Thinking About Becoming A Flat-Coated Retriever Breeder?
The decision to become a breeder of any breed of dog is an awesome responsibility. No matter what breed, you must pledge to protect the integrity of that breed and to do everything in your power to make informed choices regarding health, temperament, type, soundness and working ability. These factors are even more important in the flat-coat community. We are a breed small in numbers, but growing in popularity. Our gene pool is tiny - even imports from all over Europe are related to our dogs within 5 - 10 generations. This discussion will also assume that any potential breeder is a member of the FCRSA and is already availing themselves of its educational opportunities.
Potential breeders must commit to objectively evaluating their breeding stock in every way. Every flat-coat owner loves their dog - and that emotional tie can blind someone to a dog's faults or shortcomings. Dog shows were developed as a means to getting objective opinions of a dog's quality, however, today's dog shows are rarely a reflection of any given dog's quality. Back in the day, kennels were professional operations, with 30, 40 and 50 breeding animals housed in large facilities. The 'kennelmaster" made all breeding decisions, and the dogs were viewed more as livestock, with a favored few living in the "big house" as pets. Of course we no longer wish to treat dogs in this manner, but what has been lost is the objective eye of that kennelmaster. Many breeds were developed to modern-day type in this manner, with individual dogs recognizable as coming from the "so and so" kennel, and those lines then became the foundations for later kennels or breeding programs. Advertising, politics, the ability to finish a champion - literally in one weekend, against the same competition - all contribute to the erosion of the value of the dog show. While we certainly pursue championships on all of our Bertschire dogs, we do not base our decisions of an individual's quality on it's number of wins. We are proudest of our specialty wins and placements , as the competition there is of the highest caliber.
You must spend a lot of time learning about breed type - the parts of the FCR that make it a flat-coat and not a golden retriever. Too many American judges reward dogs in the show ring that demonstrate sound movement, and not much more than that. Flat-coats should not resemble any other retriever in head type, yet many winners in the show ring carry heads that could be easily exchanged for a Labrador or golden. While sound movement is important in our breed, when judges make decisions based on fault-judging, our breed suffers, particularly among new breeders who may then believe that those qualities are most highly valued. We recommend two books to any new or aspiring breeder: "Solving The Mysteries Of Breed Type" (Richard Beauchamp) and "Reaching For The Stars" (Mary Roslin Williams). Ask questions! Everyone likes talking about their own dogs, so ask other breeders to show you some of their typeyist dogs, and then ask why that one is typey. You should hear terms from the standard included in the reply. Beware an explanation that speaks in generalities - every dog has specific virtues along with specific faults.
Carry the breed standard in your head (or drag along a copy of the FCRSA's "Illustrated Breed Standard", so you can refer directly to it) so that you will learn to recognize a "gradual, slight, barely perceptible stop" or "Rib cage- deep, showing good length from forechest to last rib (to allow ample space for all body organs), and only moderately broad". Put your hands on dogs, to feel the depth and length of ribcage; length of loin; shoulder angle. Close your eyes as you trace the dog's muzzle up and over his eyes. You can feel (or not!) the bone that creates that desired fill, then look closely so you will remember how that feel translates into what your eye sees. Breeders are the stewards and caretakers of our breed and as such must always strive to keep flat-coats looking like flat-coats!
Hopefully, your foundation bitch is the best you could afford. A prospective brood bitch should be heavy in virtue and light in faults. Choosing breeding stock based on one element alone is a mistake. When faced with a choice, always choose the animal with the greatest number of virtues, then sort even further based on structure and movement. Consider leasing a top-quality bitch if you are unable to buy an excellent bitch of your own.
In addition to participating in dog shows, it is important to work an intended brood bitch or stud dog in the field. While there are many performance venues available, none of them will give you as much information as field training does. Many FCR's excel at the entry level work, but are too self-serving to have success at the levels that require teamwork as well as independence. Knowing this about your dog is invaluable. Your dog should also have regular exposure to other, strange dogs, as flat-coated retrievers were developed to work while other dogs were in the field at the same time. Retrievers who fight are useless in the field, so your dog should demonstrate a sound temperament with strange dogs. Health checks, at a minimum, must include screening for eye/hip/elbow/patella disorders. You must research the pedigree of both your own dog and a potential breeding partner by contacting the owners and breeders of close relatives and learning about those disorders that can't be tested against (cancer, early deaths, seizure disease and other potentially heritable diseases). Every dog will have some genetic diseases present in every pedigree - no line is "cancer free" or will "never" produce a given health problem. The best you can do is be aware of the potential, avoid obvious risks and inform potential buyers of those risks so they can make informed decisions. Honesty and integrity are the hallmarks of every good breeder. Hiding health problems or poor temperaments doesn't do anyone any favors, and in fact makes everyone's job more difficult. If you feel that the breeder of your foundation stock is not being honest about any area of your dog's history, then it might be a good idea to start over with animals that you can verify information on.
It is always a good idea to open a dialogue with more experienced breeders as to the qualities of your bitch or dog. Attending national specialties is crucial to this process. Here you will find the best this breed has to offer, both in human resources (successful, longstanding breeders) and in dogs. Remember that many quality dogs will not be among the winners! Seek out and initiate discussions with well-known, respected breeders. Bring your dog along and ask for a critique. Be prepared to hear the faults/shortcomings of your dog, as well as the better qualities. By asking several breeders for an opinion on your dog, you may begin to see a pattern in one direction or another. Take the information as it is offered and don't let your feelings be hurt! Be sure to also inquire about health information in your pedigrees. Many breeders have already done research into various lines and can be a wealth of little-known information in this area. Plan to spend time ringside with a catalog and make notes about the dogs you see.
Try not to confine your stay at nationals to the breed ring. The field events, especially at the higher levels, will also be full of long-term flat-coat people who have a great deal to offer. Spend some time watching the higher level dogs, so that you can begin to recognize intensity, drive and desire.
Remember too, that venturing into breeding is a long-term commitment. Hopefully your puppies will live to 12, 13 or 14 years of age. As a "breeder", your puppy buyers will look up to you as a source of information. If you are breeding "just one litter", your ties to the FCR community will be reduced, and the chances that you will disappear go up exponentially. With your disappearance goes potentially vital health information (e.g. problems that may be expressed by the blending of that particular pedigree) and someone else may need to step in to provide mentorship, or even rescue, to any puppy buyers.
Beyond the responsibility of being a useful, contributing member of the FCR community, potential breeders must also be aware of the financial and emotional commitment to this breed. Breeding a litter can be financially disastrous. Everyone hears about the costs of growing out your bitch (dog food, health care, OFA's, showing/training expenses, stud fees, transport, etc) to the point of being ready to breed. Since these costs are generally drawn out over time, they don't seem as substantial as when they occur within a period of weeks.
If you are lucky, your bitch will produce a healthy litter of average size without any complications. However, the possible complications can be grave and life-threatening to both your bitch and litter. A friend recently bred her bitch to one of our stud dogs. While the bitch was still here, waiting to return home, she became slightly ill - a bit depressed, and not eating. Because of our experience, we suspected a pyometra - definitely an emergency and a life-threatening situation that usually must be resolved by spaying the bitch immediately. We rushed her to the vet school here in Athens where she was diagnosed with a closed pyo - requiring immediate surgery. Her life was saved, and the breeder was out $1500.00 and no litter from a quality bitch. We also know of another bitch that produced a lovely litter and when the pups were about 4 weeks old, the dam began suffering from mastitis. The mastitis infection developed into system-wide septic shock, and the bitch was saved only after thousands of dollars of diagnostic and supportive care. We had a litter that consisted of 9 puppies. Within 48 hours, 6 of the 9 babies died, one by one, with no way to save them. No dollar cost, but an emotional cost, to be sure. Speak to any long-term breeder and you will hear more horror stories.
Time and space considerations should also be factored in when deciding whether you would like to become a breeder or not. Time is essential not only in the daily care and training of your dogs, but also in researching pedigrees and in educating yourself. The national specialty alone can represent a time commitment of 10 days and up to 2 weeks, depending on how far you have to travel and if you plan to attend the entire event. Depending on how new you are to flat-coats, you may also need to invest hours into researching breed type, working ability and health issues in the lines you are interested in. If you have the means, travel to Great Britain and Europe can be extremely educational when learning more about flat-coats. The breed is more popular overseas, and getting the chance to attend other national specialties, Crufts, and the annual World Dog Show can expose you to hundreds of quality flat-coats and open the door to meeting world-class breeders. Then there is the time you have to devote once your litter hits the ground. Interviewing prospective buyers, answering phone messages, preparing materials to send home with each puppy and don't forget the hours invested on the actual "take home" days, all of which can eat up a lot of your free time.
And what about the heartbreak when you learn that your carefully researched pedigree has produced orthopedic problems in multiple littermates? First, are you prepared to either replace those affected puppies (suppose your bitch has to be spayed after her litter - how will you replace those affected pups?), or refund the price of several puppies - (this can add up to several thousand dollars)? And are you prepared to take back any and all puppies that can't stay with their owners anymore, for whatever reason? It doesn't happen very frequently, but it does happen, and you need to be available to take a dog back at a moment's notice.
Can you afford to take time off from work if your bitch or pups need round-the-clock nursing care? Orphaned puppies must be fed every 2 hours, night and day, for their first several days. What about if your bitch becomes acutely ill and needs to be rushed to the vet? Depending on how long she needs to be hospitalized, the pups have to be fed on a schedule, and the dam may require additional supportive care when she returns home. Pregnancy puts your bitch at greatly increased risk for many life-threatening conditions and it is frightening how quickly she can be at death's door.
Finally, are you prepared to assist FCRSA rescue in your area? If you are breeding, you need to do something for rescue, whether it's ID'ing potential flat-coats, fostering a rescue dog or assisting in transportation for a needy FCR. Rescue is not for "other" people. Breeders create the need for rescue in the first place and must be willing to step in and help out, even if it's not a puppy you had anything to do with.
Breeding Flat-coated Retrievers is a difficult balancing act. We serve many masters in our breed, and quality breeders will choose an area to prioritize, but won't forget the other parts that make our breed unique. Do your homework before you choose your kennel name! If you do decide to move ahead and produce a litter, be sure it will be something you, and your fellow FCR breeders, will be proud of.