How do you keep a female dog from getting pregnant on her first heat?

Ridgetop

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and cost a alot of money to raise...let alone trying to find the perfect homes for them in this current economy.
B & B Happy Goats hit it right on the head! Everything she said x 10.

For me, I have CHIC tested my dogs, and have the necessary emergency money to breed litter, BUT I hate finding appropriate homes for them and worrying that they will end up in rescue (where no LGD should ever end up) because judged the buyer wrongly. Or worse, be put down because they develop very bad habits. Even with a return clause in any purchase contract, this is something good and reputable breeders worry about.

Many people will buy an LGD without investigating the problems you can have with them or the training necessary. And there are problems and training necessary. Many people think just toss the dog in the pasture and then complain about the dog when they don't train it properly. This is why well trained LGDs are so expensive. Properly trained LGDs have huge value. For commercial operations LGDs are all that keep them from bankruptcy. Like any dog LGDs take appropriate training. And a lot of LGD buyers won't listen to you when you tell them HOW and WHY they need training. Or they call asking how to fix a problem and won't obey your instructions, then blame the dog.

Reread B &B Happy Goats posting and then really think about it. Since you have to bear all the costs without parental support, think carefully.
 

B&B Happy goats

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B & B Happy Goats hit it right on the head! Everything she said x 10.

For me, I have CHIC tested my dogs, and have the necessary emergency money to breed litter, BUT I hate finding appropriate homes for them and worrying that they will end up in rescue (where no LGD should ever end up) because judged the buyer wrongly. Or worse, be put down because they develop very bad habits. Even with a return clause in any purchase contract, this is something good and reputable breeders worry about.

Many people will buy an LGD without investigating the problems you can have with them or the training necessary. And there are problems and training necessary. Many people think just toss the dog in the pasture and then complain about the dog when they don't train it properly. This is why well trained LGDs are so expensive. Properly trained LGDs have huge value. For commercial operations LGDs are all that keep them from bankruptcy. Like any dog LGDs take appropriate training. And a lot of LGD buyers won't listen to you when you tell them HOW and WHY they need training. Or they call asking how to fix a problem and won't obey your instructions, then blame the dog.

Reread B &B Happy Goats posting and then really think about it. Since you have to bear all the costs without parental support, think carefully.
I agree with you, finding great homes is the most stressful part for me also.
 

Blessedwithpets

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I raise and breed dogs and I have a few questions for you... can you afford the vet bills, ..can you handle taking a sick puppy to the vet and hold it and comfort it while the vet puts it down...can you afford to have each parent dog Embark tested ($150 per dog ....large breed dogs such as yours need to have proof of good hips, it takes a different (expensive !) type of xrays and certificate of clearance of hip dysplasia....are you prepared to wait 2 years to breed your dogs....you will need to advertise , answer tons of questions from prospective buyers... how would you interview the prospective buyer and make sure that your puppy is going to a responsible home, with lots of room for the dog to run...do the new owners have time to properly raise and TRAIN their puppy,...do they have animals to guard, family pet or will it be for working.., do they have young children ? .do they have high fencing ...will the puppy be alone all day when they work, or will someone be home with them ...can they afford to take the dog to the vet if needed...
If you already have about 5k set aside for food, dog and Puppies needs and vetting.....and have all the above items planned out, then go for it ! Raising puppies is a 24/7 job...and last but not least, who is cleaning up all the mess they make....YOU
It really isn't as sweet and fun as some people think, I have held those puppies that have needed to be put down , then we (vet and I) opened up that puppy to find out what may have gone wrong, then home to bury it, ...and I won't even get into birthing issues or puppies born dead.....they (puppies and dogs) are not anything like a litter of kittens, rabbits, birds or fish....they ( I am repeating myself) are a LOT OF , and I mean alot of work, and cost a alot of money to raise...let alone trying to find the perfect homes for them in this current economy.
I hope you will consider what I have mentioned, I have not said it to discourage you...it is just some facts you need to be aware of...good luck to you, Barb
Thank you!! I’m going to figure out how to lock her up and I want to find someone with a male standard poodle when she is ready to be bred so I could have pyredoodle puppies. I’m 14 and homeschooled and animals are my world so I have plenty of time and as for money my parents can help me as long as I pay them back eventually. I wish I could breed her with a miniature poodle but I don’t know how much an AI would cost and you never know if it will be effective. And I know what it’s like to have still born animals and having expensive vet bills for baby animals. I’d like more tips if you have any. God bless you!!
 

B&B Happy goats

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Thank you!! I’m going to figure out how to lock her up and I want to find someone with a male standard poodle when she is ready to be bred so I could have pyredoodle puppies. I’m 14 and homeschooled and animals are my world so I have plenty of time and as for money my parents can help me as long as I pay them back eventually. I wish I could breed her with a miniature poodle but I don’t know how much an AI would cost and you never know if it will be effective. And I know what it’s like to have still born animals and having expensive vet bills for baby animals. I’d like more tips if you have any. God bless you!!

My advice is, ...please don't cross breed her with a poodle...if you are prepared to breed your $300 dog, then breed her with one that is pure bred and has been tested for everything...all you will achieve by breeding her is letting more dogs with health issues come into the world , and possibly end up like my neighbors LGD, tied by a
heavy chain to a tree for its entire life...if that is what you want for her puppies....well, I can say no more. .
God bless you too !
 

frustratedearthmother

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My advice is, ...please don't cross breed her with a poodle...

Agree with all of the above. LGD's, if bred, should be bred to do their job. Cross-breeding an LGD, IF DONE AT ALL, should only be with another LGD breed.

To put it in simple terms: Breeding an LGD to a dog that has a different purpose in life brings nothing but confusion to the offspring.
 

Ridgetop

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DO NOT BREED HER WITH A POODLE! Not only are you producing mutts, but you will not be able to tell if the puppies will have guarding behaviors like the mother or poodle behaviors like the father. You will have puppies that are half guarding dogs and half hunting dogs. Poodles are originally water retrievers. Breeding a large guarding dog to a hunting dog is just asking for trouble!

You won't be able to place the dogs in a LGD home for fear the dog will attack and kill their livestock. You won't be able to place the dog in a pet home since Pyrs are notorious for escaping their yards and running off. And if the dog has strong guarding instincts, it can become overly protective of its owners.

Cross breeding is a very bad idea. Just more puppies to end up in shelters.
 

Stephine

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Thank you!! I’m going to figure out how to lock her up and I want to find someone with a male standard poodle when she is ready to be bred so I could have pyredoodle puppies. I’m 14 and homeschooled and animals are my world so I have plenty of time and as for money my parents can help me as long as I pay them back eventually. I wish I could breed her with a miniature poodle but I don’t know how much an AI would cost and you never know if it will be effective. And I know what it’s like to have still born animals and having expensive vet bills for baby animals. I’d like more tips if you have any. God bless you!!
One more voice to say, please, don’t breed her to a poodle!!! I am sure you mean well, but that kind of breeding is completely irresponsible. LGDs are not like other dogs and you will likely end up with problematic dogs. Just imagine the energy of a poodle with the drive to roam and independence of an LGD in one dog! Poodles are very smart and energetic but they have also been selected for a will to please their owners. That will to please is essential so they can easily be trained. An LGD is bred to work independently and by definition that means they have their own head and care less about what makes their owner happy.
You do not want to mix the two! And just imagine having a poodle coat on an LGD, it’s a nightmare of tangles, unless it’s cut regularly and your LGD minded dog might not have the patience for that much grooming…
There’s much more… but really, please don’t do that.
 
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