I wasn't sure where to post this , but i have some questions about breeding. I would like Chaos to have one litter of puppies. Mostly because I want to keep two of them. Let me be clear, I do not want to become a breeder. I have no idea how to go about this. How old should she be, she has already had her first heat. How do I go about finding a stud for her? Is it better to inciminate her or let them do it naturally? I'm sure there are other things that I havn't even considered in my list of questions. Any advice would be great.
First thing you should do is to have her fully health tested. DNA for Fanconi, Thyroid, Patellas, Eye Cerf, Elbows, and hips when she is two. Most breeders do not breed until after the bitch is 2yrs. And of course you can't get hips done till then. You then need to understand her back ground (health of the sire/dam, grandsire/grand dam) and of siblings to get a complete picture of the health of your bitch. Until you are able to do that you really are breeding in the dark as far as health and temperament. Just because she might have a good temperament doesn't mean that if there were bad temperaments in the pedigree that would not be passed on to offspring.
You really need to ask yourself, what does she have to offer the breed? My own personal opinion, just wanting a litter to keep puppies from is not a good reason to breed. And you will have a hard time finding a responsible stud owner that would consider breeding her, particularly if you don't have back ground information.
And consider the cost of having a litter…. it is not cheap and all kinds of things can happen. Go back on the forum to old posts, read how much lvoss had invested in her litters. Read about the bitch that killed her pups or the litter that Robyn had last year were there were 5 out of 6 pups that were stillborn.... or the litter that I had where the last pup born was deformed an exposed skull, but alive and I had to deal with that at 4am in the morning.... Breeding is not all fun and games... sure puppies are cute and fun, but it is also heartbreaking at times and more times then people really realize. Go back and read my post about the bitch with Pyrometria that was almost lost.
Then really consider why you want to breed.... And this is not even bring into the picture things like conformation of your girl...
And for more recent "what can go wrong" read the current post from lvoss from the subject Kinetic's 2009 Lit
If you breed a litter, whether you want to be a breeder or not, you are a breeder and responsible for those pups for life. They would not be here if not for you so you need to be ready to keep them all or take them back no matter what happens. You also need to be prepared that by breeding your girl there is a chance that something could go wrong and you could lose her and/or the pups. Make sure you have a good nest egg because bills add up quickly, a c-section will run you around $1000 if necessary and if an emergency, costs can easily be more like $2000 and that isn't including just the routine costs of raising a litter.
Here is the thread about what I went through my girl Rally's second litter, http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=613
Here is the thread about my current singleton,
http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=7837
If you are prepared for all the consequences of a litter and still want to go through with it then you need to do the health testing so you do right by your pups and make sure there are no health issues that may be passed on or may put your girl at risk.
The minimum recommended health tests are:
1. Fanconi DNA test, you can order a kit from OFA, http://www.offa.org
2. OFA hip x-rays, the form for submitting the x-rays in on the OFA website
3. OFA thyroid panel, the form with accepted labs is on the OFA website
4. CERF exam, you will need to find a certified veterinary opthamologist for this. They sometimes hold clinics in conjunction with dog shows for a reduced price, usually around $35.
You need to know why you are breeding the litter and what you hope to accomplish in order to look for a stud dog. Good stud dog owners are particular about allowing their males to be used because those pups are going to reflect back on them also. They are going to want to know your goals, know your placement policies, and will need to be able to verify your girls test results.
Thank you for the information, it gives me something to think about over the next year.
I believe the OFFA only does a prelim on a 2 year old bitch. They do not give certified results before 3 years old. This is for Hip dysplasia. Then, you also run the risk of Pyometria. There are definitely a lot of risks involved. Don't forget, you may not find a good match for a male near you and have to select one further away which adds up costs as well.
I agree with the others, I only would like to add that I would prefer a natural mating instead of insemination, especially for the first time.
When we say responsible for the dogs forever - we do really mean forever. I have animals returned to me when they were 9 years old because of significant family issues or death of the owner - I currently have a 12 year old and a 7 year old that now live with me.
Think about what that means - because even those of us who are prepared for that - really are never prepared for the impact on our families houses and other dogs.
You say you want to keep 2 - be advised that the everyone hanging out together in basenji world is NOT the norm. Most can have 1 male and 1 female - if you are planning on keeping 2 - you may have a problem - not right away but eventually you are likely to do so. I am not sure that I remember who or where Chaos came from but fanconi testing and eye testing for PRA would be critical as well as thyroid screening. What titles does she have - is she a fast as the wind Field CH or Obedience or rally or conformation CH. That would allow you to have evidence that she has characteristics that are valuable to the breed as a whole and quite frankly if all you want are a couple more basenjis - there are many many out there that could use a forever home.
In any event - think about it - it's not as easy as you think - if you are going to do it right - and finding good homes is also not as easy as you think. You may not have the experience in weeding out puppy mills who might want your pups and living where you do - you are in the midst of some that do produce basenjis.
