puddles

I am new to this forum, but I have a question. We have a basset that is 2 years old, her name is Puddles. We are using a Male who is 5 years old to breed with. Rufus, the male is not interested in Puddles, he will sniff her for a second then turn or walk away, or she will wag her tail and wack him in the face. Either way he is not interested and just keeps walking away. Is it possible that he can't smell her, that his nose can't smell?? He is definitely not neutered, so I don't know what is going on. This is both Puddles and Rufus' first time, is it possible they don't know what to do, but shouldn't he show more interest??
Thanks in advance for advice
Kristi

[ September 24, 2005, 09:55 PM: Message edited by: puddles ]

puddles

Thought I'd give you more infor. Puddles is for sure in heat, the vet confirmed this, and she is in her middle week. So, what's going on?

pinehawk

why ru doing this?

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ggklocke

I'm no expert, but I'd say you aren't either.
If you're asking such a BASIC question about breeding, you REALLY, REALLY should NOT persue this until you further your education on the subject!
Seriously.
Additionally;
Puppies are cute! But, there are so many dogs who already need homes. Unless both dogs have champion blood lines, please rethink the puppy idea! You need to be armed with knowledge before taking on such an endeavor. Pregnancy is risky (possibly deadly) business for the bitch.

[ September 27, 2005, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: Scratch & Sniff ]

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Sampson's Mommies

Is it a bad thing to want to breed your dog? I thought it was a common practice. Please don't kill me for asking this. lol

Soundtrack

Sampson's Mommies (and others), without trying to be offensive, as someone who is dedicated to the basset hound I really feel that breeding is NOT an endeavor for the casual breeder. There are far too many bassets produced that:

1)Need homes, because their breeder either did not plan out how to place them, or did not screen homes carefully enough and sold them to inappropriate owners, or simply didn't support thier pups for life (are you willing to take responsibility and take back one of your pups if it needs a home, no matter how old it is (ie ten years from now?))

2) Have structural problems because their breeder did not know proper structure, did not know how to breed for proper structure, did not know about proper nutrition to support proper structure. Do you know what kind of diet will cause bone growth problems in young bassets? Do you know what to do if a young basset starts limping? Do you know what's meant by fiddle front, or out at elbow?

3) Have health/temperament problems because their breeder either overlooked such problems in their dog (either because they didn't test for them, or the dog was too young for them to show up, or simply didn't think it was a problem) or didn't know the health problems in the background of the dog and didn't have a knowledge of basic genetics. Have you done ANY of the health tests recommended by the BHCA health committee? Do you have any idea how genetic diseases are transmitted? Do you know the dogs in the pedigree and if they had any problems? Do you even know what they look like? Are you excusing a shy or aggressive temperament (oh, she was abused before we got her, the nasty vet/groomer scared her)? Temperament is a heritable trait.

4) Are mistreated, put to sleep, made to live outside or develop easily avoided health/bone problems because the breeder didn't know or didn't care to advise the owners and help them in the rearing of their pups. Do you have LOTS of knowledge about basic nutrition, training, behavior problems, growth issues in bassets etc and are you willing to be available to your puppy buyers to answer any and all questions they may have?

5) Do not look or act like bassets should, because their breeder bred their pet-quality dog that came from another breeder who bred their pet and so on, or or came from a long line of puppymill dogs. I've lost count of the number of people who've gotten a basset from such a source, then look at mine (long ears, large bone, loose skin) and wonder when their young basset will look like that. It won't! In my opinion, if you're not getting the features that make a basset special you might as well pick up a wonderful mix from the pound. After all, for most of us the first thing that caught our eye was "the look", then we discovered what a wonderful breed it is.

In my opinion, the only reason to be breeding is because you are trying to breed a high quality dog that will contribute to the breed. This means one that is at least good enough to compete in shows or field trials (and preferably is good enough to do both), has been tested for the basic problems most likely to affect the dog (based on it's breed and bloodlines), and has a solid temperament. Then you don't just breed to the first available male, but do your research and carefully select a male that has features that will compliment your bitch. Have you competed with your dog in shows or field trials, to prove that she is a superior specimen worthy of breeding?

Also, far too many people get into breeding without planning or much forethought, other than the vague notion that they would enjoy having puppies and might make a few $$$. Breeding, especially a breed like bassets, is involved. You need to carefully nurture, feed and supervise a pregnant bitch. Can you tell if she develops life-threatening pyometra? Are you able to watch her 24/7 during her last week of pregnancy so you are there when she whelps? Are you prepared to help her? She will probably need your help at some point. Are you prepared for the mess (blood, fluids etc.) and for your bitch to be discharging all over the place for up to two weeks after whelping? Do you know what to do if a puppy gets stuck? Do you know what to do if a pup is not breathing? Are you prepared for a deformed pup? A dead one? Do you know the signs of trouble during whelping? What if she needs a c-section (common in bassets)? Do you know how to look for a cleft palate? Can you watch them 24/7 for at least two weeks after whelping to make sure momma doesn't lie on them and crush them (it only takes minutes)? Do you know how to look for eclampsia or mastitis in the bitch? What if the pups get sick? What if the bitch dies or cannot nurse the pups? Do you have a place for them when they get too big for the whelping box? Are you prepared for a bunch of poop machines with teeth that mess constantly and chew like Pac-man? Where the heck are you going to put 8 eight week old basset puppies? What if they don't all sell right away? How long are you prepared to keep them? And there's lots more questions you need to think about before you even start!


I'll get off my soapbox now.

[ September 27, 2005, 01:51 PM: Message edited by: Soundtrack ]

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Betsy Iole

Something that particularly irks me are backyard breeders who brag about shipping puppies all over the US. When the buyer in California has a change of heart, guess who gets stuck? Not the BYB in Mississippi or Alabama, that's for damn sure. No, it's always rescue that cleans up the BYBs' mess.

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Aruuuu

Very well stated, Miriam! It's clear from the questions being asked that there is a definite lack of knowledge on the part of both these 'breeders'. Let's just hope Rufus never figures out what he's supposed to do!!!!

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Twinkie's Mum

Thank God for you guys who are serious breeders and able to answer these questions to educate people without offending them. Its hard work and not something to be taken up lightly. These people who are so excited to breed their dogs really should at least visit some of the rescue sites on line (or better yet, in person) and find out exactly what happens to the dogs that people weren't serious about. Many of them were owned by well-meaning people who weren't serious about what they would do when (if) problems arose and it was just easier to give up the dog and make it someone else's problem, rather than figure out how to handle whatever the problem was on their own.

If you can't answer what you would do in any of the instances outlined above by Miriam (Soundtrack), you shouldn't be thinking about breeding your dog. You should be willing to put in lots of time (and I mean months or more, not a couple of days) researching and learning before you should even consider it. You may not want to think it, but ill-planning (or no planning at all) is just another form of abuse.

Thanks for the thoughtful answers.

Janet 'n Twink.

[ September 27, 2005, 10:57 AM: Message edited by: Twinkie's Mum ]

Basset Momma

Miriam- Is there a way to make your information here available for the many new people and those who just like to lurk? I think you state it very well... without being offensive- which is a great feat! I don't know how all that works- as a FAQ or soemthing similar- but you are awesome and I would love to see this information stay around!

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