ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Cil

Have a beautiful 15 mos. old male. Am new to this. How do I go about finding a female in my area? (New England) He is healthy, a proven stud, and has a great temperment. Are there any requirements? What fee is reasonable? Would appreciate any help given. Of course he is AKC registered (Lord Jackson)

DISCUSSION:

First question is "Why do you want to breed?" Have you shown and finished the conformation championship of your dog? Are you familiar with the standard so that you will be able to determine if a bitch is of good quality and should be bred? You can offer your male at public stud, but you would probably only draw backyard breeders who want to witness the "miracle of birth" or make a few bucks selling puppies. Most serious breeders really research their bloodlines and pick the stud that is most ccomplimentary to their bitch. My breedings are planned as much as a year ahead of time, including shipping the bitch to the stud, paying a $500-$750 stud fee (a champion stud, often a top winning show dog), pre-whelp vet check, removing dew claws, shots, shots, and more shots to protect the babies, pulling baby teeth to prevent bite problems, and keeping and nuturing babies until at least 6 months of age to determine quality. This doesn't include training classes and weewee pads and...the list goes on. A serious breeder has a tremendous investment in time, effort and money, and therefore would be unlikely to use your stud unless he were being shown and/or were a finished champion.
-Linda 2

Dear Cil: I can only echo what Linda has said. Breeding is a serious matter that should only be considered after a great deal of thought, research and soul searching. I don't wish to be hard on you Cil, as I am sure that you have the best of intentions, but in reality no "reputable" and "established" breeder would consider using your dog. I am sure that your little boy is adorable but knowledgable maltese breeders base breeding decisions on genetics, conformation to the standard, specific type characteristics etc... They use dogs that are known through their ancestry to produce specific, desired characteristics. The vast majority of this breeds top producing stud dogs are champions. This is not because of and "Elitist" philosophy but because in common language, " like produces (for the most part) like." It occurs to me that your little dog is not an a "limited" registration (non-breeding contract). I don't know where you purchased him from but I do not know of a reputable breeder that will sell a dog as a "pet" without this restriction.

If you are serious about breeding, find yourself an established and knowledgable breeder/exhibitor who will take you under their wing. This person could discuss all the pros and cons of breeding and help you to make an informed decision about breeding. This decision requires a great deal of reflection and committment on your part.

Regardless, you have yourself a lovely maltese that I am sure that you will love and who will love you in return for many years. Andrea
-Andrea

Hi.I'm not trying to put any breeder down or anything but reading these post made me see why some people do buy from pet stores. I did get my maltese from a breeder, though at a very young age for christmas (6 weeks). While reading the post I got the feeling that it was so expensive to breed dogs that when you do sell them they would be reaching the point where most people would not even be able to purchase one. They way newbies are chastised seem that you do care but that it is saying that don't even think about it, it'll just bring the cost down. I know your saying that yall just want to protect the maltese characteristics in making showdogs, but most people don't want show dogs, they just want pet-quality dogs that have all the maltese's good charms. I'm proud to have a maltese even if he isn't show-quality, but even if he were a mutt I would still love him. Linda/NiNi
-Linda/NiNi

Please consider carefully before offering your boy out for stud. As the other breeders have said, unless you have the education in the Breed and in Breeding as a science - both from the genetic and medical aspect, you should avoid the exercise until you do acquire an adequate indoctrination into this body of knowledge. Linda, you mentioned in your post that "most people only want a pet, anyway" so why should they have to buy from a show-breeder and at a high cost. please go back to the main screen and read those posts regarding buying puppies with open fontanels, luxating patellas, coats that are so "cottony" that they cant be maintained, skin ailments, bad bites, liver shunt, glycogen storage disease, heart murmurs and PDA, nasty dispositions, and the like. Many responsible show-breeders experience many, if not all, of these problems during their breeding career but the difference between the dedicated hobby/breeder and the "rest" is that first, the hobby breeder will make every effort to erradicate the problem from their breeding program and, also, they will not conceal the existence of any of these problems from a potential puppy buyer. Rather, they will explain the condition, its treatment or cure, and how the pup will need to be dealt with, from the beginning. They will even discount the pup proportionately or even give it away. Would you, as the owner, even of the stud dog, breed an animal knowing that it would produce a genetic or congenital condition in the offspring. By not KNOWING the genetic prepotency or predeliction of this "stud" and the conditions or problems, if any, in that stud's background, you are, in fact, gambling with the possible outcome. The fact that breeders who conscientiously screen and breed their dogs get problems makes you understand how easy it is for the less educated to get even more, and worse problems. Breeders actually encourage others to take up the "stewardship" of the breed and become Maltese Breeders, as it provides another avenue for even more people to find "well-bred" pets. There is a real shortage of well-bred maltese in this country, that is why the puppy mills and irresponsible breeders flourish and thrive. Perhaps if there were enough responsible breeders to cater to the demand then these other "suppliers" would not be able to make a profit.

No, I'm not encouraging everyone to simply jump into the Maltese breeding hobby - but I welcome and offer my assistance to any who would like to get into this with the dedication, conviction, and zeal, and resources to be a success in helping to shape the ultimate and eventual evolution of our beautiful breed to an even higher level of excellence than where it exists today. Sorry to write a book.
-Larry Stanberry Divine Maltese

I agree with you Larry, 100%. Many don't realize the responsibility and dedication it takes to be "a breeder."
-Linda Coleman, Lin Lee Maltese

I applaude all of you breeders who are not out just to make a fast buck. You show real concern for the breed and are concerned with the type of home it is placed in as well as checking into the reason why the person wants the dog in the first place. I feel that the reputable breeders have valuable information to offer to those of us--like myself who only got a dog to love. I would love to go to a dog show sometime to see everyone in action. How do you go about finding out about such events? I'm in California.
-Vicki