The next litter I'm planning is for my female dog, Kira. This will be her first litter, and she will be a first-time mom. She should be going into heat any day now. I wanted to share my thought process for choosing a stud dog that would complement her.
Things about Kira I like:
Her coloring: The picture above is at sunset, but she is not just tri-color; she is quad-color. She is gray, black, white, and brown. In her summer coat, she is only black, gray, and white, but as her coat grows out, it develops patches of brown. She is also a merle.
Her eyes: Kira has heterochromia, with one full blue eye and one brown eye.
Her build: She is incredibly athletic and can jump as high as my head. I really need to get her into agility training.
Her size: Kira weighs a nice 30 lbs, which is my favorite size for a dog—not too big and not too small.
What kind of puppies could she have?
All sizes of dogs are awesome, but some people (raises hand) prefer a dog they can pick up, physically manage, or that fits better in a smaller living situation. Kira is a strong but smaller mini Bernedoodle, and I want her litter to be mini Bernedoodles too. Therefore, I need to find a stud that is also a mini Bernedoodle.
Kira is a merle with a black base coat and unusual tan markings that I want to pass on to her puppies. It's dangerous to breed two merles together, so I need a father with a black base coat. Kira is a brindle, but I want a dad with the standard Bernedoodle coloring, like their Bernese Mountain Dog ancestors: black base, brown tan points, white muzzle, and a white blaze on the forehead.
On the hunt for a stud
Now that I have my criteria in mind, I'll explain how I look for breeding dogs. You will see a bunch of letters describing the dog. I have explained some of those letters in this post.
First, I eliminate all dogs that show "Mm" because they cannot also be merle. I explain why here. Next, I eliminate all dogs above 50 lbs because I want this to be a mini-sized litter. Then, I consider aesthetics. I have a particular look I like: big muzzles, leaner bodies, and teddy bear faces. Some of the dogs I saw during my search look like Bernedoodle versions of Ron Jeremy. I really want to post their pictures, but I don't want to body shame them.
Next, I look at their temperament descriptions. Kira can be hyper; she is a young adult just coming out of her puppy stage. A mellow dad could help temper some of that energy if it is passed down. Finally, I consider location. If the stud lives close to me, that's a bonus. When dogs are in heat, you should wait around 9 days to breed them when they are the most fertile. It is also good to breed them again a few days later to ensure success.
Right in my own backyard
The last litter I bred used a sire named Hollow from JW Doodles. He and my dog Coco produced the cutest puppies. The breeding process was so easy, and they lived in my town. I didn't want to use him for Kira because he's larger than the mini size I'm aiming for, and I don't want Kira's puppies to be related to Coco's puppies.
A few months back, I saw JW Doodles advertise a new stud that would be available soon. He meets all my criteria! He's 20-30 lbs, traditional black tri-color with tan markings, and has a big ol' muzzle.
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