Insemination
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It gets a bit expensive to import semen from overseas. Certainly can be done, but it would be frozen for artificial insemination. I had looked into it but at the time was not ready to spend the money. There are a number of dogs that have been imported that care some of the lines from Australia and Europe
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Thanks for the information Ivoss and Pat. From what you are both saying, it sounds like a very expensive thing to do, with potentially not a large number of puppies being produced. Nice to hear there are lines from outside of North America in the U.S. It makes me understand even more why there is so much excitement around the importing (and acceptance) of the African dogs.
Hope that all makes sense. Remember, I am not a breeder, just a lover of the breed! :)
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Thanks for the information Ivoss and Pat. From what you are both saying, it sounds like a very expensive thing to do, with potentially not a large number of puppies being produced. Nice to hear there are lines from outside of North America in the U.S. It makes me understand even more why there is so much excitement around the importing (and acceptance) of the African dogs.
Hope that all makes sense. Remember, I am not a breeder, just a lover of the breed! :)
While it is costly, in the US it is reasonable cost and I would think with time the cost for shipping from overseas may decrease. And while lvoss didn't get large litters (remember that 4 to 6 are the average), some people have. Carol Webb used frozen and got a litter of 9. Wanda Pooley used fresh chilled and got a litter of 6 or 7, so much like natural breedings depend on timing.
And while acceptance of "some" of the AF dogs is exciting and I have seen some very nice imports, it is not exciting to see some of the recent applicants that are clearly NOT Basenjis or of Basenji Type nor did they come from a remote area.
I would encourage anyone that is interested in this subject to get The Modern Basenji and read the excellent articles in the 1st quarter issue
http://www.modernbasenji.com/ -
When my girl Ruby was bred (by Eldorado) A.I. (frozen, surgical, maiden bitch) she had 6 puppies - 4 boys, 2 girls - her sonogram only showed 3. I had had a dream about a week before she gave birth that she had 5 pups (2 r&w, 2 b&w and 1 tri)…she ended up having 6 (2 r&w, 4 b&w). I know they were happy to have such a good sized litter because it was expensive with the semen and testing, etc.
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One of the potential problems with shipped semen that we have seen in horses is the danger of "flavour of the month" breeding. Entirely too many using one stud, and then later finding out that he carries something nasty, e.g. the Quarter Horse "Impressive" with HYPP. Is there any regulation to prevent overuse of one sire in Basenjis?
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We have enough regulations, we don't need more. I don't believe that you should put restrictions on use of a dog (or horse) and as far as HYPP goes there is a DNA test, so people like with Basenjis, should not be breeding if health testing as not been done. So if people are finding this out later (after breeding) then they have not done their homework before hand. I believe that the DNA test for HYPP has been out for at least 10yrs.
To go further, Basenjis have already had their trip down the path of one stud being used lots and the problems that resulted. I don't think that people are going to make that mistake any time soon… IMO.
And in fact, I believe that having the option of shipping semen, there is a greater chance that people will broaden they approach to breeding especially if the dog is on the other side of the US. I for one will not ship a bitch, so without the option of Fresh or Frozen, I would be limited to a driving area and one that I could take that time off work.
And coming from horses and making those drives to deliver Mares from NJ and PA to Texas were most all the good stallions stood back in the 70's, I would have been way more open to a number of different studs if Fresh/Frozen would have been available. Not to mention the cost of shipping/boarding/etc
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Another option, although very rarely done, is to ship the male himself overseas. He stays with one person for a few months and is bred to a few bitches while he is there. He is then shipped back home.
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Yes, indeed that is an option, of course that in my opinion could lead more to over use since he would only be there for a short time unless collected while either here or overseas which would be a good option.
I know that Damara shipped one to Europe 3yrs (?) ago for about 8 months. And Tad brought a male from Sweden over here that he has been showing and just finished. I am sure he has had him collected. I don't know if it is planned for him to go back or not.
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as far as HYPP goes there is a DNA test, so people like with Basenjis, should not be breeding if health testing as not been done. So if people are finding this out later (after breeding) then they have not done their homework before hand. I believe that the DNA test for HYPP has been out for at least 10yrs.
I used that example as it is relatively well known, and of course when Impressive was popular and many were breeding to him, the problem had not been identified and there was no test available for it. That is where I was going with my comment. A stud (horse or dog) gets popular and is widely used, and down the road the deficiency is discovered…...usually but not always because homozygous for the condition becomes more likely and the "aha" moment occurs......by which time there may be a whole lot of offspring affected.
To go further, Basenjis have already had their trip down the path of one stud being used lots and the problems that resulted. I don't think that people are going to make that mistake any time soon… IMO.
I have been around long enough to know that people seldom learn from history, and thus are doomed to repeat it. :)
And in fact, I believe that having the option of shipping semen, there is a greater chance that people will broaden they approach to breeding especially if the dog is on the other side of the US. I for one will not ship a bitch, so without the option of Fresh or Frozen, I would be limited to a driving area and one that I could take that time off work.
That is the up side to shipped semen, no question.
And coming from horses and making those drives to deliver Mares from NJ and PA to Texas were most all the good stallions stood back in the 70's, I would have been way more open to a number of different studs if Fresh/Frozen would have been available. Not to mention the cost of shipping/boarding/etc
Oh yes! I have many friends who have done it both ways, and although trips to the airport to pick up the semen can get tiresome (especially if you have a mare that isn't settling), it is preferable to trucking a long distance with a trailer. However, push comes to shove, live cover seems to still be the best way with a mare that is hard to catch…...my neighbour has managed to get mares pregnant by turning them out with the stud, when they wouldn't catch any other way. :)
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While new generations may forgot the problems Basenjis have had with a well used stud, it is not likely that current breeders will. They may decide that they don't care and use that particular dog a lot, but I have not really seen that in recent years. I think that now that there are more options for people to consider there has been a larger more widely used group of stud dogs. And I know of dogs that unless there was the option of fresh or frozen, you would never be able to breed to that dog because many people do not want the hassle of keeping a bitch for the time needed for the cover. And I can well understand that…. Unless you really have the facilities to house a bitch in season (and a strange bitch at that), it is not something that would be at the top of my list to do. In fact, I would not...
