# Anyone ever created their own farm/herding dog breed?



## Alibo (Mar 10, 2017)

Short story is that my husband and I have always loved dobermans and german shepherds. But I don't necessarily like the German shepherds and he feels the same about the Dobie. We agreed on a Beauceron and we're ready to get on waiting lists and then... BluBelle came into our life.

She is a blue Merle border collie blue heeler mix. She... is... awesome...

We are not the people to ever breed or accidentally breed for the lazy heck of it but I am wondering how I can improve on this and make it a "legacy" for our future.

Blu has excellent instincts and drive and attention to what we want. She is 7 months old, about 50lbs. I would like some more intensity and size to her though. We have not fixed her because bad experience has shown me that spaying a dog leads to a ton of problems. Responsible dog ownership is a must and we keep a tight ship on heats around here. But... a  random thought keeps rolling through my head that I can "make" the perfect dog. 

Can i?


Besides possibly not finding RESPONSIBLE homes for the extra puppies, what are the downsides to trying this? I would hypothetically incorporate a well bred German Shepherd first and through the years add some doberman.

Thoughts? 

This is all hypothetical, so please no criticism for breeding willy nilly. We are NOT people to add to the growing stray problem


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## Latestarter (Mar 11, 2017)

Sorry... I don't have a clue... A lot would depend on what exactly you wish this new dog breed's job to be. GS's need a "job" to keep from going bat $hit and have breed problems you need to be aware of and watch out for (like bad hips). Dobies have their own issues you need to be aware of and watch out for. I'm not at all familiar with Beaucerons but Google says they are a french sheep herding dog and they look like a GS & Dobie cross to me...

I owned a male GS/Dobie cross as a kid. He was an awesome dog. He mated a PB Dobie several miles away and we didn't know about it. She had the pups destroyed and I was extremely upset about that... I would have loved to have one. Anyway, I guess you just have to figure out what you want and then either move fwd or forget about it.


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## NH homesteader (Mar 11, 2017)

I guess if you asked me personally if I would attempt this breeding, my answer would be no. But what you need to do in order to decide for yourself is figure out what you hope to achieve with this breeding and weigh the positives against the negatives regarding traits of both dogs and breeds. And do you know of a way to find homes for the offspring you can't keep, etc. There are a lot of considerations!

_Edited by Staff_


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## Southern by choice (Mar 11, 2017)

Not sure what went on here and obviously posts have been deleted or edited. 

edited- obviously it was necessary apologies to the moderators! 

Having said that, we as a community generally are respectful even when we have strong disagreements.
I understand the frustrations when it comes to dog issues in general.

As far as the OP's question- I am not going to slam you because I think your question is a good one and I believe you are seeking more than just one answer.

Over the centuries this IS how different breeds were developed and we are blessed for it.
Unfortunately we have many that are trying to create the "perfect" dog and we have lots of designer messes out there. 

If you were really very serious you would need to understand the number of dogs you would have to keep. You would have to start with the best stock possible for the different breeds as well as having multiple lines of each breed. You would have to basically become an operating kennel and meet those guidelines. You will need MANY people involved and committed to the project. These people as well as yourself would need to raise up the dogs, retain them, work them and then continue election to only breed the best for the desired traits. Add to that you will need a minimum of 5 generations just to start getting some that breed true. You will need land!

In a nutshell you are talking hundreds of dogs IF you really want to do something spectacular.
The financial resources required for such an undertaking will be astronomical.

When you look at the big picture we really do have amazing dogs already out there.

If you are unsettled I would recommend going to a rare breed show, some herding trials etc and perhaps there will be something that "fits" and simply strikes you.

If you are not proficient in training herding dogs then truthfully do not even entertain the idea. One must have knowledge and skill for such an undertaking.

Hope that helps and gives a little insight.


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