Becoming a Breeder

[Jeanne]

Hello,

My husband and I have been Cairn owners for about 12 years, the first one came from the pound and we didn't even know what breed we had gotten, but we were hooked, we have our third now, though she is the only one we have.

Last year my husband had a stroke and is now retired and home all day. His greatest joy comes from his dog. He has had a hard time coming to grips with not working. He thinks he would like to get a breeding pair of Cairns and I know that he would be a doting dad. I think this would be a great idea too, we now have plenty of time to devote to the venture and just what he needs to occupy his time some.

So now, the reason for this post. We have only had "pets" before, they didn't have to meet any specifications, just love use and all of our Cairns have been fixed because we did not have the time to devote to having puppies, so I did not ever consider what I needed to look for from that aspect.

What I would like is input from other Cairns lovers as to what I should specifically consider when I start searching for my breeding pair. Right now we are in Florida, but we are relocating to South Carolina soon. Should I try to get them from different states?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jeanne (not the hurricane)

[bradl]

Hi Jeanne, thank you for doing some research first. I tend to get excited over this question so first some hopefully helpful information: Jane Johnson (Portuguese Water Dogs) has a comprehensive look at dog breeding with a lot of very relevant links that actually answer the questions you have as to what it is specifically you'll need to know and do.

Learn to breed dogs

Contents include:

Site objectives

A checklist for breeding

Questionnaire - don't even think about breeding before you can answer these questions

Experiences - what you should learn, who you should learn from, and how long it should take - before you breed

Virtual Breeding - Learn about some of the decisions needed to be made when breeding

Costs - how much it costs to raise a litter

True stories - some breeding experiences

Breeding FAQ - frequently asked questions

Email Lists - you should join now

Breeding Realities - some of the things you won't want to read

Hip Ratings

Line Breeding

A tongue in cheek account for those who think breeding dogs is akin to the miracle of life.

Items recommended for whelping.

Spaying your bitch

Neutering your dog

Some of my own personal thoughts. A great place to start is by contacting an active breeder and co-owning a quality show bitch, showing her to her championship. Along the way you will learn a lot, acquire a breed mentor, and you will be better able to plan a responsible breeding program.

Every single breeding should be carefully planned, based on research and a clear vision of preservation, and improvement, of the breed. Most new breeders start with a high quality bitch that is generally assessed as an excellent example of the breed. It is usually a finished champion. The assessment that their dog is worthy of breeding is acquired by showing the dog to judges and other knowledgable breeders and understanding its faults and genetic background. A dog is then sought that specifically addresses the shortcomings of the bitch in order to obtain a subsequent bitch that is better than her mother, with much consideration given to understanding the genetic background and breeding history of both sire and dam and how they are likely to interact. The appropriate dog to breed to is usually found by attending shows looking for the right complementary dog, studying the breed yearbooks, studying pedigrees, and interviewing potential stud dog owners about what has been produced in a candidate dog's line in the past, what diseases if any have shown up over the years, etc.

It's natural and even understandable for people to gloss over the heartbreaks of breeding as well. Things like having a dead puppy delivered on the seat of your car as you rush your bitch to the vet for a thousand-dollar midnight emergency C-section, hoping you don't lose her, too, or the unfortunate litters that include jelly babies, mummified puppies, or puppies born with their insides on the outside, etc. These things are not necessarily common, but sooner or later you will probably get to experience some or all of them.

Please actively seek a breeder mentor who has some history in the preservation of the Cairn Terrier. If you want to be a responsible breeder yourself you will want to find and join an AKC-recognized Cairn club, possibly an all-breed club, and hopefully the Cairn Terrier Club of America. You will learn what you need to know from people who appreciate, respect, and have dedicated themselves to responsible stewardship of a breed they work hard to preserve. You are not looking for someone who as been 'just breeding pets' and is 'too busy for all that show nonsense' - that's a recipe for destroying our breed.

Sorry, I do get carried away sometimes.

[Jeanne]

Thank you for the direction, now I have plenty of places to research.

Jeanne

[wheezie23]

Brad, I have been dying to see the soapbox smily used! Thanks for that! Oh, and great information! I've often wondered where one starts to become a (quality) breeder. (not that I have considered it. It's waaaay out of my league.)

Thela

[hallswel]

This is really good information. I know that one day i would also like to breed Cairns. I am most worried about the show aspect, I have taken Rebel to training at our local kennel club and have watched many dogs. I get nervous for them just watching. I can't imagine showing your own dog...the dogs sense when you are nervous and that would be bad for me I think.

Anyway it would be a couple of years down the road. So I will have plenty of time to watch others at shows and see if I can do it.

[bradl]

Good for you for going to shows and soaking it up. If you hang around and make yourself useful, sooner or later you may be asked to take someone else's dog in the ring as a favor to them. This happens sometimes when someone has two dogs (or more) entered and both win their class and both dogs need to go back in at the same time. Often the owner will take in the dog they think has the best chance and ask someone to take in the other - a no pressure way to get your feet wet A funny thing, sometimes dogs show better for a stranger (who is new and interesting and has great bait) than their owner (who is 'old hat').

Like most things, it gets easier with practice. It can be a fun kind of nervous. I like to say, "all the best amusement park rides make you slightly nauseous."