# My 3 year breeding plan



## AddieCrow (Jul 9, 2018)

So for those who know me from here you will know that 2 weeks ago I brought Ragnar home. Ragnar is "my" first purebred, i had a jack Russell and a rottie growing up as pets. I have always said that I want to breed one of my dogs (I normally only have males) so I could have one of there kids so I would still have a part of the father when they pass, but in harsh honesty, i wouldn't breed any of my dogs (besides Ragnar) because even tho i love my kids...there just special haha. I have 6 dogs, 5 mutts and 1 pure, and Dexter, who is half shepherd half Pitt, has the looks and smartness I love but hes got a few ticks I wouldn't want passed on. Not to mention I used to work at the local humain society, that's actually where I met my husband, and there are to many homeless mutts. Now I put it that way because rarely did we even get a pure dog and if we did the owner came right away or it was adopted out asap. Anyway my point is, with purebred dogs, there is a lot more money going into it which also means when someone gets a pup they cling to it for dear life and dont tend to give up as quick.

So with that ramble out of the way, I have been talking with the breeder I got Ragnar from every few days, giving updates and checking on her one dog that's due any day now, and we got talking about breeding, and to my shock she brought up and actually gave her blessings on me breeding Ragnar. This came to a huge shock because we only met when I picked Ragnar out, and shes just as protective of her animals as I am and that seemed like a big show of trust for her to say that.
So as we talked she mentioned that the next litter is due any day now and the father is a male my husband wanted, so when she said that I asked about getting a female and she said yes! 

I have looked at both pups pedigrees, seen all of the parents, know what a lot of the offspring do and how they are so I already know I'll have two very solid well breed dogs.
Once Gracie has her litter the breeder will help pick out the best female with me and I'll bring her home when it's time (visiting every now and then before hand). By that time Ragnar should have a rather solid foundation in his training and I'll have more landshark exsperiance under my belt haha.

But anyway, I titled this my 3 year plan because that's about how long it will take for me to even attempt breeding the two. I already knew before hand that she needs to be developed enough and healthy to do this, so know I'm not just jumping the gun. I also have 1 (had 2 but rehomed her) in fact female and 1...(well 2 but Ragnar dosnt know whats going on yet lol) intact males right now for going on 2 years Nd have no had any accident litters and my husband never had either before we got together with his own dogs, so I know well enough to keep tract of my animals and all that fun stuff.

The other good thing about waiting this long is I'll be able to set aside a doggie nest egg. I plan to get both registered, both hip/elbow tested and set aside emergency money, so I'm actually thankful for this wait.

Now is the fun part of thinking of a female puppy name, a kennel name and prepping for another puppy! I must be nuts haha. 
As for puppy names, if I stick with the vikings theam then Astrid will be her name, if I dont then I'm thinking either Thea (green arrow), Sookie (true blood) Genna (sons of anarchy) or Ziva (ncis)
And for kennel name I think I'm gunna go with, Von Addies Zorn (of Addies wrath). The breeder had that idea because originally I was gunna have Ragnar be, Wrath of Ragnarok, but I like the von/vom names and it also shows pride and ownership.

Ok I'll stop rambling right now, hopefully whoever reads this is pleased to know I'm not going in blind and all advice is welcome


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

slow down 

don't put the cart before the horse --

instead of thinking of puppy and kennel names --- get to KNOW the BREED .

so far , how are you positioned there? 

did you or could you post pedigrees?

you love the dogs and that is very important - but that love can cloud judgement .
an outside expert evaluation can be quite the shock , a bucket of ice cold water.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

going back to the thread title -- three year breeding plan -- well it really is not .

you plan to breed in about 3 years time with dogs selected as pups , needing to mature .

it is a plan for a litter . A breeding plan goes beyond that . What are you rying to establish.
Why are the animlas that you are using instrumental to meeting those goals.

Do you have a GOOD mentor . 

have a look at https://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/breeding-general/163886-iceberg-breeders.html

invest time and have a look at reading material - Linda Shaw's The Illustrated Standard for the
German Shepherd Dog , first or second edition,
Sue Barwig's , Fred Lanting, Malcolm Willis , Elliots , = authors that will inform you from an
authoritative stance - not dog-park- exchanged information 

get out and train . You don't have to title seek but you have to know the dog (s) thoroughly and training
goes a long way towards that .

three years won't be enough time ---


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## Beau's Mom (Nov 9, 2017)

On my phone, if I click on it, the link is just coming back to the Active Topics page. Cut and paste does the same thing. If you have the same problem, search for Iceberg Breeders on the forum and look for the post of that title by cliffson1.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

You would be better off focusing on training your dog. Learn the traits you like, the ones you can live with and the ones you decide are absolutely not breed worthy. Don't have a plan based on years. Have a goal based on breed worthiness.


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

Here is the pedigree of Ragnar @carmspack

A mix of working line and showline. 

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/breeding.result?father=1883997&mother=1884014


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

There's a great big world of opportunities out there for training Ragnar and learning about what he has "under the hood", in a manner of speaking.

Are there any canine activities in particular that interest you? With him so young, this is a good time to start foundation work for all kinds of different endeavors.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I fixed the link in Carmen's post.


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## Pytheis (Sep 23, 2016)

It sounds like, compared to most other posters who post here wanting to breed, you are actually thinking about this, so good job on that. I like that you are getting the help of your breeder. That is another good step forward. That said, I agree with the others in that you really can't tell if the two puppies will be breed-worthy until they are adults, and it will require a lot of training. Unfortunately being purebred is not a good enough reason to breed. 

You should get into obedience, agility, dock diving, nose work, tracking, etc. with your two puppies, then go from there. You should go watch conformation dog shows, IPO trials, agility trials, etc. Get around the breed as much as you possibly can and constantly ask questions. Breeding is something that should be taken very seriously and slowly.

If you really want to get into breeding, I am in no way discouraging you. You sound like you could do it well. It just takes tons of work to be able to do it responsibly. I hope you are aware that you will not be making money off of the puppies. Have you ever been there during a dog's pregnancy and whelp? I think it would be highly beneficial that you be there when the breeder's bitch gives birth. Stick around for the entire thing, not just seeing the cute fuzzballs at the end. You could and should volunteer for the breeder after the puppies are born, taking temperatures, cleaning the whelping box, helping the mother, basically anything that needs doing for new puppies. It is mass amounts of work, and I'm sure she would appreciate your help. It would give you a good idea of what to expect.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

thanks Lisa - 
Iceberg breeders, is an excellent thread , and being a thread allows the reader to be interactive , ask 
questions, benefit from the collectiven hundreds of years experience of forum members.

. good conformation folder - https://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/175652-good-conformation-folder.html 
are good places to start


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## Aly (May 26, 2011)

I pretty much agree with everything others have said, but wanted to ask a few questions. If the potential female is from the same breeder as Ragnar, _how closely related are these pups_? That's potentially a huge issue IMO. If they are related, how familiar are you with principles of and issues related to in and linebreeding? How comfortable are you with those issues, philosophically and otherwise? How much do you know about the health, temperament and performances behind them?

I'm not nor ever aspired to be a breeder, but I've been very fortunate to know/have known a few outstanding examples. I fully agree with Carmen. Breeding isn't a '3 year plan.' Done right and responsibly, it's a multi-generational, _lifetime_ plan. 

My advice (free and worth every penny) is to find a reputable breeder whose dogs, knowledge, experience and ethics you admire, and try to establish a mentoring relationship with her/him. That will take time (3 years is a drop in the bucket to what you can learn), but will give you a solid foundation from which to proceed. 

Aly


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Ragnar is just a baby dog. Rome was not built in 3 years. You have plenty of time to train Ragnar so you know his temperment and biddability, health and breed worthiness. You could and should get him titled in something. Theres no hurry, he is a male dog and can make puppies for his entire life. You can learn from the breeder and get experience in canine pregnancy and birth. I admire your desire to work to improve the breed, this is a lifelong commitment.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

Ragnar is a cute pup.
I hope he has a long and happy life , appreciated for what he is .

Breeding does not have to be part of that picture.

Are you sure that the breeder is able to be a good mentor???

I'm not sure . 


Before you start buying potential mates --- slow down -- learn a thing or two.

by your own admission this is your first "gsd" . and you are completely new to pedigrees.
here is that thread https://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/bloodlines-pedigrees/748699-new-pedigrees.html 

go back and visit that thread and consider some of the reactions . Those are people with a little experience .

Litter from Brutus Vom Mia Mie Sorelle and Pippa Vom Mia Mie Sorelle 

that is your pups pedigree . As a breeding animal I don't see the plan or goal -- it is a real mish mash , nothng you can hang your hat on --- The maternal line just falls apart . 

what you need to do in the next 3 years is to put all those names on the pedigree on a piece of paper - slips with the individual names , place in a hat or box , and draw one out every so often.

then make it your mission to learn absolutely every thing that you can about that dog . 
The forum is a good source . 

I do have an issue with the pedigree . The appropriation of a German kennel name Widsteiger Land
Rusty Von Der Wildsteigerland male. Believe me the genuine owner of this name would not ever have 
used American bred lines . 

if you get a female from the same breeder what are you getting ? More of the same.

if you want to be serious about breeding , and only people that are serious should take on that responsibility thaen
you have to know your way around the basics of a pedigree 

I believe you said you have worked or volunteered at a humane society ? Then you know what happens .

I think you would be breeding pets - and even if they were good you would have a hard time getting someone who will do something with the dog -- trial , show, train .

he is pretty cute though


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