Book recommendation and breeding advice

Plover · Book recommendation and breeding advice

Hi Everyone

I hope to give Plover a litter on her next season (anytime between now and April) but although my family have always had dogs, we have never had a litter before. I have talked to lots of people and have seen other people's set ups for the pups but can anyone recommend a really good book that goes through everything from mating to seeing the pups off to their new homes? There is so much to think about and I want to make sure that I get it 100% right so that I can give the pups the best start to life and make sure that Plover has everything that she needs.

It is a very scary prospect when you have never done it before. I am sure that I will be on this forum constantly when the time comes. Any advance advice at this stage would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Jackie

Mike

Book of the bitch

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Bitch-J-M-Evans/dp/1860540236

BenB

do you have a sire lined up?

Plover

Thanks Mike. It looks like an informative book.

Ben, I will be using a Trudvang dog. Chris Gray bred the dog but doesn't own him (he only kept two bitches from the litter). I have seen his sisters work on numerous occasions and his mother and half brother and they are all wide-ranging, hard and fast hunters like Plover. I haven't met the dog yet but have seen enough of his relatives to have a pretty good idea of what he will be like. I will be seeing him after the shooting season and as long as Chris is happy to recommend the dog, I will use him.

Mike

Hi Jackie, sorry my post was so brief Smile

Posting from work doesn't seem to work very often...

Book of the bitch is an excellent resource, I guess you could say the only down side is that it is SO thorough!

Good luck! Smile

Lisa

This is a very good book , I have never bred (just a sucker for books!) but a friend of mine borrowed it before she had her first litter and said it really helped her.

Claire

I hope it all goes well Jackie.

I have to say though, in my personal opinion, I wouldn't want a dog to be too fast and I definitely wouldn't be using a dog based purely on its relatives Shocked

Don't mean to offend, like I say, just my personal opinion Wink

Plover

Hi Claire

I guess it's a case of personal preference. I love watching a hard running dog with lots of hunting drive and that's want I want to produce.

I haven't chosen the dog based on relatives though. I have chosen the line and breeder that I want to use and have yet to see that particular dog. There were several dogs in the litter so if I am unhappy with the dog that Chris has in mind, we can look at the others. I think it is important to see as many relatives as possible from that line as well as the dog itself.

Jackie

Blue

You may want to check these out as well
Dog Steps by Rachel Page Elliott
The Dynamics of Canine Gait by Leon Hollenbeck's

These have more to do with whether or not your bitch should be bred in the first place. Will she improve the breed? Does she have all her health checks? Is she an excellent representative of the breed? Much more to breeding than getting the nursery ready.

I wish you all the best, it will be very exciting!

Danielle Mason

Yes i must say that we took a male Gwp from chris grays 06 litter and they are exceptional work dogs. Very handsome too Smile

Our boy never fails to impress when out on the shoot, very good line you have choosen.