# Breeding Info Needed!



## hotel4dogs

You are starting out right by looking for information, but you truly do have a lot to learn.
You can't breed her before she is at least 2 years old, because you can't do the necessary health tests until she's 2. You will need to have her hips and elbows xrayed and sent to OFA for evaluation. You will need to have her thyroid tested (sent to MSU typically), and her eyes evaluated by a veterinary opthamologist. Also you need to have her tested for prcd-PRA, which is a DNA test done by Optigen labs. Probably should test for PRA-1 and ichtyiosis at that time as well. Finally, you will need to have her heart checked by a certified veterinary cardiologist.
Once she has passed all those clearance, you should at the very least have her pass a CCA, (certification of conformation assessment) which is sponsored by the Golden Retriever Club of America. It's an evaluation whereby 3 independent "judges" will evaluate her and certify that she is to the golden retriever standard. If she is not, she should not be bred.
Also, you should show her in at least 1 venue such as obedience, agility, tracking, and so on and get a few titles on her to show that she has the trainability and temperament so critical to this breed.
Finally, you need to examine your reasons for wanting to breed her. There are a lot of great golden retrievers, but not that many that are truly worth breeding as they don't really contribute anything to the betterment of the breed.
I would strongly suggest joining the GRCA, as well as a local golden retriever club, for more help and information.
Best of luck to you, and welcome to the forum.


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## Ljilly28

Orthopedic Foundation for Animals lists heart, eye, hip, and elbow clearances for goldens, and those are the minimum health tests your girls needs to pass after she turns two. K9DATA.COM Home Page can help you study pedigrees, but what you truly need is an incredible mentor. Goldens have many health issues, and it is too risky to bring precious puppy lives into the world without giving them every chance at good health.


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## hotel4dogs

A few more thoughts.
Check with the breeder from which you got the dog. Be sure you have full breeding rights. If you do, the breeder should be willing to help you and answer any questions that you might have.
Also, you will want to very carefully research the potential stud dogs to be sure they have all the proper clearances, that their genetics are compatible with hers, and that their strengths and weaknesses compliment hers.


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## Rainheart

Welcome to the forum!

It does sound like you do have a lot to learn. You have gotten some really great responses already (just because you seem so new to this and haven't thoroughly researched it completely). 

Breeding isn't something to take lightly. I won't repeat the clearances information already on the board, but that is the BARE MINIMUM you need for breeding. 

Remember that you are responsible for bringing those puppies into the world. Are you prepared for the consequences of that? What if your dog has complications during labor and you need to get her to the emergency clinic at 3 am to have a $3000 c-section? You also need to find great homes for potentially 10+ puppies and raise them all to at least 8 weeks of age? You will need to give up a lot of your free time (and maybe even work time to do so). Do you know anything about raising puppies and what it takes? To make sure they are properly socialized, checked by a vet, and vaccinated? 
Do you have a contract in mind as to what you want your potential puppy owners be like? What if one of the puppies has a liver shunt or hip dysplasia? You were responsible for bringing that dog into the world, are you going to refund the price of the dog? Take the dog back (if the owners cannot afford the expense, which reputable breeders do?) Offer the family any kind of help and support? Even reputable breeders have produced dogs with these defects. It is your responsibility to help those owners with anything they will need. 

Breeding one dog to another is not what it is about; even if you think your dog is the best, that is not a good reason to breed a dog. At the very least again, she should pass with flying colors all her clearances to at least be eligible to be part of breeding stock, but even a dog with clearances that passed isn't necessarily a dog who should be bred, either.


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## LibertyME

May I ask what country you live in?


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## AmberSunrise

Welcome to the forum! You have already received some very good answers.

One thing that has not been mentioned is; have you considered the costs involved in breeding? You may spend thousands of dollars on a breeding and your girl may not get pregnant. Or you may have a singleton puppy and decide your pup's needs will best be served by finding a surrogate dam with a larger litter.

Worse, your girl may die. I received an email plea just this past week of a dam who needed an emergency c-section, she and the puppies came home but the following morning the dam was dead. The owner not only had to deal with the loss of her dog, she was left scrambling to find a surrogate family to raise her litter. With support all of these things may be overcome, and you can have healthy and happy litters but all of this really needs to be considered.

And once considered, and decided upon you should find and work with at least one mentor, join breed clubs and get involved in dog sports. 

Again, welcome to the forum and happy learning about all that is golden


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## BayBeams

Your puppies also would be best served if you also check the clearances on the parents of your current dog. I noted in a previous post that you purchased your dog for $300. I suspect that could mean health clearances most probably were not done on your dog's parents.

Please rethink your plan to breed your dog. I am certain that you love your dog dearly as most of us on the forum love ours and cherish this great breed. There is just more to it than that when making a decision to breed our dogs. Goldens have an inordinate amount of health conditions that have become a huge problem causing heartache for those who love them. Part of the reason this is occurring is because of the Golden popularity resulting in breedings that have not been well researched.

I realize you probably did not come to this forum for a lecture on your decision to breed your dog and were hoping for some supportive answers. Unfortunately many of us have seen the results of poorly planned breedings. 

Please continue to do your research and learn about what it takes to breed and raise puppies. In doing so I hope that you come to the conclusion to protect your baby Golden girl (at 1 year old she really is a baby) and choose NOT to breed her. Enjoy her, love her and share your stories and pictures about her with us. 

I hope you continue to learn about the world of Goldens. Wishing you and your pup the best...


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## mylissyk

hotel4dogs said:


> You are starting out right by looking for information, but you truly do have a lot to learn.
> You can't breed her before she is at least 2 years old, because you can't do the necessary health tests until she's 2. You will need to have her hips and elbows xrayed and sent to OFA for evaluation. You will need to have her thyroid tested (sent to MSU typically), and her eyes evaluated by a veterinary opthamologist. Also you need to have her tested for prcd-PRA, which is a DNA test done by Optigen labs. Probably should test for PRA-1 and ichtyiosis at that time as well. Finally, you will need to have her heart checked by a certified veterinary cardiologist.
> Once she has passed all those clearance, you should at the very least have her pass a CCA, (certification of conformation assessment) which is sponsored by the Golden Retriever Club of America. It's an evaluation whereby 3 independent "judges" will evaluate her and certify that she is to the golden retriever standard. If she is not, she should not be bred.
> Also, you should show her in at least 1 venue such as obedience, agility, tracking, and so on and get a few titles on her to show that she has the trainability and temperament so critical to this breed.
> Finally, you need to examine your reasons for wanting to breed her. There are a lot of great golden retrievers, but not that many that are truly worth breeding as they don't really contribute anything to the betterment of the breed.
> I would strongly suggest joining the GRCA, as well as a local golden retriever club, for more help and information.
> Best of luck to you, and welcome to the forum.





BayBeams said:


> Your puppies also would be best served if you also check the clearances on the parents of your current dog. I noted in a previous post that you purchased your dog for $300. I suspect that could mean health clearances most probably were not done on your dog's parents.
> 
> Please rethink your plan to breed your dog. I am certain that you love your dog dearly as most of us on the forum love ours and cherish this great breed. There is just more to it than that when making a decision to breed our dogs. Goldens have an inordinate amount of health conditions that have become a huge problem causing heartache for those who love them. Part of the reason this is occurring is because of the Golden popularity resulting in breedings that have not been well researched.
> 
> I realize you probably did not come to this forum for a lecture on your decision to breed your dog and were hoping for some supportive answers. Unfortunately many of us have seen the results of poorly planned breedings.
> 
> Please continue to do your research and learn about what it takes to breed and raise puppies. In doing so I hope that you come to the conclusion to protect your baby Golden girl (at 1 year old she really is a baby) and choose NOT to breed her. Enjoy her, love her and share your stories and pictures about her with us.
> 
> I hope you continue to learn about the world of Goldens. Wishing you and your pup the best...


I also wanted to point out that all of the health tests and clearances noted by hotel4dogs need to be done on the male dog as well, and you really need to have those same tests documented for a couple of generations behind your dog and the stud dog.

But I am in total agreement with BayBeams, I would discourage you from moving forward with breeding your girl. 

If you really want to get into breeding because you love the breed and want to improve on it, get involved in dogs sports, conformation showing, obedience competition, agility, field trial, etc. After you gain experience in those areas and have made contacts and built relationships with other people involved in dog sports, find a mentor to help you learn about breeding and everything necessary to do it right, then make your breeding plan.

Enjoy your girl, but seriously reconsider breeding her.


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## Swampcollie

GoldensRtheBest! said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> I'm pretty new to the breeding business. My pedigree Golden Retriever puppy will be a year old March 17th. I want to be prepared to breed her this fall. Any information anyone can give will be most appreciated. My top questions are:
> 
> 1. I need doggie underwear for her. Does anyone prefer a specific brand or type? Money isn't too much of an issue right now. Once I find a preferred brand I can look for deals. But she goes into her cycle in less than a month and I've procrastinated on buy undies toooo long!
> 
> 2. When is the best time to breed? 2cd cycle? 3rd cycle? What time during her cyle? I've done some research and have general idea, but I'm hoping I can get some expert advice from here
> 
> Thanks and hope everyone has a blessed day! :wave:


Well, I'll attempt to answer your questions. 

1. You can find bitch britches on line at various pet supply outlets like Foster and Smith. You can also make due with mens briefs worn backward so the tail comes out the opening. 

2. She's too young to breed this year. She may be physically capable of producing offspring later this year, but she won't be mature enough to be a good mother to her puppies until she's at least past 24 months of age. Then there are the recommended health screenings that should be completed prior to breeding and they can't be done until she's at least 24 months of age. (Hips, Eyes, Heart and Elbows at minimum.) 

So you have at least a 14 to 18 months yet to wait before your girl is old enough to breed. In the meantime you have a LOT of studying and learning to do. There are numerous books on canine reproduction to read, and books about puppy socialization and training to review. 

Then there are things to learn about the breed itself, so you can evaluate your girl and select a proper mate that compliments her. For this you really need an experienced mentor to help you. It literally takes years to develop the skills needed to evaluate structure, personality and correct temperament, and that's after you've read everything you can find on the breed. 

Good breeding isn't a business. There is a lot more to it than simply putting two dogs of the same breed together and letting nature take it's course. Good breeding is more of a discipline or an art form than anything else. It takes a great deal of knowledge and skill to be successfull.


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## My Big Kahuna

I think it's great you came here looking for advice and I really hope you'll follow it  Do you have pics of your girl?


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## GoldensRtheBest!

LibertyME said:


> May I ask what country you live in?


I live in the USA 

Thanks so much to everyone for their wisdom and advice!!! I really do appreciate it. My baby is very important to me and I want to do the best for her. Thanks again!


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## mylissyk

Glad to see you back. Have you read through this thread? What do you think about the advice given?


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## GoldensRtheBest!

Yes I've read through all the threads. I've decided to continue thinking the matter over and not make any rash decisions. I really do appreciate everyone's thoughts on the matter!

But I also still need any info on doggy underwear. We have a Petco around here but I was hoping maybe to find a better deal? I tried men's boxers backwards last time but it didn't really work :/


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## goldhaven

http://www.everythinggolden.com/EverythingGolden%20Web%20Site/new_page_217.htm

Here is a link that I found posted on another thread. I don't use them but those that do think they work pretty well. 

I will tell you that I don't think that it is that easy to find a good male if you decide that you want to breed. Most reputable breeders won't let you use their males unless you have all of the tests done. You may go through all of your testing and then find when the time comes that you can't find a suitable male. I recommend contacting a reputable breeder in your area and ask for her advise. You might want to contact more than one. (Some will be quick to help, others, not so much) Keep trying until you find one willing to help you. They can steer you in the right directions and when the time is right, if you follow their advice, they will probably let you use one of their males. Good luck to you.


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## mylissyk

GoldensRtheBest! said:


> Yes I've read through all the threads. I've decided to continue thinking the matter over and not make any rash decisions. I really do appreciate everyone's thoughts on the matter!
> 
> But I also still need any info on doggy underwear. We have a Petco around here but I was hoping maybe to find a better deal? I tried men's boxers backwards last time but it didn't really work :/


You can get washable pants at Petco or Petsmart so you only need to buy one set and just wash them if needed, and then pads to line the pants. Woman's pads work too, which may help make it less expensive.


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## Selli-Belle

I got my panties at a dog show, they were very inexpensive cute and handmade. I even got them embroidered with "Aunt Care says NO!" on them.


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## MikaTallulah

GoldensRtheBest! said:


> Yes I've read through all the threads. I've decided to continue thinking the matter over and not make any rash decisions. I really do appreciate everyone's thoughts on the matter!
> 
> But I also still need any info on doggy underwear. We have a Petco around here but I was hoping maybe to find a better deal? I tried men's boxers backwards last time but it didn't really work :/


Have you tried adult diapers with a hole cut in them? I used infant ones for my yorkies where in heat or are sick.


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## goldhaven

Selli-Belle said:


> I got my panties at a dog show, they were very inexpensive cute and handmade. I even got them embroidered with "Aunt Care says NO!" on them.


 this is adorable


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## GoldensRtheBest!

Thanks so much everyone!!!


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## MaddieMagoo

Kind of jumping in late on this one, but the advice that has been given by everyone is excellent. Most people don't know how much it takes to be a breeder. It certainly is NOT a "business", you aren't out to make money like some people think so. I'm wanting to be a breeder, too but I know that you MUST simply have health clearances done on dogs. Your 'job' as a breeder is to want to help improve the breed, and in the future, eliminate some of those unwanted health issues that can arise, even at early years in their life. 

Anyways, instead of breeding her, why not take up DockDogs, Agility, Rally, or even Obedience. If you need help finding a trainer in your area, there is a wealth of information on here of people who can find you a great trainer. In the long run, you'd be spending much less money than it is to be a breeder and you'd be having more fun spending time with your girl.


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