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View Full Version : Grate Dane breeding


Bluedane
Jan 9, 2011, 10:47 PM
I have a Blue Great Dane male. He is an amazing dog. He is very smart and very loving. Even though he is 8 he still is a puppy at heart. He stands 45 in. And 165 lb.
I love him dearly and I wish I could find a female Dane that would like to help me breed him one last time. Before he has
To leave. PleasKe let me know.

shazamataz
Jan 10, 2011, 12:17 AM
There are a few things here that need to be discussed.

Firstly your Dane may not even be capable of breeding, have you had a sperm count done on him? 8 is rather old for a Dane, most only live to be 9-10 and there would be no point putting a b*tch through a mating if it's not even possible.

Next, smart and loving are not breeding qualities. I understand you love your dog, but just having an amazing dog doesn't always mean it's a good idea for them to reproduce.
Breeding quality comes from good conformation, a dog close to the Breed Standard: American Kennel Club - Great Dane (http://www.akc.org/breeds/great_dane/)
The Breed Standard is what makes every dog breed what it is today. Professional breeders and those who show dogs try to breed dogs as close to this standard as possible.
The entire point of breeding is the better the breed. What does your Dane have that can improve the breed?

Male dogs don't go out finding females... the owner of the females are the ones who find the males.
If your dog is an outstanding example of the breed and has been winning awards at shows and competitions people will see him, know him and want to use him at stud.
If he is not a show dog and not won any competition then odds are no-one with a quality Dane will want to use him.

Competitions aren't just about fancy ribbons and prizes, shows prove how good a dog is.
Like you said, your Dane is amazing and loving, but that is your opinion... by showing a dog it is judged by many people so there is no bias.

Next is health. Danes have a few common health problems, cardiomyopathy, hip displaysia, bloat, all hereditary problems.
You need to make sure your dog has a clean bill of health (and the b*tch) as well as have hip and elbow scores done by a vet.

Basically, what I'm saying is given his age, and the fact you have not mentioned awards or health tests, plus the fact you don't know how finding a dog/b*tch works I would just let him live out the rest of his life as your beloved pet.
There is no need to breed him and even if he was capable and you did find a b*tch the pups aren't necessarily going to be anything like him.

I had a Shih Tzu years ago who was such a little sweetheart, he was an amazing dog as well.
He was a show dog and won a lot of awards. Well a lady approached us to use him at stud and after all health checks were done we went through with it.

We took one of the puppies thinking it would be nice to have another little Elliott. The pup we took was nothing like he was... we were so disappointed. We loved her anyway but we only wanted another puppy because it was Elliotts daughter, she was a polar opposite of him personality wise.