Maybe I wasn't clear on the situation. When they're together, they're fine. They eat from the same bowl, they sleep together, all is good. They are very gentle with the kids. When we try to coax him to mount her, she flips out then.
And the point is, that is not a normal reaction if it's to the point where you need to break up a fight. Even if the temperament is great otherwise, there is a thread of instability there. While 'flipping out' as far as growling and perhaps snapping at the male is, as I noted, not unusual in some situations, the male should back down when that happens, and she should leave him alone when he does.
You probably could muzzle her and accomplish a breeding, and I know some breeders who have done that - but looking back, they've admitted that it really was basically like raping the bitch. You need to think about if you want to do that. It may well be that the bitch knows better than you, and there is some reason to avoid the breeding at this time.
We've done alot of research and reading on the matter. Both are in good health.
"Good health" is not the same as genetically healthy. Have they both had their hips x-rayed, Holters done, auscultations/Dopplers by a cardiologist after two years of age (well, obviously not for your male, but even after a year of age?), and thyroid tested? While with some lines you might be mainly OK without the hips or thyroid, heart problems are extremely common in the breed and often lead to - as the first symptom - the dog dropping dead at 2-3 years of age. Do you really want to produce a litter, knowing that you haven't done everything possible to avoid that heartache for your puppy buyers?
Yes, every breeder starts somewhere, but my responsibility as a steward of the breed is to educate so that every breeder starts by doing the best that they possibly can. While it would be easy to say, "Sure, go ahead with this breeding for experience, and then when these puppies are gone you can learn more about genetic health, responsible breeding, etc.", but to do so would be a tremendous disservice to this breed that I love. If you're set on breeding these two, then my best advice is to skip this season, let the male grow up some more, have at least a cardiologist auscultation/Doppler and Holter done on both, and try again after the male turns two and has some more maturity behind him.
Any chance we can speak over the phone about this?
We can, but I'll be leaving in a few minutes and will be gone until 6 p.m. or so. In the mean time, you might want to contact Medley or Margaret at CinnRhee Boxers - they're in Harrow, so a bit closer and will have more information on any Canadian resources for health testing. (
www.cinnrhee.com) They may also know the lines with which you're working and have better information on the health behind your dogs, so would know where the higher risks are.