My Breeding Principles

My breeding programme and litters follow the breeding rules that apply in the breed's country of origin, on top of the rules for breeding Saarloos wolfdogs here in the Czech Republic.

• A female must not be mated to her grandfather, brother, son, father, nephew or half-brother.
• A repeat mating is only allowed if the previous litter was very small (1–2 puppies), and only after consulting the club.
• The minimum age of a dog for mating is 24 months.
• A dog may sire one litter in 12 months and 3 litters in total over his lifetime. Exceptions are possible if the dog is a back-up stud, or after consulting the club or another FCI-affiliated organisation.
• Males with monorchidism or cryptorchidism are excluded from breeding.
• A female must not be mated before she is 2 years old.
• A female's first litter must be born no later than at 6 years of age.
• A female active in breeding cannot be mated after her 9th birthday.
• A female cannot be mated after the birth of her 3rd litter.
• A female must not be mated if there would be less than 12 months between the births of her litters. (In practice, the ideal gap is one to three heat cycles.)
• If two litters are born by caesarean section, the female is retired from breeding.
• The female gives birth in the breeder's home, in a space prepared for it.
• Both parents must have DNA tests from the laboratories designated by the local club.
• Both parents are tested for DM/DW, and affected dogs, or two carriers of the same disease, may never be used.
• Both parents must be scored for HD (hip dysplasia) and the permitted combinations are: HD-A x HD-A, HD-A x HD-B, HD-A x HD-C. Any higher grade of dysplasia is excluded from breeding.
  - In the Czech Republic the same condition applies to us for ED (elbow dysplasia).
  - Ideally, the tests should be done no earlier than at (18) 24 months.
• Both parents have a valid eye examination for inherited eye diseases (ECVO), no older than 12 months. (For a first mating, the test must be done after the dog is 22 months old.)
  Offspring of dogs carrying any of the eye defects (as shown in their siblings) must not be used for breeding before the age of 36 months without an eye examination.
  The eye examination does not need to be repeated after the dog is 7 years old. (Until then it is recommended for all dogs active in breeding at least once every 2 years.)
• Dogs suffering from any of the defects/diseases below are excluded from breeding:
  - Dogs with a tail defect, i.e. a kink or any other malformation of the tail bones.
  - Parents of dogs with an inherited eye disease are considered carriers of that disease and cannot be paired with another carrier.
  - All dogs suffering from a serious hereditary defect of any kind.
  - Offspring of dogs with distichiasis should have at least one ECVO examination during their lifetime.