Was reading during the past week about The Kennel Club (London) stance on the above subject
Ronnie Irving, basically has said that the stance of the Kennel Club has been misunderstood, and that there is a general acceptance of artificial insemination in dogs, but it shouldn’t be encouraged or take over from natural conception
Of course the dog gene pool in the UK would be much wider than here in Ireland, where in a lot of cases we have no option but to choose this route.
As most of you know, I have Standard Smooth Dachshunds, which are not a numerically strong breed in Ireland. (Why so, still baffles me)
I receive a lot of phone calls from pet owners with bitches that they may want to have one litter from, asking if they can use my Dog at stud, as he comes from a totally different line to most of the other dogs here.
Danno who will be 3 in August, has only recently been used at stud, and we did advise the owner of the bitch to go down the AI route.
The thing is, like in humans when learning to ride a bike, the earlier you get at it the better you become (Riding a bike that is). Males if going to be used at mating, should have their first experience by two years of age, and this then sets them up for life, should you want to use them again in the future. After this age, it becomes more difficult.
With so few bitches available in my breed in Ireland, the chances of getting a mating before the dog turns two would be slim, as you would not let the dog mate with a bitch just for this reason. All the boxes have to be ticked before you consider using your dog at stud.
In my opinion going down the AI route can be more successful, if you have the bitches progesterone levels checked on a regular basis from the first signs of spotting. It’s more scientific than the old rule of thumb, bring her to the dog around the 12th – 14th day !
You can of course also check the quality of the dogs semen, which will alleviate any blame should there be no pups as a result of mating, as it’s usually the dog that cops the flack !
As I have said earlier, Ireland faces a much different situation to that of the UK, and in certain breeds, AI is the only route open, and we have a few companies that have spun off from the Greyhound industry, where AI is the order of the day, to offer the service to all breeds.
I’m not sure what the Irish Kennel Club’s stance is on the matter, but would welcome your opinion / experience.
Follow