OFA certification - pass or fail

As a pure bred dog owner I have learned quite a bit about what it takes to get a title on a dog/bitch and about breeding. I have learned that the show ring can be fun and exciting just as much as it can be frustrating and disappointing. I have also learned that breeding is not about getting two dogs of the same breed to “hook up”.

So as far as a title goes, I am still hoping to get a title in obedience, which is actually a lot of fun – especially if you truly have an obedient dog. Sienna knows how to be obedient…..sometimes. I don’t care too much when it’s just me and her, but when it counts; it’s really stinks when she disobeys. The last time we were in the obedience ring, she barked at the judge the entire time – needless to say we didn’t even come close to passing.

So breeding is definitely more complicated than I imagined. First of all, it’s great if you can have a championship title on your dog/bitch because that states that he/she has all the breed characteristics. But it’s not necessary; plenty of great dogs with no Championship titles breed awesome dogs. So while that would be great, it’s ok if it doesn’t happen. As I have previously stated, I believe that Sienna is beautiful but judges don’t give her points because she is a little tall for her breed, her coat isn’t curly enough and she’s light in color. So, taking that into consideration I would want to breed her to a male that is small or average, with a dark, curly coat. Now on top of all that I need to make sure that she is healthy, has all her shots, gets her eyes checked, and passes her OFA certification of her hips and elbows. This last one is because as a retriever she can be subject to hip dysplasia. If for some reason she fails in any of these health concerns, I won’t breed her. Partly because it’s in my contract with my breeder but partly because I only would want to breed her so that she would be more likely to have healthy puppies.

So we have some possible bad news. I just had her hips and elbows checked and while the vet does not have the final say, he has done thousands of x-rays and has a pretty good idea of what the OFA will say. He doesn’t think that her left hip will pass and that is truly a bummer because it means that the sweet, precious, beautiful puppy girl that I love so much will not be able to produce sweet, lovable little replicas. For now it is a waiting game. I will check the OFA site in a few weeks and we will see what they say……