pick of the litter

Question
Our Boxer is 2 years old now and we would like to breed him once before neutering him.  He is fawn with perfect "flashy" white markings (face,crown, paws and chest) and comes from a long line of top show champions.

How do we find a suitable female?  

Bill Gatten
1 800 207 5373 ext 150
West Hills, Ca. (San Fernando Valley)

Answer
HI Bill. First things first, you need to have his health testing done if you're wanting to breed him. Boxers are very known for heart problems, so you need to have his heart Holter tested, ECHO'd is even better. This needs to be done by a vet that is specialized in this. You then need to have his hips OFA'd, and at least have his thyroid tested. If he has as good of a pedigree as you say he does, then you'll want to breed him to quality females, and most owners of these quality females require that the male has his health testing done as well.

Second, you'll want to find someone close to you look at him, and give you their honest opinion about what his strong points and his weaknesses are. Find someone that has a great deal of experience, and keep an open mind. No dog is perfect, and your boy will have some faults. The key here is to find a nice quality female that will complement your boy. Make sure she doesn't have the same faults that he has.

After you do all of this, then you can advertise. Go to some dog shows, and make some new dog buddies. Word of mouth is a great method. If your boy is of really good quality, and passes his health tests, word of mouth will get around, and you may end up with many people wanting to use him. I personally have a 4 month old female Boxer. She's very plain brindle girl (just the way I like them), and I already have a beautiful boy in mind for her. We just have to let them both grow up, and see if they'll compliment each other. (And they both have to pass all health tests.) One more thing, after you have his health tests done, and have someone evaluate him, you may also want to consider going to some of the Boxer e-mail lists. I know for a fact that many good breeders are looking for nice, healthy, long-lived studs to use. Many are looking for the not-so-well-known dogs to use for their breeding programs. Also, you may be able to put a sign up at your vet's office. I know that at my vet office the vet will allow you to advertise as long as the dog has had it's health tests. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you say 'To approved bitches only', and be particular about who you stud out to. Remember, your name will be on those papers, and your dog will be on that pedigree.

If I can help with anything else, let me know. I'd be happy to look at pictures of your boy, or look at a pedigree. My e-mail address is vvvzena@yahoo.com (that's 3 v's)