Studding my Cairn

[ctowle]

What is the best way to go about studding my cairn? He's a purebred, and according to the AKC there are not many breeders in my area.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ctowle

[bradl]

One person's opinion...A reasonable first question to ask yourself, in all seriousness, is why? That a Cairn is purebred in no way implies that it is suitable for breeding.

Has he been shown to his championship? Which yearbook is his picture and pedigree in? How well do you know the health history of the dogs in his pedigree? Does he have exceptional qualities that responsible breeders may be looking for to improve their lines? How does he stack up against the breed standard? What are his weaknesses? Has he been tested clear for GCL? When was his last CERF exam? Take your boy to all the dog shows within a few hundred miles radius of your area and ask the Cairn exhibitors for an evaluation of his conformation and temperament. He may be the bees knees but most breeders want to see a dog, know its history, and review his pedigree for many generations back.

No male is a good match for every bitch. Breedings should be carefully planned, based on research and a clear vision of preservation, and improvement, of the breed.

Jane Johnson (Portuguese Water Dogs) has a comprehensive look at dog breeding with a lot of very relevant links. It's generally oriented toward bitches, but the responsibility to ensure appropriate breeding lies on the stud dog owner just as much.

http://www.geocities.com/learntobreed/index.html

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

(It's a geocities site so it has those annoying Yahoo ad-thingies.)

[ctowle]

I took him to the AKC Cairn Terrier official breeder in Virginia, and she evaluated him as an extremely good example of the breed. She said that he should be bred, and my asking price should be around $800 and pick of the litter, but she did not specify any way to find a mate for him besides post in the classifieds.

[Susan]

Brad, that's an excellent post. I hope others will learn much from it.

Susan