“Shall I breed my dog?” the answer is complicated, for there is much to consider. Breeding is not a casual undertaking. All breeds have genetic defects which can be passed along from parent to puppy. The Leonberger is not an exception. Responsible, knowledgeable breeders know these problems and strive to avoid them when selecting mates.
Unless you have purchased a “show quality” Leonberger and have a prearranged future breeding agreement with a reputable breeder, it is not advisable to breed your pet. Leonbergers that are purchased from pet stores or backyard breeders should not be bred because their puppies will not improve the breed as a whole, which is the goal of a responsible breeder.
Do not breed your Leonberger for any of the following reasons:
- You love your pet’s personality and want to have puppies like him or her. (you are more likely to get something near your dog’s personality if you buy another puppy with the same parents)
- You think it would be a good experience for your children to see the “miracle of birth” (Whelping a litter of Leonberger puppies can be very difficult. Many problems can arise that put both the mother and pups at serious risk. )
- You plan to make money on the litter. (Most breeders lose money raising litters. Their goal is to improve the breed and accept monetary loss as part of the endeavor. The fact is that buying, raising, and then breeding a bitch, and then whelping and raising a litter to an appropriate placement age or keeping the puppies you can’t sell, is extremely expensive.)
- It will provide a nurturing or sexual experience for your pet. (Your pet will be nurturing enough of your family without a litter of puppies and a male who is full of testosterone is not always fun to live with.)
THE ABOVE ARE ALL WRONG REASONS TO BREED YOUR PET LEONBERGER!
A Litter should be bred only after much thought, study and research and with the help of an experienced breeder who is a mentor. The Leonberger Club of America has a new mentor program as a resource.
Where do you start?
- Read and understand the Members Practices of the LCA. Read and understand the rules and regulations for registering a litter with the AKC. This includes requirements for DNA, AI (artificial insemination) breedings, use of foreign dogs etc.
- Talk with your breeder and get guidance and recommendations from her. She knows your puppy’s lines and can give you background information on many of the dogs in the pedigree.
- Have a Certificate of Conformation Assessment (CCA) done on your bitch or stud dog when possible by an LCA examiner so that you know what to look for in a mate. In order to better the next generation, a breeder needs to understand the strengths and weaknesses of his or her own dog, how important or unimportant the weaknesses are and how to find a mate to balance those off without losing the strengths.
- Take the ABCs of Breeding course found on the next tab.
- Take advantage of Leo U’s toolkit for breeders.
Once you have decided you have a bitch who is a good example of the breed, has a solid temperament and has completed all of the required health testing and received a CHIC number, be prepared to do the following:
- Have flexible working hours. Breedings and puppies ALWAYS come at the most inconvenient times!
- Be able to function on little or almost no sleep. It may be necessary to supplement feed puppies if the mother is unable to or doesn’t produce enough milk.
- Be prepared to deal with illness or death of any puppies you place or decide to keep.
- Be prepared to deal with the death or illness of your Leonberger bitch.
- Be prepared to keep puppies you can’t place and the possibility of caring for geriatric dogs.
- Be aware that puppies are extremely noisy 24/7 and require hours of cleaning up after and socializing.
- Be aware that you are responsible if you place puppies that are not healthy. You need to decide how you will deal with any health issues which arise due to genetic defects.
- Be aware that you will need to take puppies back or help to rehome them if they do not work out in the homes you have placed them in.
- Be prepared to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars in vet bills if something goes wrong with the litter or your bitch.
- Double check the contract and registration for the pet that you bought and make sure there are no restrictions for breeding your Leonberger
Breeding is a commitment. You must have a good understanding of the breed standard and what health problems exist. The standard of perfection is a word picture of how the Leonberger should look, move and behave. All responsible breeders strive to produce dogs that conform to this breed standard. Leonbergers with serious deviation in appearance, structure, movement and temperament should never be bred. You must study canine structure and movement. You must breed only the best and be prepared to spend considerable time, effort and money. Leonbergers may have several major health problems, some of which can be detected through the required testing and others to which he may be predisposed including bloat and cancers. And of course, one must be very careful with temperament, for this trait is also hereditary and the dog or bitch with known serious genetic problems should not be used for breeding.
One must have knowledge of what makes top quality animals, understanding of pedigrees (study the Coefficient of Inbreeding) and genetics, and have proper facilities to keep and socialize puppies and to take them back, if the situation demands. You must be prepared with financial resources for shots, food and unfortunate medical emergencies. The average size of a Leonberger litter is 6 to 8, though 10-12 also occurs. Pet population is a serious problem in all breeds today As Leonbergers become more popular they can fall into the hands of indiscriminate breeders in unhealthy environments and with serious health problems which are likely to cause much financial and emotional stress for the owners. Leonbergers could soon share those statistics if we are not careful. You want to be part of the solution not part of the problem.
The ABC’s of Dog Breeding is for breeders at all levels of experience! It takes a practical, step-by-step approach to the art and science of breeding by focusing on 7 key tools and concepts. These include (1) genetics, (2) breeding systems, (3) pedigree, (4) selection, (5) anatomy, (6) kennel blindness and (7) genetic defects. Understanding each of these elements can help breeders put together the pieces for a more successful breeding program. The goal of the ABC’s of Dog Breeding is to provide one comprehensive program with the “need to know” information from the fields of domestic animal breeding and canine genetics. (posted with permission from Claudia Waller Orlandi, PH.D. and the Basset Hound Club of America).
We hope you will use it, along with Leonberger University’s other courses, as tools to enhance your Breeding Programs!
Genetics & Genetic Defects
Breeding Systems
Anatomy
Pedigrees
Selection
Kennel Blindness
Resources
Young Puppy Play Time
The voice of purebred dogs. Your passion is our purpose.
Pure Dog Talk podcasts: https://puredogtalk.com/
Links and information to aid both the new and the experienced breeder.
Breeders Rountable (2012)
Learning Canine Anatomy
Understanding Fronts by Richard Beauchamps.
The All Important (And Neglected) Upper Arm by Richard Beauchamps
Learning Genetics
Practical Genetics for Breeding with Dr. Jerold Bell (Basenji breeder)
Part 1. . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrrlb2ltri8
Part 2. . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j1N78reGhw
Guide to Leonberger Health Testing Requirements. . . .
https://www.ofa.org/recommended-tests?breed=LB
The following is a transcript of an online seminar with leading canine reproduction expert Dr. Robert Van Hutchison given by the Veterinary Information Network’s Pet Care Forum, (http://www.vin.com/PetCare/).
Transcript: Canine Reproduction Seminar With Dr. Robert Van Hutchison Sunday, December 08, 2002
Resources
As adopted by the LCA and the AKC.
The Leonberger is a large, sociable working dog, muscular yet elegant, with a proud head carriage. The breed is distinguished by its black mask, substantial bone, balanced build, and double coat. Adult males are particularly powerful and strong and carry a lion-like mane on the neck and chest. Bitches are unmistakably feminine. The Leonberger is a dimorphic breed; a dog or a bitch easily discernible as such. Although imposing in size, the Leonberger is graceful in motion. Natural appearance is essential to Leonberger type. The breed is to be shown with no trimming, sculpting or other alterations. True to the breed’s origins as a multipurpose family, farm and draft dog, today’s Leonberger excels as a versatile working dog and devoted family companion. Intelligent and lively, friendly yet vigilant, the Leonberger is attentive and self-assured in all situations.
The Leonberger is placed in the Working Group; AKC recognized in 2010.
The Standard from the AKC website
The Illustrated Standard
The Leonberger – An Illustrated Breed Standard is published by the Leonberger Club of America. It contains pages of colored photographs, detailed illustrations and discussion of the AKC Leonberger Standard.
Available for purchase through the LCA secure site.
All about owning a stud dog by Harry Austin.
The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) has educational resources to help you breed and raise healthier puppies! As the largest funder of health research focused solely on dogs, CHF is working to advance the health of current and future generations of dogs.
Video from International Leonberger Union