[Speeeddyy]

Hi everyone.
I currently have a German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix. I also have a Full blooded German Shepherd Dog. I am really considering breeding them one time. Then getting them fixed.

I know what breeding entails. I am just worried if there will be any interest in my puppies.
I paid $400 for the mom (mixed) and she has the most amazing temperament, same with the dad.

I just don’t want to breed them and be stuck with puppies.

I would post on Facebook about interest but I know so many people would jump down my throat about shelter dogs.

 

[Knute]

Reality check.

You are breeding Mutt to Breed. You will get Mutt puppies. No way will they command a full breed price.

 

[LeoRose]

Why do you want to breed them? Serious sport or working mix? Or just to have puppies?

What health testing have they had? GSD are prone to a debilitating disease called Degenerative Myelopothy. Both dogs should be tested, to make sure they don't carry for it. Both dogs should have hips and elbows evaluated by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, to ensure they they don't have hip and/or elbow dysplasia. There are other tests that should be done as well, including eye and heart exams. This is the list of recommended tests for GSD https://www.ofa.org/recommended-tests?breed=GS and this is the list of recommended tests for Goldens https://www.ofa.org/recommended-tests?breed=GR

There is also the cost... x-rays to get an estimate of how many pups to expect, a possible c-section if things go wrong, well puppy visits, vaccinations, deworming, extra food for the bitch and then the puppies once they start eating on their own, and the sheer amount of cleaning and laundry that a litter of puppies entails.

Also, you have to consider what would you do if you lost your bitch (things can, and sometimes do, go terribly wrong). Would you be up to hand feeding and cleaning a litter of puppies every two to four hours?

As an FYI, a good breeder will take back any dog they have bred, and any time, if the new owner can't keep them. Since you don't want to be "stuck" with puppies you can't sell, would you be willing to take back a five or ten year old dog?

Honestly, in the long run, you could save yourself a ton of money, and just have them fixed now.

 

[pandora]

Cant say more than the above.. Shelters are full of dogs dont add to the problem

 

[petpeeve]

I just don’t want to breed them and be stuck with puppies.

Good breeders have a waiting list of potential puppy buyers. Most if not all of the puppies are always spoken for, long before the sire and dam ever meet. Lists are typically compiled as a result of the breeder being out and about in the dog community with their dogs, in some way shape or form. IE: competing in trials, conformation showing, doing therapy work etc. If you're trying to gauge interest, or 'demand' if you will, then that is the most reliable way to ascertain it.

Once you are out in the community, if a minimum of 6 to 8 people aren't SERIOUSLY interested in your pups during the pre-planning / pre-breeding stage, ... then chances are you WILL be "stuck with puppies". Unfortunately.

If I were you I would spay and neuter the two dogs, and put the entire notion of breeding to rest.

 

[adogslife]

Just a question, what about all the dogs sold on line that are mixed with a poodle in small medium and large and a chihuahua, or a yorkie, or a bichon, and a labradoodle or a golden doodle, and so on? Are those not all cross breeds as well, making them all mutts? They are very pricey as well?

 

[pandora]

Just a question, what about all the dogs sold on line that are mixed with a poodle in small medium and large and a chihuahua, or a yorkie, or a bichon, and a labradoodle or a golden doodle, and so on? Are those not all cross breeds as well, making them all mutts? They are very pricey as well?

Agree they are really just over priced mongrels with a fancy name. But more and more of these dogs are turning up in recues as the novelty wears off or when people find they are not totally non shedding or hypoallergenic as promised. Even the man who first bred the labradoodle has regrets Labradoodle creator says it's his 'life's regret'

 

[Knute]

If you breed a pure Poodle with a pure Greyhound, you do not get a Puddlehound. You get a mutt. Nothing else.

There is only one breeding method to generate a pure dog. YOU must breed (with papers of ancestry) dogs of same breed.

Otherwise any mix, no matter the designer name, is a mixed breed mutt.

Lets not confuse and muddle the difference between pure breed and mutt.

Example, my dog is a mini-schnauzer. He is not pure bred. His parents did not have ancestry papers. Although, I know he is mini-schnauzer because I laid eyes on the Sire and Dam. They were both miniature schnauzers. I know my dog is all mini-schnauzer, but I cannot call him pure bred. I do know he is all mini-schnauzer.

Be aware, I am not using the term Mutt in a derogatory manner. I am using it as a word which is defined to describe the dog's heritage.

Designer dogs are just a marketing ploy to increase prices with hype of a "new" breed. Assuming the "new" breeds are viable, then the local animal shelters are fully stocked with Designer dogs which should be in high demand and command high prices.

 

[adogslife]

Agree they are really just over priced mongrels with a fancy name. But more and more of these dogs are turning up in recues as the novelty wears off or when people find they are not totally non shedding or hypoallergenic as promised. Even the man who first bred the labradoodle has regrets Labradoodle creator says it's his 'life's regret'

It hasn't come to that here yet, those fancy cross breeds aren't turning up in Rescues, most likely cause they are so expensive in our area, that if a person doesn't want them, they'd much rather sell them and make a good buck, rather then give them free to a Rescue?
I read the article Labradoodle creator's Life Regret and think what he should be referring to as some of the breeders who got out of hand as the monsters. LoL, takes a monster to create a monster. It's sad to read though that some of these dogs have health/hereditary issues because of bad breeding. Suppose a good breeder can make sure that doesn't happen or lessen the chances of it. It would be disheartening to get a dog and lose it soon after to illness or some sort of genetic disease?
They sure are cute though, but like I said before unaffordable to me but thanks for bringing that link up. It gives me something to think about?

 

[parus]

Personally, I don't care about breed registries. I think closed registries are actually a huge contributor to the health problems we see in dogs. That said, crossing a couple of purebreds or purebred-crosses of different breeds willy-nilly is no improvement, and in many cases is worse, because then you also lose the upside of discrete breeds, which is standardization and predictability. Those cutesy portmanteaus have all the downsides of purebreds without the upside...

I'd like to see more dedicated, skillful, informed breeders getting back to breeding for types rather than breeding per a registry's requirements. That's how breeds developed in the first place, after all. IMO a landrace approach produces a much higher rate of animals that are sound in mind and body and can do a job. (I would consider "companion" a possible job, too.) Alaskan huskies are a modern example of a dog "type" rather than a breed that's still highly recognizable, is sound in mind and body, and serves a purpose. I'd love to see more people working, without regard for breed but with great regard for bloodlines, to produce, say, the best and healthiest possible waterfowl retriever or the best and healthiest possible hypoallergenic snuggly lap dog...

Hi everyone.
I currently have a German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix. I also have a Full blooded German Shepherd Dog. I am really considering breeding them one time. Then getting them fixed.

I know what breeding entails. I am just worried if there will be any interest in my puppies.
I paid $400 for the mom (mixed) and she has the most amazing temperament, same with the dad.

I just don’t want to breed them and be stuck with puppies.

I would post on Facebook about interest but I know so many people would jump down my throat about shelter dogs.

It's not about whether the two of them are both nice dogs. It's about whether the two of them would produce puppies that are as good or better than they are. Two nice dogs would not necessarily complement one another when crossed - you want a bitch and a dog that shore up one another's (very minor) weaker points and reinforce their (very powerful) strong points.

Even at that, unless there's something you haven't shared (like they're both great pro tracking dogs or obedience champs and thus there'd be lively interest in the litter despite being mixed breed), you'll lose money this litter if you breed responsibly. GSDs and Goldens both are rife with heritable diseases, disorders and structural issues, most of which are hidden when the dog is young, but that they can still pass on to offspring. At bare minimum you need to have hips, elbows, eyes, and heart screened by professional evaluators (not just a regular vet wellness check) before you breed. You should also screen for thyroid issues and degenerative myelopathy, which can rear ugly heads later in life even if you don't see signs now. (Plus, you need to dig into their family histories looking for things like cancers and other longevity-killers, particularly in the Golden cross.) Add in the prenatal care and puppy care, and at a few hundred bucks per pup, you're not even going to come close to recouping your costs even if the dogs pass the screenings. And that's if you DON'T have any pregnancy or puppy emergencies that run up your expenses even more...

There's no shortage of nice Goldens and nice GSDs out there - if you're want a pup related to these animals, why not look back in their family trees and find someone who's breeding a sibling or cousin to your dogs? It'd be a lot simpler and less risky than DIY dog production.

 

[InkedMarie]

There used to be a time I was against mixing breeds to get mutts. Now, I don’t care because it’s going to happen.

That said, however, you need to breed correctly. That means that you schedule your dogs for the testing needed to make sure your dogs are healthy. No, that doesn’t mean your vet does an exam and pronounces them ready to go. It means specialty vets performing xrays to check hips etc, their eyes checked, their ears, their hearts....

IF everything is good, then you need to check your bank account. Beside needing money for the vet appointments for the puppies a minimum of 8 weeks, you could possibly face your female needing a cesarean section. It happens.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Well, retail rescue is now doing it because they don't have enough puppies... so there is that.

YOU probably won't sell the puppies easily but Retail Rescue would!!! And yes, both parents should be xrayed and the xrays sent to OFA for hips and elbows. X rays by a vet that will do the proper positioning for correct evaluation runs $500 and on up depending on the vet.

Then there is the issue of breeding. Progesterone testing to make sure breeding happens at the "right time" to insure pregnancy and then x rays a week before puppies are due. If there is only 1 or 2 puppies you have to have them by C section because there are insufficient hormones to instigate proper contractions for natural birth. Then add to that if you get a normal size litter and one of the puppies is a dystocia (improperly presented and so you must immediately get to an Emergency Vet for an emergency C section and you may lose ALL the puppies in that situation and the Bitch as well)... And these are COMMON situations in whelping.

If all goes well, you have to have a whelping box with a "pig rail" so Mon does not lay on a puppy and smother it accidentally. Even then, some bitches are terrible Mothers. Rarely a bitch will kill and eat her own puppies.

But.. say it all goes RIGHT and you have 6-8 puppies.. they need to be vetted and then you need to sell them. They are not registered and you need to find responsible homes.. and if some do not work out you have to be WILLING to take them back at ANY stage in their lives.

And that is just a little bit of what is involved. I had a titled bitch. Could have bred her. She was OFA good and normal. She was a good dog. I spayed her and found her a great home when she was done competing (could not keep her as a house dog as two bitches are an issue). I looked at breeding. I thought she should be a better dog to breed her.

Now I have a male. I will title him and breed survey him. His hips got their A stamp (German version of OFA) and normal elbows and his lower spine passed. He is a DM carrier so anyone wanting to breed to him must have a DM double clear female (his Father, who won the worlds, also was a DM carrier.. same deal). He is a super nice dog and will be worthy of breeding to but there is a lot of competition for Stud dogs. He may never breed anything. And that is OK too. I never want to be a breeder.

 

[storyist]

Well, retail rescue is now doing it because they don't have enough puppies... so there is that.

I've never heard the phrase "retail rescue" until your posts, but let's be honest, if puppy millers are now calling themselves rescues, it doesn't change the fact they're puppy mills. Why would anyone be surprised if people with no ethics are going to lie. Real rescues do charge fees that may seem high to some, but if you buy a puppy, puppy costs are on you. If you adopt an adult rescue from a reputable rescue group or person, that dog has already been vetted, caught up on vaccines, and spayed or neutered. My rescue group also paid for surgeries such as cruciate repair for otherwise adoptable dogs, dental surgery for dogs with such terrible bites it caused problems for, got dogs through heartworm treatment, and supplied food to fosters, etc.

So I hope you consider changing your anti-rescue rhetoric to advice to investigate rescue groups and make sure they're legit instead of blanket condemnation. Also, as far as I'm concerned anyone who deliberately breeds mixed breeds or mixes two different breeds is at best a backyard breeder and if they do it regularly a puppy mill. Not that purebreds are perfect, but good breeders of purebreds do have enough homes waiting. There are enough mixed breeds in need of homes the world doesn't need anyone deliberately producing more. And there are enough poorly bred dogs of both kinds to break all our hearts.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

I really wish that someone would put a legal definition to "puppy mill." There is no legal definition of puppy mill. It is all OPINION.

If a breeder produces 3 litters a year and has a breed known for high litter numbers and so produces over 30 puppies, is that a mill? Is it a mill because they own kennels and dogs are bred back to back heats (which is actually healthier for the bitch.. but there are those who say that is a "puppy mill"). If someone has 25 dogs, and has kennel help and keeps the dogs clean and fit.. has taken dogs to national titles in the breed ring.. and produces 10 litters a year, is that a puppy mill? If someone has 3 untitled and unsocialized dogs out back in cages and produces 4 litters a year, is that a puppy mill? There is NO DEFINITION.

Meanwhile, Retail Rescue is a real situation where in a rescue has insufficient numbers of desirable dogs for the demanding public who has bought into "adopt don't shop!" so they may get dogs from auctions (dogs were bred on purpose for sale), may get dogs from overseas (really? Purebred Frenchies from a meat farm? SMH), or (worse) have dogs shipped in from other parts of the country where they were not held long enough for the owner to claim them.. OR were even "taken" by a large Humane Group and moved and rehomed because the group "thought" the dogs were in terrible conditions and it was a "puppy mill" even though the dogs were clean, in good health, and not at all thin.. all had water and were clearly fed.. but "someone" said they "need to be rescued" because they did not live in the house. Then the Human outfit hides there profits off shore or in the salaries of its officers.

There are even scenarios where rescues have bred dogs so they have puppies.. and said, "we saved this litter... " and get donations to "help with their care" when the breeding was intentional. It CAN BE a racket. It has gotten worse as the breeds in the actual shelters have become Pit Bulls and Pit like dogs and not everyone wants a dog of that type.

OTOH for the OP to intentionally breed mixed breed dogs is unlikely to make THEM money and they might get stuck with puppies for a long time.

I don't care if you get a dog from a rescue or a shelter or a breeder. Do your homework and understand you bought a dog.