serious question - Page 1

I have a question for all you experienced people. I have a 1 1/2 year old "plush coat" male that I kept from the last breeding that I had with my female. You can find his pedigree under Diesel von Zmelli.(The picture needs to be updated though--didn't take a very good one). I recently put him for sale and am getting an enormous response for him. We were going to sell him to get a titled female. He has great pigmentation, incredible ball drive, a little oversized maybe, huge bones, good family dog, very loyal, and a nice big head. We showed him to 2 breeders and they brought out the sleeve and he immediately went for it without ever even seeing a sleeve. We didn't title him because of his hair. My husband and I wonder if we should keep him a little bit longer to breed once with a titled female that we buy since he has a lot of old lines in him. We especially like all the Wienerau lines he has. It's his bloodlines that I think might be worth keeping around and maybe keeping a female of his that has a stock coat. Would this be a good idea or not? I know he would make some beautiful puppies but I also know how you guys don't like breeding if a dog is not titled or has longer hair. His hips have been x'rayed and they are fine and I know he would have done excellent in Schutzund. We are so torn on what to do with this dog. Breeders who have seen him really like him, and if it weren't for his hair, they say he could get a high v rating. We do want to sell him because we eventually want to end up with a titled male and female. All your honest advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi Zmeli, Question? Why did you keep him? Were you unable to tell his coat type when he was less than a yr and a half old? I dont understand the not titling because of his hair... is he considered a long coat is that why? I have seen many long coats work in protection...no you cant get a breed survey but you dont seem to mind breeding without one anyway... so whats the difference, why not just keep him and continue to love him and have fun with him :) bet he is a real sweetie :) Its a little difficult for me to understand how you can keep him this long and now want to sell him... afterall when we breed animals, we are responsible for these sweet creatures for the rest of thier lives...even if they go somewhere else... one day we may have to take them back and we should. unless you feel he will have a much better life elsewhere... but then if you feel that.. then its probably not wise to get another dog.. you know what i mean? it would have been alot more fair to have sold him as a puppy then to have bonded with him for a yr and a half.. follow me? do you not have room to get more dogs? why not build a kennel and see how much room you have and enjoy the sweet boy and expand :) Hope all works out for all of you Regards, Dawnmarie

I would like to know from you what you consider a "plush coat"? Looking at the photo, it is very clear that he is a long (stock) coat. According to SV regulations, they are banned from breeding - meaning that no offspring is eligible for registration. So, why would you want to breed with a long coat? Don't get me wrong. Your male looks handsome, we like long coats, too. They are beautiful pets, but that is what they are - pets. You can certainly do any type of dog sports with them, even Search and Rescue, as long as you don"t go into wilderness searches with them (lack or less of an undercoat), but please, do not breed with them. JMO, Chris P.S. I agree with Dawnmarie: Why did you keep him so long and why sell him now? If you had breeding intentions, you would never keep a coat. And what kind of breeders would be interested in breeding with him? Back Yard Breeders? Certainly not serious ones. In 1990, we had a beautiful long stock coat, who we kept as a pet and friend, since we had him before we became interested in breeding and showing. He was OFA Good, had excellent structure and pigment, great bitework, but he never bred a female. We made sure of it. He died last year of old age. The only coat we will ever have owned.

I understand what you guys are saying. I knew his hair would be long when I kept him. We had no intentions of breeding him back then and had no idea his offspring wouldn't be eligible for registration. We were just interested in his bloodline. Well, I guess our question is answered. I would definately keep him forever if I had the room. We do want to go by the "rules" and do it right if we are going to breed.