Wanted Old English Sheepdog Stud Dog. My bitch is due in season by August.

How much thought is going into your potential puppies and why do you wish to mate your bitch - think very carefully about this especially as puppies in many breeds are not finding new owners very quickly at the moment. Do you have the facilities to look after puppies when they are growing older, bigger, hungrier and more expensive? Can you take any puppies back if their new owners have problems - maybe in a few years time?

When you thinking about mating your bitch you should think about the health of both potential parents - have the health tests for the breed been carried out?

Look into the breeding of your girl and find a stud dog that compliments her and will not double up on any faults. The best dog could be at the other end of the country

If the breeder of your bitch did these sorts of things then they would be a good place to start - if they did not is your bitch really a good candidate for pro-creation?

There is a lot more to breeding a litter (or should be) than just finding a stud dog

Christine

I agree with everything you say Christine..........if only everyone were so sensible & responsible.

Thanks for your response Christine and your words of wisdom. If I hadn't thought long and hard about breeding my bitch then I would not have posted to this message board. I have several options open to me, but Old English are few and far between and yes I appreciate I may have to travel the length of the country to find a suitable mate but what's the harm in trying this method as well. Many OESD's are very closely related-as is the case with stud dogs in my area. I am only trying to help myself here. But thanks for the advice anyway.

Hi Haverlands,

Pleased to hear you have looked into mating your bitch - the tone of enquiry sounded as if was a last minute or spur of the moment thing - which we all know can lead to some dreadful mistakes

Christine