breeding

johnrange

Hi I'm new to this

I am looking for some advice on my pets
I have two dogs and my female has been in heat at least three times, only once my male went after her. She torments him not leaving him along following him and excuse words keeps putting it in he's face but nothing happens
Then it comes a time when he's crying to get near her and she won't let him she snaps at him and sits down anytime he goes near her
I can't get them at the same time

Any advice would be great

thanks

muddypaws

My advice would be to get her spayed, and maybe him neutered as well, then you won't have to deal with it every 6 months.

zef

johnrange wrote: »

Hi I'm new to this

I can't get them at the same time

Do you mean you are trying to breed them? What type of dogs are they?

johnrange

yes Im trying to breed them
there both full breed west highland terriers

andreac

Why do you want to breed them?

johnrange

I got a female to breed, she's very small for a westie and I have brought her to the vet to check her out. I have papers for both
I've always had westies but it's just not happening with these

johnrange

Is there anything I can do to help the process without physical holding them together
he's driving me mad barking and crying and she's growling anytime he goes anywhere close to her

andreac

But what are you reasons for breeding them? Why do you want to breed them?

andreac

If she's very small then She's Not A good example of the breed so you shouldn't be breeding from her.

DBB

Hi Johnrange,
As a great aficionado of Westies, and as a person who rehomes very many of them, might I ask you have you had them screened for all of the really common westie health conditions?
Specifically, I mean
Atopy
Perthe's disease
Craniomandibular osteopathy
Pulmonary fibrosis
Liver shunt
Cancer, particularly of the kidneys and liver
Digestive abnormalities

If you haven't, might I prevail upon you to do so, because in my experience, as it stands in the Republic of Ireland, the vast majority of Westies are afflicted with at least one of these horrible conditions in their lifetime, and as a result, the life expectancy of Westies has plummeted in the past decade. For the good of the breed, it's a simple reality that almost no Westies in this country should be bred from at all. Of course, perhaps you have two fine examples of the breed that are free of genetic health problems, but if you don't, please don't breed from them.

I'd also ask you to take note that as a breed, they're not in much demand these days, and are very hard to sell. Which is why you see them going for small money on the advertising websites. It's also why so many of them are coming into rescue. People just don't want them any more.

Their inability to mate thus far may be indicative of an underlying hormonal or physical issue.

wexie

John, I'll probably get a bit of a smack for this from the mods (scusi Senora) but if you have a good look around this forum you'll probably see pretty quickly you're not likely to find advice here (openly) for backyard breeding unless you can convince people that you're not just looking for a few quid. ie.

Do your dogs adhere to the breed standard? do they have any desirable /undesirable characteristics? Are they healthy? Are they likely to pass on any genetic traits, good or bad? What are there bloodlines? Should they be bred? Where did you get them from that they aren't endorsed?
etc. etc. etc. etc.

IMHO if your answer to any of these questions is .....well.....eh....I dunno.....and I have a hunch that's the answer to more than one of those then you've no business breeding dogs.

johnrange

Thank you for your responses , they are both healthy , both ikc registered dogs
I have brought them to the vet for check ups and the only thing the vet thinks is she's on the small side maybe as a result of being the last of the litter no other reason for it not happening or the male doesn't exactly know what to do

muddypaws

Just because a dog is IKC registered, it doesn't mean its a good example of the breed, it actually means nothing, not even a guarantee that the dogs are purebred, as nobody checks, its just a registry based on trust. Going to the vet for check ups is also not doing the genetic health checks needed for breeding.

You do realise that if you manage to get them to mate, that your male will then know what's what, and will be driven mad everytime there is a bitch in season anywhere nearby?

Why do you want to breed?

You should really be talking to the breeders that you bought the dogs from, if they are any way good, they will be acting as mentors, there again, if they are any good, they would have put endorsements on the papers.

DBB

johnrange wrote: »

Thank you for your responses , they are both healthy , both ikc registered dogs
I have brought them to the vet for check ups and the only thing the vet thinks is she's on the small side maybe as a result of being the last of the litter no other reason for it not happening or the male doesn't exactly know what to do

But he didn't check for any of the above very common health problems in the breed, no?
Or have you yourself checked back through their lineages to make sure you're breeding from healthy stock, rather than carrying on the misery of those health conditions? Because if you bought either of them in the south of Ireland, chances are they're carrying one or more of those heritable conditions.
Your dogs won't mate... I think they're trying to tell you something

VonVix

Why do you want a litter of puppies johnrange? Knowing what's involved and the stress the mother would be through I could never do it myself.

andreac

Does the breeder of your Bitch know you are breeding her?

Maybe get in touch with them and get their advice. I'm sure they will be delighted to help if they are reputable breeders.

But honestly, it doesn't sound like you should be breeding at all.

ene

also you have to look at other generations as westies in ireland have been inbred a lot which is why there has been a increase in genetic conditions.... you have to make sure there are no relations on either side