# Breeding my GSD



## CarolG (12 mo ago)

I have a one year old GSD male intact. I would like to breed him. I’m getting a 14 month female GSD. My concern is, how do I keep them separated effectively when she comes into heat until she is old enough to mate?


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Oh, here we go..,


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)




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## peachygeorgia (Oct 5, 2021)

Just because your dog is intact does not mean they need to be bred.


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## CarolG (12 mo ago)

I appreciate y’all taking your time to give your input. However, none of these replies answers my question.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

CarolG said:


> I appreciate y’all taking your time to give your input. However, none of these replies answers my question.


you separate the dogs by simply, separating them. securely. for a month.

…to be fair, your question is how to keep two intact dogs separated, however the subject line is entitled breeding and the thread is also posted in the breeding section. i would expect responses related to your stated breeding plans.


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## CarolG (12 mo ago)

To be fair, keeping the dogs separated until a mature or appropriate time to mate is part of the breeding process.I would not want a pup to become pregnant until she is physically and mentally ready. I understand that breathing can be a very touchy subject for certain people. However, it would be great if people use this media as a source to communicate what the actual question is and not give their two sense about why or why not a dog should be bred. I am certain that there are breeders that could provide some tips on how they maintain the dogs separated.


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## Verachi (Mar 22, 2021)

Well, yes breeders do often provide tips.. to the person they are mentoring. Anyone who is at the stage of having two dogs they want to breed should have long since developed a good relationship with a breeding mentor… These aren’t questions you should have by the time you are ready to breed, hence the concerned replies.


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## SMcN (Feb 12, 2021)

IMHO, the fact that you even asked this question shows you are not informed enough to be a breeder. Sorry, but just sayin'.


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## TayStrike (12 mo ago)

You would need to kennel them separately (or kennel one with the other secure indoors) while the bitch is in season. 
There is a spray you can buy that helps mask the scent of an in-season bitch but I don’t know how effective it is (and certainly not enough to rely on it). The two obviously cannot be exercised or trained together etc.
At one year old your male is far too young to be used at stud. He requires health testing (hip/elbow scoring, haemophilia testing and testing for DM gene as a minimum) and his temperament needs to be tested either through a working test, or under a show judge (if he’s show line). You need to ask yourself some important questions as to why you want to breed. What does this particular dog bring to the gene pool through particular traits or abilities? Do you have puppy buyers lined up already?
You say you are buying a bitch in? 14 months is also too young to breed from. Have you researched the lines to ensure they’re compatible? Does she have all health testing in place? Is she of exemplary temperament? Does she have working or show titles?
Are you prepared for large vet bills if things go wrong, or worse still to lose your bitch during whelping and then to potentially hand rear all the pups (and GSDs can have large litters).

Before asking novice questions about keeping dogs separated there are much much bigger questions to ask yourself.

I don’t mean to be harsh but there are thousands of unwanted GSDs in rescue or destroyed each year because there just aren’t the homes for them.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

You physically seperate them. They are not to be in the same room. If one is loose the other is secured in a crate or a room or an outside kennel (ONLY THE MALE SHOULD BE LEFT OUT IN AN OUTSIDE KENNEL). It's really that simple. For a month at least. You can figure two weeks going into heat when your male starts to bother her, two weeks while she is IN heat, and two weeks coming out. You can expect your male to scream and whine...literally...for at least two days while she's in heat. It's a PIA.

As far as your breeding plans, I will just urge you to find a mentor. There are enough people throwing two dogs together without any thoughts to their traits or producing the best dogs.

Breeders rarely own a breeding pair. The breeder to one of my dogs is driving half way across the country next week to breed one of her females. You need to prove your dogs are breedworthy. That comes in the training and titling of the dogs. 

German Shepherds, regardless of show or work, should have a minimum of an IPG1 and a conformation rating. I don't show under AKC. I trial and show under USCA with SV rules. So get a mentor and figure out how you are going to prove these dogs have the temperament and drives and nerve that this breed requires.


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## Lexie’s mom (Oct 27, 2019)

During a short period of time when there was an intact male here, I was boarding him for about 2 weeks at least at the boarding kennel close by. Pretty expensive but saved us some nerves in a meanwhile and 100% proof!


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## MeishasMom (Nov 12, 2021)

CarolG said:


> I have a one year old GSD male intact. I would like to breed him. I’m getting a 14 month female GSD. My concern is, how do I keep them separated effectively when she comes into heat until she is old enough to mate?


One of the dogs would need to be kenneled/crated/put in a separate room which ever you decide to do while the female is in heat. They would also need to be supervised 24/7 while she is in heat. It only takes a few minutes for the deed to be done. You need to understand that intact animals will always have the drive to mate and regardless of what type of animal it is if there is a slight chance that a male can get with a female they will.
I have seen stallions breed mares through a fence, bulls plow through 4 strands of barbwire fence to get with heifers, etc. so having animals intact in the same house is going to take a ton of work to make sure there are no unwanted breeding's.

As for breeding your male with a female you get, personally I wouldn't do it. There are so many unwanted animals as it is and so many of them are treated like crap. Why would you want to breed him? Just to say you did or are you looking to be come a breeder?


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## Pytheis (Sep 23, 2016)

I personally think it would be easiest to have the male stay elsewhere for the duration of the bitch’s heat. I know a reputable corgi breeder that just had an oops litter born because she thought that the male in a crate, a baby gate up, and an x-pen would keep the dogs separated while she was at work. It didn’t. The litter was extremely hard on the bitch, she had them over a week early, and two have already died not even a week later.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

To the OP, are you prepared to take back any of the pups when their home doesn't work out? I know this probably falls on deaf ears, but I am going to try : I raised a litter for the shelter. Pups were born in my home, I raised the litter in a way that I wanted pups to be raised. My life was on hold for ten weeks. This included the last part of the pregnancy. She had ten pups and they all made it due to me managing the litter in shifts so they all got their share of milk. Then the mess....it was horrendous. "Luckily" the shelter wouldn't leave me in charge of the adoption procedures because I would turned away half of the owners who got them. After they all left (except for the one I kept) I wished there was a Holiday to honor dog breeders and I knew I could never do it again; not because of the work but because I couldn't guarantee a good home for every pup. I know you will do what you want to do but at least I tried. Enjoy your dogs.


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## Lexie’s mom (Oct 27, 2019)

wolfy dog said:


> To the OP, are you prepared to take back any of the pups when their home doesn't work out? I know this probably falls on deaf ears, but I am going to try : I raised a litter for the shelter. Pups were born in my home, I raised the litter in a way that I wanted pups to be raised. My life was on hold for ten months. This included the last part of the pregnancy. She had ten pups and they all made it due to me managing the litter in shifts so they all got their share of milk. Then the mess....it was horrendous. "Luckily" the shelter wouldn't leave me in charge of the adoption procedures because I would turned away half of the owners who got them. After they all left (except for the one I kept) I wished there was Holiday to honor dog breeders and I knew I could never do it again; not because of the work but because I couldn't guarantee a good home for every pup. I know you will do what you want to do but at least I tried. Enjoy your dogs.


Did you mean 10 weeks?


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## Lexie’s mom (Oct 27, 2019)

I got a dog transported to CT from WV kill shelter who was very pregnant and surrendered by her owners because they were expecting a c section. She was an 11 m.o Shar Pei/Beagle mix and the father of the litter was a lab. She delivered 8 healthy pups shortly without any assistance and they were all adopted at 8 weeks by prescreened families ( through my rescue) and the mom was spayed and adopted shortly after-so all in all it was just a bit short of 3 months of constant care of the pups that were full of worms initially other than that they got great forever homes.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Lexie’s mom said:


> Did you mean 10 weeks?


Thanks for catching this. Will edit.


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## Pawsed (May 24, 2014)

To the OP, could you at least share why you want to breed these 2 specific dogs?


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## Buckelke (Sep 4, 2019)

Not knowing you I cannot judge but I would like to remind you that each pup is a life, one that is just as important as any other life and - because of the responsibility you are taking on - YOU will be responsible for these little lives. You need to do a lot of soul searching to figure out whether you have what it takes to add to the unwanted dog population. Those of us who adopt from shelters cannot give them all homes. There are just too many.


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