newfie

Question
I recently bought a 4 yr old female she has never been breed.breeder says she would not mate with male due to being raised with him. can i still breed her at this age without complications? she has all test, X-rays and vet certified. I want to raise one litter for the learning experience for the family. I will only mate her with another newfie with all proper health certificates  thanks Charlie

Answer
Hi Charlie. Over the years, I have owned many male and female dogs  that were raised together and this never stopped them from mating when the time came.

At the age of 4, your female is at the perfect age to mate.  I suggest that if you find a male Newfie to mate her with that you make sure you have a written contract.

It is always a good idea to have a written agreement with the owner of the other dog, even if the other party is a friend or family member.  I have seen what use to be great friendships come to an end over breeding issues.

There are many ways to "partnership" in breeding, one way is to pay the owner of the male dog a "stud" fee.  Most stud fees are paid at the time of service and in the event that the female does not conceive, a return visit on her next heat is allowed free of charge.  

Another popular agreement is "Pick Of The Litter".  In this agreement, no stud fee is paid to the owner of the male dog.  In place of payment, the owner of the male dog has the right to pick the puppy of his/her choice from the litter.  The puppy, is then turned over to the owner of the male dog when it is 8 weeks old and weaned.

A third option is to sell all the puppies and split the sale price.  In this type of agreement, the owner of the female dog is in titled to a higher split to compensate him/her for the expenses incurred while the puppies were in his/her care.

Good luck, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have additional questions.

Sincerely,
Penny DiLoreto
www.puppies-dot-com.com