Hi I am hoping to breed my bitch dog and she is a KC registered 5 year old black brindle Staffordshire bull terrier.   I want to breed her properly and want to keep one of the puppies.  This would be my first time breeding her and would like a little help and advise please. I have had her DNA tested for L-2-HGA / PHPV/HC which she is clear and she is of very good breeding (her mum and dad are both champions). Firstly I want to breed her with a Blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier Stud of good breeding is it ok to cross 2 different colours? Would I get blue and black puppies? What is the procedure as regards to contact and mating? i.e. Would 2 strange dogs fight? I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

Personally I think your bitch it too old for a first litter, normally have first litters age 2yrs old.

If you are looking for further advice I would go back to her breeder, she is the best person to advise you and also make sure that there are no restrictions on her k.c. documents.

Hi

I agree that 5 years is to old for a first litter. Would it be possible to go back to the breeder and get another pup from them instead of breeding your girl?

Dont know enought about genetics but I think black is dominant so what ever you breed to you could get mostly blacks. Again need to talk to someone who knows about these things.

Two strange dogs meeting to mate shouldnt fight. The bitch should be at her peek time and wanted mating and the dogs who should be a experienced stud will have only mating on his mind. You do have to be carefull with the bitch as she may be a bit snappy with the male when he tries to mount her but a good stud dog owner would be on hand to advice you.

But again I feel your bitch is to old. But if you do decide to go ahead with the mating I strongly recomend you really do your homework and get the best stud you can get. and use a breeder that knows what they are doing. There are to many badly bred staffys about and you dont want to add to the problem.

Thank you for your answers. I did not consider her to be to old as the age limit for breeding is 8 years old, but I do understand what you are saying. She is a wonderful dog so calm and loving and I only want to breed her once to carry on her genes in our family. I just love the Blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier colour, which her breeder does not do. I will be contacting some breed clubs on their advise and go with what they recommend. Thanks

I would urge you to speak to her breeder for advice.  5 is late for a first litter, but so much depends on her health and fitness, talk to your vet as well.

you should also reasearch your bitches breeding and the potential stud dogs breeding to make sure that the lines dont carry the gene for cleft palates

Thank you again I am researching everything and getting as much information as possible beforehand and I have now contacted the breeder. I appreciate your help.

>I did not consider her to be to old as the age limit for breeding is 8 years old,

8 is the upper age limit (the KC won't register pups born after a bitch's 8th birthday) for a last litter, not a first. 2½ to 3½ is ideal for a first litter.

> I just love the Blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier colour, which her breeder does not do.

The blue colour is in the standard, but a good breeder is looking to produce the best Stafford possible, and that usually will not be blue.  Blue being a dilute colour lightens the pigment in other areas where it should be dark.  Most blues will have poor pigmentation light coloured eyes (standard calls for dark) light nails etc.

So finding a Blue that is of high standard is like hens teeth compared to good dogs of the more usual colours.

A lot of those deliberately breeding for the Blue colour are not breeding for the rest of the standard, the colour being paramount as it is fashionable among pet buyers at the moment.  This may mean shortcuts not only on breed standard points but on health and temperament,

Your next problem is if your bitch isn't carrying the blue gene is that the first generation puppies to a Blue stud would all be black, about half of these would carry the Blue gene, but you wouldn't know which.  Only one of these carriers mated to a Blue or another Blue carrier would produce any blue pups.

So really I would forget the Blue thing.

As for the age I agree with the others 5 is too old for a FIRST litter (my own breeds code of ethics states a first litter should be born before a bitch is five), especially as Staffs have large heads and relatively narrow pelvises, a younger bitch would find it easier.   It is just the same in humans, the older you are with a  first baby the more chance of birthing difficulties, a friend of mine at 38 couldn't get past 5cm dilation for two days and had to have a C section, and an elective one with her second baby.

If your bitch was the end of her line and it was vital to get a litter from her I would only consider breeding from her if I was very experienced and could pin point the first sign of trouble.  With your lack of experience your bitch could be in difficulties and die before you realised you needed to act.

As the others have said if her temperament is so great her breeder obviously knows what they are doing so I would get onto their waiting list for another puppy who may even be from a sister.

Why dont you find a good breeder of Blues and buy a new puppy from them?

But be careful as some breeders deem 'Blue' to be a rare colour which it IS NOT and insist on charging anything from £600 to £1000!!!!!
This is stupid and immoral, just people wanting to make money, as the colour of a dog doesnt justify putting nearly double the amount on the price when the dog its self is no different from a Brindle or Red, so be careful and dont fall into that trap if you do breed her and get any blues.

With the colours Black Black/Brindle is the most dominant colour in the SBT so most of the pups will be Black Black/Brindle and you may get a couple of blues, but I agree with the rest on here and say you shouldnt breed her and just get a new puppy!

Thanks for all your replies. I am thinking about buying a Blue but will look into any health problems. You have been very helpful.

I would be looking at litters where the Blue colour is secondary to producing good SBT's and where the breeder charges the same for all pups.

Another query on colour in this breed....

Would white pups be at risk of deafness?

>Would white pups be at risk of deafness?

Yes, it's known to be a risk.

Hi Dogspirit,
You are brilliant you have done all the health checks. If you get the book of bitches it is great, I use it like a bible.
But can I say what several others have said? Yes KC will registerer puppies after bitch is 12 months of age up to eight years. Most breeders of this size dog breed 1st litter approx between 2 and 3. The older the bitch has a first litter the greater the risks.
She is oviously well bred and you got her off a good breeder, so why not get back in contact and get advise from her / him. They will know her pedigree and advise on best stud dogs. Have no idea on colour, in our breed you can reck the colour by mixing it up, again her breeder would give you advise
Good Luck

never mind the age, breeding for colour, is the biggest wrongdoing here. fashion = money = death of a breed.
insofar as bull and terriers go, no colour is a bad one unless its yellow!
People obsessing oer blues infuriate me beyond words.
Want a rare colou ina Staff, try and find me a good quality tiger brindle, or a deep rich red, on a dog with daylight beneath it,and a head that could do the job it was intended for, and a neck, yeah, it would be good too see more staffs with a neck to speak of.
forget colour, form and function, FORM AND FUNCTION.