I am starting a German Shepherd kennel, any advice would be much appreciated.?

Question

I have 5 females and 2 males, I am not just jumping into this, I have advisors, have all the equipment, kennels, and will be a very responsible breeder. I love the breed. Any advice would be much appreciated. Coloring - females - 1 long coat b/t w silver, 1 b/t, 1 bicolor, 1 rust color (i have heard it called red sable, but there is no black on it), & 1 tan sable. Males - 1 b/t (light tan, almost cream) and 1 cream sable. A really beautiful dog, very rare, I have heard that it is kind of a white dilute.

Answer 1

First off to get started.. and one of the easiest to use .. make yourself a website so you can send people to view your kennel/dogs/puppies...



FREE SITE & easier than geo cities

http://www.freewebs.com (the transparent ones are super cool)



Then places to advertise your litters and become involved with are:

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd



Go to my 360 and join some GSD groups



See you around soon..



Good Luck

SEW

Handler/Trainer- GSD's

http://360.yahoo.com/sewwoodyou

Answer 2

Join the GSDCA. Start going to shows to see what is out there. Study your pedigrees on the dogs, and have someone else study them as well, to advise you on what dogs are in there. Don't get hooked on color's!! Get your dogs OFA'd hips and elbows. Are you going to be breeding, show lines, American or German Show, working lines, ect?? Almost all black and tans have some silvering in them either across the chest or some on their back. There is no such thing as a black/tan and silver. I have seen 2 instances recently of dogs coming out of a certain kennel. The first one was a black and tan ***** that produced 5 blue and tan pups. We just saw a blue and red ***** that came from the same kennel. It is upsetting that people are producing these dilutes on purpose. You can contact me through my profile and I can take a look at your pedigrees if you want to tell you what you have! :o)

Answer 3

Make sure you have them all health tested for hips, etc. I'm sure your mentor is helping you with that, as well as getting your dogs titled, trained, etc.



Also, a good breeder only has litters to better the breed, and does not have frequent litters, so be sure you are prepared to put money in and not yield a high return. Breeding costs money, and if done properly, doesn't make you rich.



Also, what will you be feeding? Make sure it's a quality food...no store bought junk. Read the back of labels and avoid foods with by products, corn, animal digest, colors, artificial preservatives and added sweeteners.



I feed the foods at Flint River Ranch, and they make two wheat/chicken free formulas as well, for sensitive and allergy prone dogs.



How old are the dogs? Make sure they are 3 years or older before breeding, so they can fully mature and be done growing themselves.



Make sure you have deposits and homes BEFORE having litters,to avoid having to give to unfavorable homes.



Have a contract that states the pups you sell will be returned to you if the new owner can not or will not keep the dog. If you breed them and create the litters, then they are ultimately your responsibility, so be prepared to have things "not work out" and have a person return a puppy or adult dog.



Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Well, if you want to be considered a reputable breeder you will start showing your dogs or competing in working events with them. We all need that outside perspective that comes from directly comparing our dogs to others' in a competitive environment. It's easy to sit back and be complacent, thinking "my dog is good enough", when in fact our kennel blindness has hidden our dogs' faults from us.



You will also join the German Shepherd Dog Club of America, http://www.gsdca.org/ your local German Shepherd Dog club and your local Kennel Club. These groups are excellent opportunities for education and networking, and you will have access to successful, long-time breeders and their knowledge.



Of course, you will be doing the health certifications recommended by the GSDCA. For example, hip and elbow certification by OFA, eye certification by CERF, etc.



And of course, you will breed for health, correct structure, temperament and breed type, ignoring passing fads and certainly not breeding for periperals like color (especially "rare" colors).



There's more, but a lot of that can be learned by the contacts you will make through the clubs and competition.



Read everything you can on dogs, German Shepherds, breeding, training, dog psychology, health, nutrition, and anything else that might be useful.



Responsible dog breeding is an ongoing education.



And because you love the breed so much, you will become involved in rescue as much as you are reasonably able, whether by fostering, transfering, doing home checks, referring, donating, whatever you can do to help the breed you love.



And of course, you are breeding strictly for the love of the breed, not to make any money.....

Answer 5

Firstly, you desperately need to study your breed. The coat texture and light colors you describe are SERIOUS FAULTS. Your white dilute female may produce white pups which are completely disallowed. If you breed the dogs you have now, you will be breeding faulty, defective German Shepherds.

Read the standard and please get involved with responsible show breeders who are dedicated to the breed. Your "advisors" are leading you astray!!! From the AKC STANDARD:

Faults in coat include soft, silky, too long outer coat, woolly, curly, and open coat.



Color

The German Shepherd Dog varies in color, and most colors are permissible. Strong rich colors are preferred. Pale, washed-out colors and blues or livers are serious faults. A white dog must be disqualified.



German Shepherd Dogs must be certified against many health issues before being mated. PLEASE contact the breed parent club and associate yourself with responsible people before proceeding any further.

http://www.gsdca.org/

Answer 6

Your advisors will have much better advice. If they're sending you here, get new ones. The GSD club is a good starting place.

Answer 7

are you breeding for show or working or just pets?? American or German bred??