She is not eating...

Well, thanks all for caring for my dog, now I'm still thinking on the breed part. She comes from a pedigree, so she should be fine to breed and the vet said she should be fine, now, she is only 10 mon. so I really have a lot more time before breeding her, if I do, but I still have a lot to think and still I don't know. Don't worry, I will do what it best for Fiona in every way, so if there is any signs of not be able to carry, I will spay her inmediately. But it is in their nature to have puppies. I will do further research before doing anything with her. Thanks for everything wrote in this post. I will do the right thing. []

[sm=soap%20box.gif]  ONLY the best of the best should be bred and only once they have been completely TESTED (not the vet saying, yep, she should be fine) for genetic conditions common to the breed, AND proven in the show ring or some other manner.      And this holds true for old daddy dog too.  Yep, it's in their nature to breed.....it's in just about EVERYONES nature to breed, but does that mean that more mixed breeds or  less than stellar purebreds should be added to those on deathrow at the shelters?  Or that 12 year old girls should have babies?  Or folks who can't feed themselves, forget an infant??
 
Pedigree means only that you can trace her ancestors back a ways.....unless they are all champions it doesn't mean anymore than bubblegum melting on a hot sidewalk.  It just "is".
 
OK, rant over.

ORIGINAL: glenmar

[sm=soap%20box.gif]  ONLY the best of the best should be bred and only once they have been completely TESTED (not the vet saying, yep, she should be fine) for genetic conditions common to the breed, AND proven in the show ring or some other manner.      And this holds true for old daddy dog too.  Yep, it's in their nature to breed.....it's in just about EVERYONES nature to breed, but does that mean that more mixed breeds or  less than stellar purebreds should be added to those on deathrow at the shelters?  Or that 12 year old girls should have babies?  Or folks who can't feed themselves, forget an infant??

Pedigree means only that you can trace her ancestors back a ways.....unless they are all champions it doesn't mean anymore than bubblegum melting on a hot sidewalk.  It just "is".

OK, rant over.

I'll do what is best. I will not have any animal of my own in the shelter for deathrow or anything like that.

Mau, do you plan to show your dog and title her?

If you do breed her please please please have a vet standing by in case of emergencies?  And why do you want to breed her anyway?  Because she wants to is not a very good reason.   She probably wants to eat chocolate but you wouldn't let her do that would you?

ORIGINAL: huskymom

Mau, do you plan to show your dog and title her?

If you do breed her please please please have a vet standing by in case of emergencies?  And why do you want to breed her anyway?  Because she wants to is not a very good reason.   She probably wants to eat chocolate but you wouldn't let her do that would you?

no, ok I'll think about it, and I would have a vet standing by in case of emergency.

mau, I think what the others are politely trying to say is that no one should breed dogs because "it is in their nature".  We have enough dogs languishing in shelters, and while I think you really do care enough to be responsible for the puppies you breed for their lifetimes, there's really more to it than that.  You need to be prepared for the fact that your dog could have problems or even die.  You need to be prepared for sick puppies, or for owners who don't socialize or train them, then want to dump them back on you when they get to be too much of a handful (I just had a guy get a fifteen month old unsocialized Pit Bull back - and the dog was completely ruined - only option is risk having her kill another dog, or be euthanized. Awful.)  You need to be prepared for the fact that if you don't show your dog, the only people who will want your puppies are going to be average pet owners who may not know much about dogs - if they did, they'd be rescuing from a shelter or buying from a breeder who does show or title their breeding stock.  Are these the owners you want for *your* pups? 
If you are serious about breeding, get someone from the local Schnauzer club to mentor you - learn first, breed later.  Pedigree means NOTHING if the dog has no health clearances, no titles, and conformation that is not according to the standard. 

Mau, you've not yet told us *why* you want your girl to have puppies.  Obviously, you don't *have* to answer the question, but I'm really curious to know the answer, if you'd be willing to tell us. 
This whole thread started because your girl wasn't eating and you were worried about her health.  You had to come here and ask us what to do.  You had to receive input from us about the potential for Pancreatitis and Pyometra.  Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that...we are here to help each other out.  But as a breeder, you would need to be the one with all the answers for your future puppy buyers...for the entire lifetime of all the puppies you produce. The two different breeders that I got my dogs from are my very first points of contact when I have health concerns/questions.  They made a commitment to me to be a life-long support system for me and my dogs.  I expect them to be an expert in all things Schnauzer related. My oldest Schnauzer is almost 9 years old and his breeder recently moved to another state.  The first thing she did was contact all of her previous puppy owners and gave them a temporary number where she could be tracked down if necessary, until she got her new number and email address set up.  And that was nine years after she sold me the pup.  My youngest Schnauzer is almost 5 years old and I haven't talked to his breeder in quite awhile.  But she was the first person I called when he had a reaction to a rabies Vaccine a couple of weeks ago. You can see where I'm going with this.  There is so much more to being a responsible breeder than just the first few weeks of the puppies lives. A good friend of mine did what you are thinking about doing a few years ago.  She bred her pet (before she knew better) and if she's said it once, she's said it a hundred times...she would never, ever do it again. Absolutely nothing about the process was pleasant for her.  A couple of the puppies were born at home and the rest were born at the Vets office after she rushed mama dog (and the newborn pups) in because she was afraid that mama dog was dying.  One of the pups almost didn't make it.  If they hadn't been at the Vet's office he wouldn't have. Then, a couple of the smaller pups weren't getting their fair share of milk from mama dog, so my friend spent weeks living on no sleep doing supplemental feedings.  Then there was the mess and constant cleaning needs.  She thought she had great homes picked out for all of the pups, but people backed out at the last minute and she ended up keeping two from the litter.  As happy as she was to see the other pups go to new homes, she still cried her eyes out every time one left.  Now she is trying to find a home for one of the dogs that she placed years ago with a trusted family member, because they had a new baby and are no longer giving the dog the attention it deserves.  She didn't make any money on the litter, which was never her intention, but she was at least hoping to break even - which she didn't, she ended up in the hole by a long shot. Just giving you a few more things to think about.