This section has been written by myself and shares some of my views along with some information I have picked up over the years.

For choosing a puppy I have been using the puppy puzzle for some 10 years now, I personally feel as though this is a great approach for staying true to yourself and what you value.

There are a number of pages off of this one to look more in depth at certain aspects associated with breeding. When considering breeding a few thoughts need to answered-

• Why are you breeding- why are you breeding this dog/ bitch, what do they have to offer
• Is this animal healthy- what checks have been done to ensure/ try to make sure resultant puppies have the best possibility of being healthy
• What do other people think of them, have they been shown, what does a vet think of them, if someone else owned them would you be happy with their breeding
• What do you do- would you have the time to be with puppies for the 9 weeks or so they will need you, someone needs to be with the bitch the week before birth, the first week someone needs to be with them 24/7 to ensure nothing untoward happens. From there the time is less but I still like to have a 30 min or so check on them as the weeks go on this demand is less, but they will need 4 meals/ day, is someone available to feed them, to clean them and to ensure they are happy
• What space do you have- would you be able to take in rescues if their new owner wasn’t able to continue caring for them (I have had a couple of owners die in the past with no one in the family wanting them)
• What finances do you have available- your bitch could need a cesarean resulting in dead puppies, could you front the bill for that
• Are there any endorsements placed on them

If all of the above questions can be answered with ease you can start to think of breeding, that is if the health tests come back as positive. The next thought needs to turn toward the chosen dog, why have you decided on this dog in particular, how do those questions (the first three) work with the dog? If they come back as positive then this should be a good mating. If you haven’t bred the bitch contact the breeder and run the possible mating past them, they may have something to warn you against or they could be interested in buying a puppy back from you. It is always worth contacting your breeder to run things past them in this regard.

Please regard the other pages for more information on certain areas, related to breeding.