I'm a backyard breeder........... - Page 3

I dont think anyone would have a problem with you breeding if you were testing the sire and dame to confirm they are health certified to breed. It doesnt seem you are in it the for money and that is great. But in your post you dont mention the health of the puppies you are selling. That makes people concerned that health is not something you are looking at proactively. Just because your pups have had no issues so far doesnt mean to keep breeding. I purchased my female from a "backyard breeder" if you want to call it that. The female had prelims done but the map hadnt. I love my dog and the male is great dog to me. But as I am a little more knowledgable at this time that when I purchased. I would have still purchased from the same guy, but I would have liked to have the health certificates done just to put me at ease. I dont plan on breeding my female but since her sire and dame didnt have the ofa done I would like to x-ray my female to make sure I dont have surprises when she gets older. As the breeder you should do it professional to some aspect even if a "back yard breeder". I would want to breed just be cause of the responsibility is more than what I want. But good luck and hope all goes well.

Well, we're getting into semantics here.  BYB seems to be a term used to define those who are not breeding as part of the industry.  IMPO, puppy mills are more to blame for the number of dogs in in shelters than a person who puts out one or two litters per year (that is one per bitch, per year),  Now, that would open the converstion to what constitutes a puppy-mill.   And even then, the bigger problem involves owners who fail to properly secure and/or supervise their un-neutered pets to avoid unwanted pregnancies.  But I digress.

I've met BYB's that put a lot of forethought into the health and development of their animals and what lines they will cross their dogs with, and I've met folks who happen to haphazzardly own a male and a female and just let them breed.  These are two different enterprises and the OP seems to be the former.

Given the fact that a good number of the posters here either show or "work" (as in sport) their dogs, I can understand the mindset.  However, even in working litters you will have one or two pups more suited for the pet environment.  Most pet homes will not pay the asking price for a working (or show) lines pup of substantial quality and the ideas set forth only ensure that the GSD continues losing ground as the dog of choice for families.

The important thing is to have a plan, and standards, as to what you are wanting to develop into your ideal of the GSD without straying from the breed conformation.  More importantly, the OP seems to have a handle on the fact that she's not an authority on breeding and is not shy about asking for help/guidance.  Those who want to help the breed should try to help rather than condemn her.

My suggestion to her would be to join a working dog club and get her dogs some tittles to enhance the desirability factor among potential buyers.

I am not against back yard breeders. Let just use the term hobbie breeders or what have you. I like the goal of alot of them. Even a professional breeder alot of time breed for public opionion and certain things can fall by the way side. And I agree totally with Charlie319. Especially in america. I am not a fan of the am. showlines that are over-exaggerated, but didnt want a high energy "working" line either (both driven by ignorance to some point). The breeder I purchased from had the same view point. His male is excatly what I was looking for. More of the 80's type american gsd i grew up admiring. I dont find that type of dog at many breeders. I try to research local hobby breeders in my area just to look around. You can tell why they breeder fairly fast. And you can tell the original poster is doing more good than harm to the GSD. Didnt read anything about certain type or look of the GSD. I dont think the op is trying to claim stack in the current trends of buyers. But doing something she loves and that is great.

Has anyone seen the dogs they are breeding? They are listed on the PDB, look them up and decide for yourself if they are worth breeding.

I only see Hanibal...  what are the others?? 

They seem like nice GSD's, not an expert on pedigree but seems to have a good one. No title so the original poster would have to say what makes them breed worthy as we dont know anything about them. I think most would say no because no titles. But not all "breed worthy" dogs have a title. I am not considering health issues though. But I dont think anyone can honestly give an opionion, but seems to be better dogs than alot I see. Seems to be a very good "backyard breeder".  When I think of back yard breeder I dont necessarily think of the pedigree hanibal has.

I have always said that only the best of the best should be bred. First off, nowhere does it show the Hannibal has had any health checks and secondly the dog has no titles, not even a Canine Good Citizen certificate. This is completely irresponsible and I am not a hardcore working dog enthusiast. As a matter of fact both of my present dogs are rescue dogs and I do therapy dog work with them. My last dog was a gorgeous German showline male with a top notch pedigree, but did I breed him? NO! Why? Because in my opinion he was not breed worthy. He was a little too sharp and wasn't clear headed enough, athough I was told by the trainers at my Schutzhund club that he had what it took to be titled. Unfortunately due to circumstances with my aging parents I had to drop out of the club an ddevote my time to them. Even if would've gotten him titled or succeeded in showing him I never would've bred him.  I was asked by some people with a BYB mentality if I would breed him to their female and of course I refused. Breeding dogs is something that needs to be taken very seriously and again, only the best of the best should be bred. "Best", of course, is somewhat subjective, but being a purebred registered dog does not qualify a dog as being one of the best or even breed worthy.

If I had a Marko vom Cellerand male of good quality, It would be breed worthy on the strength that it is a fairly rare bloodline of substantial merit.  We've already lost too much of the breed to the "cookie-cutter" breeders.  If you look at the NASS dogs, it is hard to find a dog that is not a Canto-Quanto or Mutz bloodline dog.

If she's breeding good dependable dogs that are physically correct,  good around the family and protective of them and the home, she's doing a good job for a particular market that is not interested in a show dog or a little OCD prey-monster.  With some luck, her customers may decide that their next dog will be a Schutzhund/PSA/KNPV/SAR dog.

THe other item to consider is that we should not so much sell the dogs, but place them in a situation where they and their owners will be successful.  That's plain Marketing 101.

Think of it as an "entry-level" GSD.

Charlie,
Are you referring to the Marko vom Cellerand that was born in 1968?  It would be hard to find dogs these days with marko in the pedigree.  He was a great dog known for producing great working dogs with excellent, dark pigment. Marko produced a lot of black or bi color dogs and was used to enhance pigment and working ability.  My female is line bred on Oldo and Xento Maineiche and has Marko in her 4th and 5th generation.  She's 11 1/2 now now and I don't think you'll find many dogs with Marko in the first 5 generations any more. 

Jim

 Just to muddy the waters, there are (IMPO) "commercial" breeders who many people respect that are BYBs- they breed dogs they know damn well they shouldn't breed for the MONEY. I think these people are worse than a BYB who means well but is ignorant. I see little difference (besides intent) in 2 dogs haphazardly thrown together because someone wants puppies and someone who knows better throwing 2 dogs together who shouldn't be bred for their market. The results are disastrous, and they don't care. The checks have been cashed.

As a side note, what am I considered?