Sled dog breeding

[SternRose]

thats why she would/will go to my mentor. She has bred many dogs and has a lot of experienced under her belt.

Have you had ur mentor look at her to see what she thinks.

 

[tridentk9]

Her weight is within standard actually, a b**ch should weight between 40-50 pounds. Her ears are too large and set too wide and low on her head. There is not enough angulation in her stifle. . Her chest is a bit narrow, and her front looks off, but I can't exactly put my finger on what is catching my eye on that. Her top line should be straight, but in the pictures it don't, could just be the picture though. Her tail is snapped way too tightly to her back, and it is too plummy. It should look more like a fox tail, hers looks like a banner.

Any dog with bad hips should not be bred. It will be past on to her pups, and females with bad hips can suffer during pregnancy. I would really think about the risks in breeding her, and talk to your brother. Pregnancy care of b**ches gets expensive fast, any emergency care during labor adds up, and then there is the cost of puppy vaccinations, health care, feeding, knowing you could be stuck with the entire litter if you can't find homes. And don't forget the risk to Nala herself. Better to spay her and have her around for years than lose her to a pregnancy gone wrong.

It appears to me that her inability to set her rear legs back makes her look like she's going downhill which makes the front look off. Plus racking in the next to last photo. I would also be worried about slipped hocks from how she's standing- though it may be just hips causing problems.
Where is her prosternum? Lack of prosternum means less room for muscles to attach. For 2 1/2 years old I would expect a better chest width for a Sibe.it won't be as wide as a lab , developed for totally different jobs, but more width would give her better lung capacity.

Her upper arm appears steep, putting the leg under the neck. Sibes push into the harness (as opposed to pulling) so their legs are a bit forward for my taste anyway. But with a lack of prosternum and steep (+short?) upper arm she probably will lack some strength in the front that's needed to offset hip problems as she gets older. You'll need to make sure to keep her front muscles working

Is she on joint protective supplements? If her hips are iffy (and not a puppy) you should really really consider it. Even dogs with high pain thresholds should have them as they help the joint lubricate itself, reducing the extent of further damage. Keep exercising but limit sudden turns and jumping and most especially how much weight she gains as well as pulls. No backpacking. If you learn how to massage her that could help how she feels day to day and in the long run too.

On a last look at the photos- her back appears stiff a bit. Could be she didn't like what was going on, her hips were hurting or her back is iffy too. If it's her back the same suggestions for the hips will do. Exercise but no jumping or sudden turns, supplements and massage. But since she's a sibe- it could just be her protesting about what you MADE her do. It wasn't her idea, she wanted no part of it. That alone can make her look as bad as possible and all my above comments aren't valid at all. I'm soooo glad I don't show or train Sibes. I know someone who used to get utility titles on all her show sibes, she said it wasn't any harder than other breeds, just different. Now she has a papillion as a Service Dog- though I think size and shedding were a big reason for the breed change.

Just my opinion, that and a dollar will buy a small order of BK fries.

 

[Starfire669]

Nala's hips are pinched in a little. Can you get a pic of phantom stacked? I want to see what there "supposed" to look like.

I can try, but it might have to wait until tomorrow. Right now I'm focusing on Fiona, getting her stuff together, grooming her, and just spending time with her saying good bye while I try and get a handle on my emotions. I am very happy and excited for what this could mean for Fiona, but also sad that this could be good bye.

But, you can look up pictures and videos on UTube of Siberian Huskies stacked. That would probably be better and Phantom and I are still learning and I most likely won't get that perfect stack. I will still get the picture, just wanted to let you know. We have only been to 3 classes, so aren't very good yet, lol.

 

[Americano Blue]

Your Dog in Harness by Mel Fishback Riley is a really good book for beginner mushers.

 

[SternRose]

I can try, but it might have to wait until tomorrow. Right now I'm focusing on Fiona, getting her stuff together, grooming her, and just spending time with her saying good bye while I try and get a handle on my emotions. I am very happy and excited for what this could mean for Fiona, but also sad that this could be good bye.

But, you can look up pictures and videos on UTube of Siberian Huskies stacked. That would probably be better and Phantom and I are still learning and I most likely won't get that perfect stack. I will still get the picture, just wanted to let you know. We have only been to 3 classes, so aren't very good yet, lol.

No hurry I can wait. I've been working on Nala's stack since she was 10 months. So she ok at it but she has to be stacked by hand. But we're getting there.
I'll try to get a good pic. And what's the prostumum? Where's that at?

 

[Starfire669]

It appears to me that her inability to set her rear legs back makes her look like she's going downhill which makes the front look off. Plus racking in the next to last photo. I would also be worried about slipped hocks from how she's standing- though it may be just hips causing problems.
Where is her prosternum? Lack of prosternum means less room for muscles to attach. For 2 1/2 years old I would expect a better chest width for a Sibe.it won't be as wide as a lab , developed for totally different jobs, but more width would give her better lung capacity.

Her upper arm appears steep, putting the leg under the neck. Sibes push into the harness (as opposed to pulling) so their legs are a bit forward for my taste anyway. But with a lack of prosternum and steep (+short?) upper arm she probably will lack some strength in the front that's needed to offset hip problems as she gets older. You'll need to make sure to keep her front muscles working

Is she on joint protective supplements? If her hips are iffy (and not a puppy) you should really really consider it. Even dogs with high pain thresholds should have them as they help the joint lubricate itself, reducing the extent of further damage. Keep exercising but limit sudden turns and jumping and most especially how much weight she gains as well as pulls. No backpacking. If you learn how to massage her that could help how she feels day to day and in the long run too.

On a last look at the photos- her back appears stiff a bit. Could be she didn't like what was going on, her hips were hurting or her back is iffy too. If it's her back the same suggestions for the hips will do. Exercise but no jumping or sudden turns, supplements and massage. But since she's a sibe- it could just be her protesting about what you MADE her do. It wasn't her idea, she wanted no part of it. That alone can make her look as bad as possible and all my above comments aren't valid at all. I'm soooo glad I don't show or train Sibes. I know someone who used to get utility titles on all her show sibes, she said it wasn't any harder than other breeds, just different. Now she has a papillion as a Service Dog- though I think size and shedding were a big reason for the breed change.

Just my opinion, that and a dollar will buy a small order of BK fries.

It's a good opinion, and more in depth than I was able to give. I think her pasterns are a tiny bit weak, or maybe she was standing funny like you said. All in all, a fair assessment of the dog. After this meet and greet tonight I will have to get a few photos of my pup Phantom. He is under a year old, seems to have a good body and nice angulation on his legs. But I am just a beginner, so I would welcome your opinions of my pup. I am hoping to get him titled in AKC conformation. But we are starting late, and he isn't from a winning, well known kennel. Since conformation is a lot of politics, well we may not have a shot.

 

[SternRose]

Your Dog in Harness by Mel Fishback Riley  is a really good book for beginner mushers.

I'll check it out thanks

 

[SternRose]

It's a good opinion, and more in depth than I was able to give. I think her pasterns are a tiny bit weak, or maybe she was standing funny like you said. All in all, a fair assessment of the dog. After this meet and greet tonight I will have to get a few photos of my pup Phantom. He is under a year old, seems to have a good body and nice angulation on his legs. But I am just a beginner, so I would welcome your opinions of my pup. I am hoping to get him titled in AKC conformation. But we are starting late, and he isn't from a winning, well known kennel. Since conformation is a lot of politics, well we may not have a shot.

Never now. Have you considerd hiring a perfessional handler?

 

[Starfire669]

No hurry I can wait. I've been working on Nala's stack since she was 10 months. So she ok at it but she has to be stacked by hand. But we're getting there.
I'll try to get a good pic. And what's the prostumum? Where's that at?

The prosternum is where the rib cage meets. It feels like a nub in the front of the chest.

Phantom is leg shy, I am working on getting him over that, but I have learned how to move the bait to get him to move his legs into the right position for a free stack.

 

[Starfire669]

Never now. Have you considerd hiring a perfessional handler?

I'd prefer not to use a professional handler, but I may end up having too. First though I want to see how he does against the local dogs with me handling before I take that step. If I can place with him, I will probably get a handler for the big majors.