Dog buying questions

[jparrucci]

Found out in the last week my girlfriend is pregnant and we will have a baby by mid June. I have an 8 year old Brittany that is my pride and joy. His joints are getting bad and u think his days of hunting hard are getting close to an end. I would like to have some overlap between him and the new puppy. I also would like to have some basic obedience done by the time I have a baby crawling around.

Needless to say, the time for dog two is now. Had anyone had any problems bringing in the second dog into the mix? Mine is a spoiled dog, wondering how others have acted with a.other dog and new baby in the house. When looking or a new puppy, does anyone know how much inbreeding is okay? I am finding the same dog in the ancestory of both parents in many cases. How far back is okay to have the same dog? Any recommendations for Brittany breeders?

[gspman]

Those are tough questions to answer.There are a lot of variables that go into adding a new dog to the mix. It depends on the older dog and the personalities of both dogs. If they both know and accept their place in the pecking order that's a good thing. Hopefully the older dog will assert and the younger one won't challenge. I would be very alert with a pup and a newborn. Pups love to play and bite which can be problematic with a newborn baby.

I don't think you mean in-breeding. I think you mean line-breeding. Line-breeding is good if the breeder knows what they are doing. My dog has several dogs that show up multiple times in the first 5 generations of her pedigree: FC Jigs White Smoke - 5 times, NFC PJ Wildfire - 4 times, FC Dixielands Rusty - 3 times, NFC Rawhides Clown - 2 times, FC Leightons Ace Mona - 2 times. Again, this is not a bad thing if the breeder knows what they are doing. Linebreeding is used to solidify good traits. Unfortunately, if done unwisely, it will also solidify bad traits. Most, if not all of the famous lines of any bird dog breed are the result of line-breeding.

If you are looking for a Brit then contact the AKC Brittany clubs - MN Brittany Club, St. Croix Valley Brittany club - and tell the breed secretary what you are looking for. They should be able to point you in the right direction. Ask a ton of questions and be picky about what you want to ensure you get the best dog for you.

[Chaws]

Get a puppy at the same time as when the baby comes. You're going to be up during the middle of the night anyways.