Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Forum:
Sire

We are looking for a sire for our Swissie. We are in the Bay Area of California. Our female will be going in heat around June. This is our first time at breeding and could use some advice.

Hi--

I am assuming that your female has a good temperament, will be over two years old and have the appropriate pre-breeding testing done before her next season. If not, please dont breed her just yet--it isnt fair to her, to you, to the puppy buyers or to the puppies themselves.

If she is tested, etc, then you will need to make sure that whatever stud dog you choose to breed her with also has had his hips, elbows and eyes tested before breeding and is also over the age of two and of good temperament. Nobody wants to breed an unhealthy puppy, and you are better off to at least start out with fully tested parents (No, its not a total guarantee, but it sure beats the odds if you dont do it. Besides which there are some new laws in CA that could cost you a fortune if you breed and sell puppies who end up with problems and it is later shown that you didnt do all the standard testing and research. Better safe than sorry).

I would also suggest contacting your breeder an