Considering a doodle litter

[Kat]

  I have a beautiful standard poodle bitch that I plan on breeding to another poodle later. I also am watching a gorgeous border collie boy for a few months. My bitch just went into heat and I'm seriously thinking about allowing the 2 to breed. The owner of the boy is interested as she got him to stud. He has a really good pedigree, really healthy lines. His parents were both health tested but he's still a little young for OFA. My poodle is also from clean lines just less impressive. There are show dogs in her lines but she wouldn't do well in the ring as she is a little long for her height. She is light apricot (mom red, dad white) her color varies in shade a little along her body and ears. The boy has a white head with freckles, brown eyes and dark sable on his body. He's long hair and has the most delightful disposition. He's the calmest BC I've ever met that didn't require hours of running to relax. My GSD is more active than him. The poodle is calm also just has a lot of sassy attitude.

 They are both so beautiful with the most delightful temperaments and are so smart that it is tempting. In the near future he will be moving across the country so if I want to breed them it is this heat or never. His owner has agreed to split expenses if we need to. We aren't sure what we should sell them for though. Since a standard of her quality sells for $1500, we were thinking 1/2. The pups should be exceptional. What is the average doodle litter size when mom is a std poodle?

 I've already researched everything I possibly can on pregnancy and whelping and since I'm home all the time that won't be a problem.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I'm not a breeder, just an ordinary doodle mom, but my opinion is that there are a whole lot of dog owners out there that feel as tho they have just the sweetest, kindest, smartest, best dog around and would love to bring more just like them into the world. But it poses the question: "Aren't there enough dogs or dog mixes or breeds that already are sweet and kind and smart and the best dog around?"
I personally need proof of LOTS of health testing and a Health Guarantee Contract when choosing a breeder. ANd I want to see previous litters and hear from previous owners who recommend that breeder. I'm sure there are loads of people that would just buy your pups that don't need all that, but are they the type of people that will appreciate this "special" mix of dog you made, or think of them as no more than a mutt and be treated accordingly?

And what will you do with them if they don;t sell? How many can be in a standard poodles litter? What if it's 10-11 and you can only sell a few? Then what? Just a thought, and just going with my gut reaction here, so take it for what it's worth. karen's suggestion was valid, go to a BC forum and see what people who really know BC's can tell you. Good luck in whatevery you decide.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Poodle+Pug= Pugoodle? Poodug?

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Isn;t that a puggle? Or is that a pug with something else?

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I think a puggle is a pug and beagle... but I might be wrong

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

no I think a puggle is a pug and beagle. weird though.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think you're right. There's a guy who breeds 100's of them in large cages outdoors.I saw him on TV.

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

100's of them in large cages outdoors. How did he make it on TV? We should put him in a cage outside.

[F, Calla & Luca]

He was on one of those shows on designer dogs. But I now see that puggles are pugs and beagle hybrids.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Here he is:
http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2008/02/10/news/757v.txt

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I dont think you should breed these 2 dogs. Actually I dont think you should breed your dog at all. You are what is called a back-yard breeder. Breeding 2 dogs because you are interested in the outcome. Breeding should be done by people who know alot about, and have experience with, dogs, pregnancy, whelping etc and who has a huge house and lots of land to accommodate all those puppies. Someone who will health test the dogs. Someone who knows the average litter size of the dog they plan on breeding. And knowing that good homes can be found for all pups.

There are enough unfortunate dogs at the pound from inexperienced, back-yard breeders!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Amen.

[Kat]

As far as experience no I do not have experience whelping a litter. I do know the average litter size of the poodle but my question was about if it changes when they are bred to another breed. My parents however were breeding, raising, and showing great danes back in the '70 before they had children. They lost a few dogs to bloat and weren't able to save them. Up until recently they never got another dog. A couple years ago they got another dane hoping to stud him and eventually get back into breeding but he ended up having a thyroid problem and he was neutered at 2.

I do take the health of my animals seriously. I know there is no guarantee there won't be problems. Heck I got a GSD from a responsible breeder with all the health checks, bells, and whistles, DNA etc and still ended up with a dog with health problems. I now have a 2 yr old shepherd with elbow dyplasia and arthritis, her breeder hasn't refunded the money yet as she wants to have additional x-rays done and other testing and send off the x-rays to the OFA despite the fact I sent the diagnostic x-rays to the OFA as preliminaries and they confirmed it. I'm not planning on giving her up and will have vetstem done later. For now we are determining what needs to be done first in the way of surgery.