the owner of the female has a whole litter to place responsibly.....buyers of pups likewise peruse pages and websites looking for the best possible pup for their needs - and unfortunately most buyers become fixed on a stud dog that they want a pup from, not a female.....so the owners of the females are going to look for that male to help sell their pups.

Finding a female whose owner will use your male is a difficult task.....he is only half the equation, you want a puppy, you want a puppy from a good healthy female with solid temperament and good health....people with females want the same in the males, and many look at the male to help sell the pups thus wanting a marketable sire for their litter. If your male is not credentialed and health tested, owners of a quality female are going to look further....

As I said, I lost my beloved female 2 weeks ago - I own her daughter, her son, and 2 grandkids....but they are not her....they do not replace her....so a pup from your dog may not be the answer to your grief


Lee


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## Dainerra

since you breed horses, I'm sure that you know many many people who have a mare and decide to have a foal. then another and then another. Not horses that they can necessarily sell because they are just more grade horses with no actual goal in mind for the breeding, pasture ornaments we call them. Now imagine that each time the mare got pregnant she had 6, 7 or 12 foals. That is dog breeding = horse breeding in a nutshell.


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## lokivitchku

I just came across your post and wondered how you made out. You have a lot of courage trying to buck the industry and surely anticipated that you would endure a lot of discouraging feedback from professional breeders who don't want their business model bypassed. The truth is, that if you are paying close attention, are willing to educate yourself and make a thorough examination of both the male and female prospective parents you should be able to learn what is necessary to breed a pair of dogs responsibly and achieve good results. What "good results" means is your prerogative to decide. But creating animals that have long, healthy lives and enrich the lives of their human companions might be a valid start. The dangers of thoughtless or greedy breeding are real, but that does not mean you can't find your way through them if you are willing to do your homework. I am a builder, but some of the best built houses I have ever seen were constructed by dedicated amateur homeowners who took their time and did it right. With your understanding of horses you should be able to grasp the central issues of dog health and make informed decisions about temperament if you don't rush it and approach the task with a strong sense of conscience. Good luck and please share what you have learned. There are others like you out there in the world.


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## Zigzica

eralune said:


> Hi guys, so my family recently lost one of our two German Shepherds. Her passing has been very hard on us, and so we are wanting to breed our other German Shepherd who is a male in order to have a puppy from him. We are wanting to breed him without a stud fee but having first pick of the litter instead. However, I do not know where to start in finding a female for him.
> 
> He is healthy and sweet-tempered; I will have more specific testing done on him if I am able to find a prospective female but otherwise he's just a good looking, healthy, and sweet GSD.
> 
> Note: Please do not post to advise me to buy a new puppy or not to breed. Although I have never bred dogs, I have been around horse breeding my whole life and am familiar with general dangers/ramifications and procedures. Thanks.
> 
> Thank you all for your help and insight!


Hi, I hope you have found a female and the litter was successful. Are you interested in some more breeding?


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