Start Breeding?

[neilomc05]

i was thinking of starting to breed my boxer. i currently have a male and was thinking of buying a female. is it costly to breed boxers? vetinary bills ect? can anyone give me general info on the breedy process?

[AusCatDogs_4Ever]

I'd suggest you take a good look in the breeding forum... Read the stickies, especially.

[planet molosser]

If your boxer was sold as breeding potential .
Im sure your breeder would love to mentor you...... KNowing your line so well.
She or he can help you find a suitable female line as well.

If you want to start showing try UKC they are great for novices since they dont allow professional handlers.

Dont buy the female until you have done all your homework and get networked. SO by the time you work on her you will be half set.
Females clock ticks the min you get her . Kinde like My cousin Vinny.
You got to use it or lose it with a uterus.

Best of luck.

PS it is costly to breed any dog, the health testing BEFORE, the showing or working BEFORE, the testing BEFORE, the supplies BEFORE, the advertising BEFORE you breed all cost tons. Then add on the possible 911 breeding issues, vaccines, extra food and more more supplies.

I have spent over $250,000 to get started.. HALF of which is a huge farm to breed work and take back all my dogs I breed if need be.

[rabbitsarebetter]

i agree with Molosser

i am a firm beliver that you shouldnt breed your dog unless its a finished champion, among other things

[neilomc05]

thanks for that...yeh i'm just looking some general info from people that have experience in this. i wouldnt breed dogs without a wealth of knowledge in breeding. hopefully over the coming months i'l gather knowledge from articles on here on on the web and maybe see where that leads.

If your boxer was sold as breeding potential .
Im sure your breeder would love to mentor you...... KNowing your line so well.
She or he can help you find a suitable female line as well.

If you want to start showing try UKC they are great for novices since they dont allow professional handlers.

Dont buy the female until you have done all your homework and get networked. SO by the time you work on her you will be half set.
Females clock ticks the min you get her . Kinde like My cousin Vinny.
You got to use it or lose it with a uterus.

Best of luck.

PS it is costly to breed any dog, the health testing BEFORE, the showing or working BEFORE, the testing BEFORE, the supplies BEFORE, the advertising BEFORE you breed all cost tons. Then add on the possible 911 breeding issues, vaccines, extra food and more more supplies.

I have spent over $250,000 to get started.. HALF of which is a huge farm to breed work and take back all my dogs I breed if need be.

[showpug]

I think it's great you are asking questions before you breed and are looking to gain knowledge.

Breeding dogs is a huge responsibility and should be taken very seriously. It can be very costly and sometimes end in tragedy for the dogs involoved.

It also deserves mentioning that many dogs die in shelters each and everyday. When a new litter is produced, those new pups potentially take away from dogs in need of a home.

Some questions worth asking yourself are:

1.)Why do you want to breed your dog? If making money is part of the equation then I would suggest finding another avenue. To breed my bitch this summer I have estimated the cost to be about $3000.

2.)Has your dog had it's breed specific health screens done? i.e. CERF, OFA etc.

3.)How well does your dog conform to it's written standard for the breed?

4.)Has your dog won any awards in performance, working or conformation? Why is your dog worthy of being bred? How will it's litter better the world of Boxers?

5.)Do you have enough money set aside to pay for a c-section? This usually costs anywhere from $700-$1500 depending on how many pups, complications etc.

6.)What if your dam refuses to care for her pups? Are you available every 2 hours to bottle or tube feed? Can you take this leave of absence from work for at least 5 weeks?

7.) Are you familiar with at what age a bitch can be bred and how often?

Keep in mind, most reputable responsible breeders don't own the stud dog and the bitch. They usually own a bitch and seek out the best possible stud dog. One that compliments their bitch where she is weak. A strong stud that improves on each generation. It is impossible to buy a puppy and know if it will compliment it's potential mate down the road.

I suggest you find a mentor to help you. If you truly want to breed then you must start out with the very best of the best. These dogs generally come from well known reputable breeders that have a history of producing champions.

There is a lot of good information worth reading in the breeding section of this board.

Good luck. :)

[squirtsmom]

kWell said.

[Zoom]

Great answers everyone!!

[chinchow]

Everyone has given great answers and I dont see much I could add, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU for seeking the knowledge BEFOREHAND. So many, too many people go ahead and breed and then ask questions, and all too often it ends in tragedy.
Good luck in your search for answers. There are very knowledgeable people here who would be willing to answer you.

[bubbatd]

Glad you checked in !!! Good luck to you !! Will see you down the road 3 yrs from now and at least $1500 poorer , but much wiser !

[RedyreRottweilers]

One thing that any person considering breeding should keep in mind is that each and every breeding carries with it the real risk of the death of the bitch and/or the puppies.

For this reason alone, any breeding should have a real purpose, be carefully researched, and the breeder should be prepared for ANY outcome.

[planet molosser]

I agree Red.
But even being prepared money wise and with knowledge.
Seeing your dog on the operating table just scares the living hell out of you.
First time my husband said play with her pups.
Truth is I said NO if she dies take the pups to that breeder who has a litter and let her raise them. I could not go on IF i lost her.

Thank god we did NOT but it was horrible. I paced and cried for the 20 min operation I was like a caged cat.

I got the Vet Staff a Bottle of Moet and jumped with Joy and hugged the Vet.

They said back then I did NOT have the mind set to be a breeder.
Since I was too attached to my dogs- what ever that means.

In the mean time the day I stop worrying I stop breeding.

This is FF Tanky Wanky a rebound from that same litter ..
Cant imagine life without him. So in the long run it was worth it .
Just didnt feel like it when his MOM alive and well today at age 10 was at risk.

PS she pulled the same thing on her 2nd litter and I had ENOUGH
Said to the Vet SPAY her. She said but her uterus is healthy.
I said Healthy? but she retains pups DONT THINK spay her NOW.
We never got a female from Tasha . Oh well her life is worth more to me than a puppy/line/female.

http://centralasianshepherd.homestead.com/centralasianshepherdfoxfiretank071.jpg

[Tankstar]

As with any breeding it costs alot of money. with health testings, breeding matierials (things you will need), dog food (for mom and puppies) all puppy shots ect. not to mention you are risking the life of mom and puppies. C-sections cost alot (talking thousands of dollers) You need to reaserch your dogs back ground (both of them) talk to your breeder ect. If you got a female now, you will have to wait roughly 2 years to breed. By then you will be knowledgable I'm sure. But the real quastion first would be why do you want to breed?

[stevinski]

i'd be extremely cautious! look up mach1girl to here some stories about how things can go wrong

[Bahamutt99]

I can share some stories as well, if you'd like to hear them. They aren't pleasant, but they do illustrate the downfalls of breeding if you aren't fully dedicated to it.

[Mach1girl]

i'd be extremely cautious! look up mach1girl to here some stories about how things can go wrong


Lol, no really, LOL! Why, I think I have reached "poster girl" and somehow am always elected to give advice on breeding/about breeding!

This is ok though, because I DONT RECOMMEND IT!

ANYTHING can, and most likely will go wrong, especially if you are new at breeding. Something is going to go unexpected, something will, and no matter how prepared you are, sometimes you just cannot help it, and in the end, you wish with all your heart you could just take back what has happened, then you wouldn't have caused such a mess!

I had a litter of pups,(a big thanks goes out to all the chaz members who assisted me through the whelping process***Kudos***) These guys must have sat up all night online helping me. Seriously, it was dramatic, maybe you can look it up!

For a start, Dixie started having her pups in the middle of the night, her x ray said she had 5, and I fell aslepp next to her on the floor after the 5th one came, sometime towards morning. When I awoke, there were 8!

Second, the mess, everywhere. Her maiden litter, she was rough, and a constant eye had to be kept on her for fear of licking the pups literally to death, laying on them, squishing them, smothering them, breaking them, moving them, her bleeding, etc.

Third the trip to the vet-Dixie up in arms because her babies are in a basket being handled by a strange vet, her bleeding discharge in the car, on the floor, skinny, nasty looking, then, the risk that you pick up something to bring into your home to contaminate your puppies with-SUCH as DISTEMPER!

Fourth-One puppy dies due to asperating milk, fine before I went to take a shower, afterwards, he's dead, vet says he must have been laying wrong while nursing-------makes you cry, wonder if he suffered, like pnuemonia, poor thing!

Fifth~Daizy starts trembling, so bad she trembles across the floor. Her body twists constantly into un natural positions, she acts happy, but is clearly not right~ SHE has contracted distemper and trembles as every brain cell that controls her motor skills is destroyed...slowly. Put her down??Are you kidding? I am so attached, she is now almost 1 and still stumbling like a drunk,greedy of me? Maybe, but she is not in pain, thanks to THOUSANDS of DOLLARS in diagnosis over the past year!

sixth-The smell, the poo, the pee, Momma dont clean it up anymore. Cage needs mopped 10 times a day. Buying hundreds of dollars of newspaper to put down. meanwhile


Dixie looks like she is starving to DEATH because of her nursing. Which by the way, the pups teeth have broke thru at 3 weeks old and have to be fed mush, made in a blender off and on all day and night, by had.............

She is also bleeding alot on her nipples and is at risk for mastitus....

Should I really go on??? I can skip to the part when you hve to part with the pups....I parted with 4. But trust me, I wouldn't have if I had the room then that I do now. I still cry when I look at their baby pics, or celebrate milestones with them, or get emails. I kept 3, one with a disability from the Chorea, one with an overbite from hell and a giant one.

We train, that costs money. We go thru 50 lbs of dog food a week, Chocy trains for UKC sanctioned events, Daizy used to train for therapy dog, and will start again soon, and Cato, well, not the brightest crayon in the box, he is just there.

And our main"baby" whm we loved more then almost each other, Dixie, just doesnt get as much attention as she used to anymore.

She didnt ask for any of this....none of them did, yet they will pay somehow forever..






This should be a sticky....


Dont breed, at least dont do it until you have learned everything there is to know, problems, etc. All the good along with the bad....... And that takes time, even years. Are you prepared to keep all of them if necessary? Are you willing to change your entire life just for a few puppies? Are you prepared to take away from the main momma to give to others? Are you prepared??? really, are you?

Yeah, thought I was too.

[stevinski]

Hope you dont mind me using u as an example!!!!

oh i remember the night the puppies were born!, that was historical chaz night!

[~Tucker&Me~]

Phenominal post Mach!

Should be a sticky... *hint hint*

~Tucker

[Bahamutt99]

And of course, the breeder's responsibility doesn't stop with the weaning of the puppies. I think I read that 80% of dogs in this country are rehomed by the age of 2. Or was it dead by the age of 2. I don't remember, but it just goes to show you that only 1 in 5 is going to be lucky enough to find their forever home the first time out. We bred a total of 18 puppies. One kept her happy home past the age of 4.

[AnimalLoverCatRescuer]

Lol, no really, LOL! Why, I think I have reached "poster girl" and somehow am always elected to give advice on breeding/about breeding!

This is ok though, because I DONT RECOMMEND IT!

ANYTHING can, and most likely will go wrong, especially if you are new at breeding. Something is going to go unexpected, something will, and no matter how prepared you are, sometimes you just cannot help it, and in the end, you wish with all your heart you could just take back what has happened, then you wouldn't have caused such a mess!

I had a litter of pups,(a big thanks goes out to all the chaz members who assisted me through the whelping process***Kudos***) These guys must have sat up all night online helping me. Seriously, it was dramatic, maybe you can look it up!

For a start, Dixie started having her pups in the middle of the night, her x ray said she had 5, and I fell aslepp next to her on the floor after the 5th one came, sometime towards morning. When I awoke, there were 8!

Second, the mess, everywhere. Her maiden litter, she was rough, and a constant eye had to be kept on her for fear of licking the pups literally to death, laying on them, squishing them, smothering them, breaking them, moving them, her bleeding, etc.

Third the trip to the vet-Dixie up in arms because her babies are in a basket being handled by a strange vet, her bleeding discharge in the car, on the floor, skinny, nasty looking, then, the risk that you pick up something to bring into your home to contaminate your puppies with-SUCH as DISTEMPER!

Fourth-One puppy dies due to asperating milk, fine before I went to take a shower, afterwards, he's dead, vet says he must have been laying wrong while nursing-------makes you cry, wonder if he suffered, like pnuemonia, poor thing!

Fifth~Daizy starts trembling, so bad she trembles across the floor. Her body twists constantly into un natural positions, she acts happy, but is clearly not right~ SHE has contracted distemper and trembles as every brain cell that controls her motor skills is destroyed...slowly. Put her down??Are you kidding? I am so attached, she is now almost 1 and still stumbling like a drunk,greedy of me? Maybe, but she is not in pain, thanks to THOUSANDS of DOLLARS in diagnosis over the past year!

sixth-The smell, the poo, the pee, Momma dont clean it up anymore. Cage needs mopped 10 times a day. Buying hundreds of dollars of newspaper to put down. meanwhile


Dixie looks like she is starving to DEATH because of her nursing. Which by the way, the pups teeth have broke thru at 3 weeks old and have to be fed mush, made in a blender off and on all day and night, by had.............

She is also bleeding alot on her nipples and is at risk for mastitus....

Should I really go on??? I can skip to the part when you hve to part with the pups....I parted with 4. But trust me, I wouldn't have if I had the room then that I do now. I still cry when I look at their baby pics, or celebrate milestones with them, or get emails. I kept 3, one with a disability from the Chorea, one with an overbite from hell and a giant one.

We train, that costs money. We go thru 50 lbs of dog food a week, Chocy trains for UKC sanctioned events, Daizy used to train for therapy dog, and will start again soon, and Cato, well, not the brightest crayon in the box, he is just there.

And our main"baby" whm we loved more then almost each other, Dixie, just doesnt get as much attention as she used to anymore.

She didnt ask for any of this....none of them did, yet they will pay somehow forever..






This should be a sticky....


Dont breed, at least dont do it until you have learned everything there is to know, problems, etc. All the good along with the bad....... And that takes time, even years. Are you prepared to keep all of them if necessary? Are you willing to change your entire life just for a few puppies? Are you prepared to take away from the main momma to give to others? Are you prepared??? really, are you?

Yeah, thought I was too.

Well yep, you just made me never ever want to breed. Not that I have the kind of money to breed anyways, or even the desire when I work so hard rescuing animals who have no homes of their owns. It would defeat the purpose!

[Tankstar]

And of course, the breeder's responsibility doesn't stop with the weaning of the puppies. I think I read that 80% of dogs in this country are rehomed by the age of 2. Or was it dead by the age of 2. I don't remember, but it just goes to show you that only 1 in 5 is going to be lucky enough to find their forever home the first time out. We bred a total of 18 puppies. One kept her happy home past the age of 4.

Wow I never new such a high percentage there was with disowned dogs. I guess Blaze is one of the lucky 1 in 5 as he will never ever leave here no matter what he does (if he did bad things, which he dosnt he is perfect :p )

[tempura tantrum]

Dixie- I've gotta say that was a PHENOMENAL POST.

I think people get so caught up in the idea of having adorable puppies they leave absolutely NO thought to the idea that something might (and most likely WILL) go wrong. Posts like yours are absolutely invaluable because you provide a lone voice of reason, when mostly all people are hearing is "oooh puppies! cute!"

Even the most experienced breeders have stories that will drive you to tears. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, nature throws a curve ball at you. There are things that happen to people that there is NO WAY to prepare for. I know people who have shown and bred dogs for over 30 years, producing multiple champions, knowing their lines backward and forward, doing all the necessary genetic health testing, and yet they'll readily admit to the time they had a litter that a cleft palate puppy was born. Or the litter with the puppy that had it's internal organs developing on the OUTSIDE of its body. Or the litter with the puppy that had a limb that never fully developed.

Pat Trotter (arguably one of the most well-respected breeders of ANY breed in our nation), has some horror stories of ENTIRE litters of puppies being wiped out by a raging parvo epidemic in the late 80s. If you want to talk EXPENSIVE treatment with absolutely NO guarantee that it's going to work, try treating parvo in 8 week old pups.

Point is- SO many things can go wrong, EVEN when the breeding is done under the watchful eye of someone who TRULY knows what they're doing.

Anyone who decides to breed a dog must do so with the full knowledge that they risk the life of their bitch AND the puppies, (not to mention their bank accounts!!!). In other words, you should have a d@mn good reason for wanting to breed, and without a DOUBT if you're new at it, you should have a GOOD mentor who is willing to hold your hand every step of the way.

Thanks once again for a fantastic post Dixie. If that doesn't move people, I don't know what will.

And to the OP- I've got to add to those who have said kudos for asking questions FIRST! With that alone, you've distinguished yourself from the 99.9% of people who come on here that have ALREADY done it, or conversely, are completely set in their ways, and then get angry when we tell them the truth, instead of what they want to hear.

There's a wealth of information to be learned on this site- I highly reccommend reading some of the breeding stickies as well.

And might I suggest that you attend a local dog show just to have a chat with some Boxer breeders? You will learn more in 10 minutes with one of them than any of us can possibly tell you on this board. If you're serious about doing this, and doing it right, THOSE are the people you've got to get in contact with!

[MaryAndDobes]

Well yep, you just made me never ever want to breed. Not that I have the kind of money to breed anyways, or even the desire when I work so hard rescuing animals who have no homes of their owns. It would defeat the purpose!

I disagree with this! Not that I'm trying to talk you into breeding or anything like that -- I just think that people can breed responsibly. I breed the occasional litter, and I am active with breed rescue. I don't see breeding as defeating my purpose in rescue. Breeds have to be maintained if we expect to continue to have them around, and responsible breeding is the only way to do that.

Rescue dogs aren't right for every situation. People should have the choice of being able to buy from a good breeder if rescue doesn't fit their situation. Beyond that, some breeds are rare and may not be found in rescue situations. I don't think people should have to give up their dream of owning a particular breed IF it can't be found in rescue. Many rescue / shelter dogs are mutts with traits one may not be able to predict so well. If a person / family needs particular traits, they may be right to stick with a particular breed. They should go to a responsible breeder. I'm in love with a certain breed. A mutt, although very lovable, is not what I want. It's not wrong of me to want a specific breed known for its specific traits and to acquire it from a responsible breeder. If we try to stop responsible breeding, all there would be is dogs not resembling their breeds very well or mutts.

[Mach1girl]

I NEVER said to NEVER breed. Breeding, I consider, is a 100% gamble. No matter how responsible the breeding "seems" to be, you just never know,and because you never know, you have got to be prepared.

I did not have a "responsible" breeding, it was more like a "surprise-gift" breeding from a relative close to me. ANYWAY~ my dog was healthy, had an excellent pedigree, she came from many GSC. The stud, while not having a UKC championship because the owner went the ADBA route, acceled in wp and many other phases and events in the ADBA. His pedigree was also impressive. My dog didnt have health testing done, however the stud did.

My point, the breeding was SOMEWHAT~HALFWAY there, in other words, nobody threw 2 mutts together with no history behind them.
Not one pup in Dixies litter or the studs litter when they were babies had an overbite. Never...........owners even went thru records and contacted people, not a sign, yet one pup that I have has a 1 1/2 inch over bite. Distemper???WTF did that come from???

No matter how responsible you breed a litter, something is bound to happen...What are the stats on at least one pup dieing in each litter? Pretty high if I remember right.

You have just got to be prepared, and that preparation, takes a long, long time.

[Bahamutt99]

No matter how responsible you breed a litter, something is bound to happen...What are the stats on at least one pup dieing in each litter? Pretty high if I remember right.

I don't know the stats, but pups died in each of our two litters. First was 10 with 2 dying within a week. The second was 8 with 2 stillborn. A friend of mine is fostering a new momma for Boxer rescue, and 2 of hers died from pneumonia.