TO BREED OR NOT TO BREED – THAT IS THE
QUESTION
So you think
you want to breed a litter of puppies.
There are some important questions to ask before you take that first big
step. The first, and perhaps most
important, question is “Why?”. The answers will be as varied as
the people who own dogs. Do you
want to have a puppy “just like” your dog? Do you want to breed your dog
because people have told you how they would love to have one of the
puppies? Did you pay a substantial
amount of money for your dog and believe that you can recoup some of that
money? Do you want to make some
money? Do you want your children to
experience the wonders of birth and nature? Do you believe that breeding your dog
will make a significant contribution to the breed? These are some of the reasons given for
breeding.
“I
want to breed so that I can have another dog just like this
one!” Chances are you will not get a puppy
“just like” yours. Remember that
your dog is only one-half of the genetic make-up of the puppies. Your dog is the result of genes from
both his/her dam and sire and the possibility that the puppies will turn out
just like yours is remote unless you have carefully researched the parentage
lines behind your dog and the proposed stud and understand the probabilities of
what type of offspring should
be produced from them.
“Everyone tells me how much they
like my dog and would love to have a puppy from her/him!” Most people will change their minds when
actually confronted with that furry bundle of energy and the promises to buy one
will evaporate. Try taking deposits
before you breed and see what type of response you have. As a first-time breeder, you will
not have established a reputation and will not have referrals or references for
your puppies. That little
four-legged bundle of fur is not “just like” your dog. The puppy will not be housebroken,
obedient, come when called, and, most likely, will keep the new owners up at
night for the first week or so.
Your friend then returns the puppy, saying they just don’t have time for
a dog and you now have a four-month old puppy that is chewing everything in
sight, not quite as cuddly as it was, and needing all its vaccinations that you
have to try to re-home.
“You can always sell purebred
puppies and make some money.”
You’ve
paid £250 for your dog and got him at quite a bargain because lots of those
breeders with established kennel names were asking £400 for their puppies, so
you just know that you’ll be able to breed your dog and sell the puppies for
£300 each and make a substantial amount of money. So, with money racing around in your
head, you set out to breed your dog.
Let’s not even consider the substantial medical testing that one should
do prior to breeding to make sure that no genetic tragedies are passed along,
we’ll just consider the bare minimum of expenditures. First, there is the stud fee. If your dog is worth £250 and
you’re going to make all this money selling puppies, it’s fair to say that the
owner of the stud dog will probably consider him to be worth at least £250 or
more for his services. Now, we’ve
paid out the stud fee and it’s getting close to the time that the puppies are
due. Your expectant female has been
eating a lot more lately (normally about 30% more from about the fourth week of
pregnancy and about three times the normal amount after the puppies are born
until they are about four weeks old). There’s the blankets and towels
that the puppies lay on; all the food that they eat after they are weaned and
before they are sold; advertising to sell the puppies; and that is not taking
into consideration any problems that might arise requiring veterinarian
attention during the whelping or for any problems with the mother or sickly
puppies after the puppies are born.
All these things are expenditures before even the first puppy is
sold. For a very realistic look at
the various costs of raising puppies, you should take a good look at the charts.
“I
want my children to see the miracle of birth.” This can be a very expensive and
traumatic lesson for the children.
Remember that birth can also be very tragic. Your children may be seeing the joy of
new life at
“I
believe that the puppies resulting from the breeding will be an asset to the
development of the breed.”
This is,
in my opinion, the only reason that any one should consider breeding a litter
and even then there are serious questions to consider. You should have spent at least two to
three years of serious interest in the breed, including belonging to various
breed and working clubs, completed in shows (in conformation, obedience and/or
agility) or performance events to demonstrate your dog’s worthiness to be bred,
have a substantial knowledge of the history of your breed and its standard, have
looked at as many different lines and specimens of your breed as possible (you
will learn as much looking at poor specimens as you do with outstanding
specimens, provided there is a balance between the two), and talked extensively
with the old-timers of the breed about their experiences and where they see the
breed going (even if you don’t necessarily agree on all issues, these people
still have a wealth of information).
Your dog should closely match the breed standard and free of any
temperament problems or serious health or genetic defects. Look at your dog with critical eyes,
seeing all the faults as well as all the good aspects; a critical eye is
mandatory if you seriously want to breed better dogs. And, after taking all this into
consideration, you need to ask yourself if you can ensure that the puppies
produced go to the types of homes that you would want to live
in.
“Okay, I think I still
want to breed.”
Breeding
a litter of puppies is a major responsibility. You should consider whether you have the
time, energy, financial and physical resources, space, facilities, and knowledge
to undertake this responsibility.
If you bring a litter of puppies into the world, it is your
responsibility to properly care for them before and after they are born, as well
as finding responsible, loving homes for them.
Breeding,
done properly, requires a lot of your valuable time. There are late night and wee morning
feedings, ensuring that the temperature of the room remains constant, trips to
the veterinarian and to the stud dog, endless cleaning of the whelping and puppy
pen, laundry, phone calls from prospective owners and the just-curious.
If you’ve
ever watched the movie “The Money Pit” where a couple purchased an old home to
renovate and then found they were paying endless expenses trying to renovate it,
you will then understand the comparison to your cash outflow when you breed a
litter. Here is a partial list of
considerations: medical testing for
genetic defects, prenatal veterinarian care, worming of your bitch, postnatal
veterinarian check-up, inoculations and worming for the puppies, purchase of
whelping box and whelping supplies (towels, scissors, hemostats, disinfectant, iodine, thermometer, etc.), heating
lamp, cleaning supplies (paper towels, detergent, disinfectant, etc.), stud fee,
puppy food and vitamins, advertising, lost salaries and sleep, not to mention
any unplanned expenses such as birthing complications or sickly puppies or
dam. (See charts for realistic
expenditures.)
You need to
decide where you are going to raise the puppies. Newly born puppies need a draft-free,
temperature constant environment to thrive, just like other newborns. While it should be in a quieter part of
the house, I don’t believe that puppies should be raised in isolation and strict
quiet. Puppies, like babies, become
well-adjusted adults when they are part of the mainstream of the household. For that reason, I make sure that the
puppies could hear everyday noises, such as vacuuming, television and radio,
kitchen noises, people talking, etc.
I also try to provide the puppies with visual stimulation once the eyes
are opened. You will need, however,
to consider that six or eight growing puppies need a bit of room and can be
noisy. Because they are not
housebroken and the mother will quit cleaning up after them long before they go
to new homes, you need a space that can be easily cleaned and disinfected to
provide a sanitary and odour-inoffensive environment. If outside temperatures permit, the
space ideally will be located close to where you can take the puppies out for a
bit during the day once they have started exploring their inside
environment. If you are going to
raise the puppies in a kennel-situation, you need to insure that the kennel is
well-insulated and draft-free with electricity for light (puppies should not be
left in lightless places) and a heating lamp. You’ll need a space for yourself and
whoever is going to help you so that you can sit by the mother and puppies
during the first week of their life and spend time socializing them after
that.
You need to
consider whether your work schedule and lifestyle will permit you to breed a
litter of puppies. Can you afford
to stay home for a week or so after the puppies are born? Can you arrange your schedule quickly if
your bitch goes into labour early?
Do you have pressing family events planned that may conflict with that
time? If so, are you prepared to
stay home with your new responsibilities?
What about your daughter’s recital or your favorite niece’s wedding? Is your family prepared to let you make
these sacrifices? Who is
going to help you when the puppies are born? Who is going to guide you through a
difficult birth, teach you about tying off an umbilical cord and making sure
that the placentas are completely expelled? Do you know how to supplement a sickly
puppy who is not thriving?
Breeding
means sacrificing a ‘normal’ life in many cases. These are things that the average person
never considers when thinking about breeders. These are choices that breeders make
when they decide to breed. The
welfare and future of the dogs are completely in their hands.
Another
consideration is whether you have the space, energy and time to keep puppies
that are not sold right away. Puppy
purchasers need to be carefully screened. Will you be able to turn down
those people who don’t seem responsible even when the puppy is twelve or
fourteen weeks old and are becoming needle-toothed, destructive, barking imps
that seem to eat, sleep, potty and potty again? Are you prepared to take back a puppy
after it has lost its cute-potential and the owners find out that a puppy, like
a child, requires work and training to be a well-adjusted member of the
family? You may also be unlucky
enough to have a puppy owner call you after a year and tell you that the puppy
has severe hip dysplasia or cataracts and wants you to
take the dog back and refund the money.
Or the dog may have started biting his or the neighbour’s children and
you’re suddenly faced with a lawsuit for producing an aggressively-temperament
dog (even though the person may have a new partner and children who are
absolutely horrid to the dog and the biting is environmentally produced,
lawsuits mean money to defend as well as time and energy).
Your dog is
very important to you, are you sure that you want to risk her health or life for
a litter of puppies? Complications
do sometimes occur during pregnancy, birth and post-natal, and these
complications can result in unfortunate consequences.
“Yes, after careful
consideration, I still want to breed.
What can I expect before and after the puppies are
born?”
You’ve done
your homework and found a compatible male to complement your bitch’s pedigree
and physical characteristics; both dogs have passed the appropriate health
testing for the breed. She’s in
season and it’s time to take her to the veterinarian for a prenatal checkup and to make sure that her vaccinations, medications
and worming are up to date. Once
you’ve bred her, she should be under veterinarian care for any illnesses and
should be kept away from any dogs that might pass viruses to her. Infestations, illnesses or
diseases can affect the unborn puppies.
Bitches can have miscarriages.
If fetal death occurs early in the pregnancy,
it is usually undetected and absorbed by the mother’s body. Abortion may result if fetal death occurs later in the pregnancy, and, dependent
upon the cause of fetal death, the bitch may carry the
remaining fetuses to term. A number of things can cause fetal death, including fetal
congenital defects, the physical health of the mother, her uterus and placenta,
malnutrition, anything that alters the health of the mother. This can include reproductive tract
diseases and illnesses, such as cystic endometrial hyperplasia, adhesions
(possibly from previous pregnancies or caesarian-sections), tumours or hormonal imbalances. Diseases known to cause fetal death include Canine Distemper Virus infection, Canine
Herpes Virus infection, Toxoplasmosis, Campylobacter infection and Brucellosis
(a type of Canine sexually transmitted disease).
You will
still need to exercise your bitch.
As the pregnancy progresses, your walks may get a bit slower. She will require about 30% more
supplementary food during the last three to four weeks of her pregnancy. Now is a good time to put her on puppy
food specially formulated for the needs of puppies and pregnant or lactating
bitches. She may become a bit moody
and depressed or she may have no changes at all, other than an increased
appetite and thickening around the middle.
As the
whelping date nears, she may become restless. The whelping area should be ready so
that she can become accustomed to it.
You may want to schedule a few days off before the whelping date so that
someone is home with her at all times.
Some bitches do whelp early and premature puppies are the result. Bitches should never whelp by themselves
since trouble can occur and no one wants to come home to find dead puppies
and/or a dead bitch.
Once
whelping begins, be prepared for any problems that may occur. Dystocia is
the term associated with difficulty in whelping. While uterine fatigue (inertia), due to
length of labour or to lack of physical fitness prior to whelping, is probably
the most common cause of dystocia, other factors may
also present problems, such as puppies too large for the pelvis or vaginal
canine, malpresentation (breech puppies), prolapsed
uterus, prolapsed vagina, uterine torsion, or ruptured uterine. You and your veterinarian will
need to determine the cause of dystocia. Proper treatment may be either
administering drugs (oxytocin) to increase uterine
contractions, manual assistance in delivery, or surgery (a caesarian-section).
Once those
puppies are all born, there are still dangers to both the puppies and to the
bitch. Eclampsia is not an extremely common disease, but it is life-threatening. While it is caused by low calcium levels
in the blood caused by the demands of lactating, there is evidence that giving
the bitch calcium during pregnancy may, in fact, predispose her to this
condition. Small dogs are
particularly prone to this disease.
Signs to watch for during the first three weeks of
nursing includes behaviour changes such as restlessness, nervousness or
lack of interest in the puppies.
Left untreated, the next stage can be excessive salivation, a stiff or
wobbly gait, or irritability.
Continued lack of treatment may result in fever, inability to stand,
muscle spasms, and seizures over the next few minutes to several hours. Death may occur due to hypothermia or
respiratory depression. Dogs
suffering from eclampsia should be transported
immediately to the veterinarian where, if consulted in time, the intravenous
administration of calcium can result in rapid improvement. Recurrence can be prevented after such
an episode by continuing to give oral calcium throughout the remainder of the
lactation period. Calcium should be
given upon a veterinarian’s advice only.
Much easier
to recognize, mastitis is the infection and/or inflammation of the mammary gland
and may include all or just one or several glands. The affected glands become firm and
hard, often resembling rocks, are very red, warm to the touch and painful. Milk may possibly be off-colour. Veterinarians are divided in their
opinions as to whether nursing from these infected glands may harm the
puppies. Treatment includes
antibiotics, massage and manual expression of the gland, warm compresses and may
also include surgical drainage and flushing.
Puppies need
to be kept in a dry, warm environment that is free of drafts. Care must be taken to keep the bitch
from stepping or lying upon the puppies and to ensure that each puppy is
adequately cared and fed by the bitch, particularly during the critical first
three weeks. Newborn puppies are
also extremely susceptible to other factors, such as disease and stresses such
as physical trauma, infections from less than sanitary conditions, heavy
parasite load, and congenital diseases.
Because it
has been your decision to produce these puppies, it is your responsibility to
make sure that they remain as healthy as possible. This means that your life for at least
the first week will not be your own and, hopefully, your family will understand
the stress and time constraints upon you.
For those of you who are parents, think back to those first few months
when it seemed as if you would never get any sleep again. Hopefully, you’ll be able to count
upon the support of a partner or hire someone to help you care for the puppies
during this time. After the puppies
are three weeks old, you will need to start teaching them to eat a type of
gruel. This
results in extra time spent in preparing the food, cleaning bowls,
assisting the puppies, and then in cleaning the puppies after so that skin
infections do not occur from left-over gruel. This is, of course, on top of the
average of a minimum of two hours a
day spent in cleaning the puppy pen, exercising and feeding the mother, handling
the puppies so that they become used to people, taking the puppies to the
veterinarian for a health check, worming and vaccinations, cleaning the house,
etc. Over an eight week period of
time, this results in a very minimum of 112 hours.
During this
period of time, you will also spend time on the telephone with those people who
have reserved puppies and people who want information about puppies that you may
have available. This can be from
fifteen minutes a day to several hours, dependent upon the people. You will also need to budget money to
return phone calls that you may miss.
Once the
puppies are weaned, from three to six weeks, time should be spent playing with
them, cutting their toenails, carefully examining them to help accustom them to
having ears, eyes, mouth looked at.
Trusted people and children may come to visit the puppies, but only if
you know that their dogs, if any, have been completely vaccinated and they are
not carriers of any viruses.
Necessary to socialize the puppies, this is also an added cost to your
time and expenses, since most of us will serve food and beverage of some sort to
our friends.
“People are calling about puppies,
now what?”
Now the
really hard people work begins of spending time with the people who call and
making sure that they are suitable owners with good homes for your puppies. You have a great deal of emotional,
financial, time, and energy investment in these puppies and should want to
ensure that they go to the best possible homes. You carefully word your advertisements
for the various dog papers and, perhaps, the dog magazines, if you can
financially afford the investment.
As the phone calls come in, there are definitely questions that you will
want to ask the prospective buyers and questions that you should look for them
to be asking you. Are you
determined enough and able to turn away people from who you don’t get a good
feeling? Can you continue to look
for good, responsible homes even when the puppies may be twelve weeks old,
eating you out of house and literally home, as their little teeth tear into the
woodwork, leave little stains on the carpet, and snag your best hose? Your responsibility continues even
when the little imps are not quite so cute any more because the strain of late
nights and extra work has worn you to a frazzle.
“What are the questions I should
be asking the people who call?”
You should
find out as much as possible about the people who want to purchase one of the
puppies. Consider it a job
interview for the life of and responsibility for the puppy. Some of the questions that you should
ask are:
A good
breeder, concerned with the welfare of their puppies, will make the buyer feel
as if they are adopting one of the breeder’s children. Any breeder who will sell puppies
without asking questions and doing all possible to guarantee that the buyer
knows about
If the answers to any of these
questions are vague or not to your liking, you should either decline selling
them a puppy or talk to them in person and then make your decision. Remember that if they are not willing to
work with you now, it is likely that they will not follow your guidelines in the
future, contract or not.
“What questions should I be
expecting from the buyers?”
Informed buyers are going to want to
know about the background of their puppy.
Be prepared to not only discuss everything you know about the sire and
dam, but also everything you know about the other dogs on the pedigree. Since a good breeder has done her/his
homework prior to breeding, answering those questions should prove no problem.
1.
Can I see both the sire and dam of
the puppies? If you don’t own the
sire (and this is the normal case), am I able to visit the sire’s owner and see
him also?
2.
Tell me everything you can about the
sire and dam. What are the
sire’s worst and best faults or traits?
What are the dam’s worst and best faults or traits?
3.
Has this dam been bred before? When and how many litters has she
had? What are the dogs from that
litter(s) like?
4.
How long have you had this particular
breed? How knowledgeable do you
consider yourself?
5.
What testing has been performed on
the sire and dam for genetic problems?
Have they both been examined for hip dysplasia
and do they have certifications?
Have they both had their eyes examined and certified? Have they both had vWD testing (a blood disorder)? What about other testing? Do you have evidence of the findings of
the testing and can I see the certifications? (An informed breeder will have checked
about genetic problems in the breed and the answer of “Oh, they’re just fine.”
is not appropriate or good
enough.
6.
Do you have certifications on any of
the dogs further back in the
pedigree?
7.
How many of the dogs in the pedigree
have you seen and examined personally?
Tell me everything you know about them. (Be prepared to discuss more than what
is found on the pedigree – a good breeder will know about the temperaments,
health, workability, etc. of the dogs in the puppies’
pedigree.)
8.
What can you tell me about the types
of titles (conformation, working, obedience and/or agility) are in the
pedigree? How far back in the
pedigree do these titles occur? How
many of the dogs were titled? Are
you currently working on any titles, degrees or certifications with the dam
and/or sire? What about with your
other dogs?
9.
Why did you decide to breed this
particular dam to this particular sire?
10.
Tell me about the incidence of dysplasia, eye problems, vWD,
epilepsy, allergies, thyroid problems, growth problems, cancer, etc. in the
pedigree.
11.
How many puppies were born in the
litter? Did any have congenital
problems? If so, what were the
problems?
12.
How much time have you spent planning
the litter? How did you determine
what stud to use? Had you seen him
and examined him prior to taking your bitch to him for
breeding?
13.
How much time have you spent with the
puppies? What is your normal day
like with them?
14.
Has your veterinarian examined the
puppies? Have they been inoculated
at all? If so, for
what?
15.
Do you perform any temperament
tests? How do you evaluate your
puppies? If you temperament test,
which test do you use? Did anyone
temperament test the puppies? (An
informed buyer will ask to see the results and you should be prepared to explain
those results. If you can’t explain
the criteria used to evaluate puppies, what good are the
evaluations?)
16.
Do you have a puppy contract that I
will need to sign? May I have a
copy before I come to see the puppies?
What does it entail?
17.
Do you offer any health or
temperament guarantees? What are
the terms? If there is a problem,
does the puppy/dog have to be returned?
(While returning a dog may be very traumatic, it may sometimes be
necessary. A good breeder is one
who is concerned about not only their dogs and their puppies, but with the breed
on a whole.) If there are any
health or temperament problems, will any of my purchase money be refunded or
will I get a replacement puppy from another breeding (with another sire or
dam)?
18.
Do you require that any companion
(pet-quality) puppies be spayed or neutered? Will there be an endorsement on the
registration? (Most people who want
a dog for a pet will understand that a good breeder wants to ensure that only
the best (those conforming to the standard and with a minimum of faults) dogs
are bred.)
19. Will you be available throughout the
life of the dog to answer any of my questions and concerns? Can you answer any training, food,
exercise, medical questions? If you
don’t know an answer, do you know who I can go to for answers?
20.
What documentation will I get with my
puppy? Will I get a four- or
five-generation pedigree? Are any
medical testing results for dogs on the pedigree listed? Will I get information on how to take
care of my puppy and what I should expect?
Do you provide the puppy’s health record? Will I get any helpful information on
helping my puppy adjust to a new home and training?
21.
What do you consider to be the most
important facets of a breeding program?
What are you striving for in your breeding program? (A good breeder will consider the entire
standard, including not only the physical aspects, but also the purpose for
which the breed was conceived, health and temperament. A good breeder doesn’t concentrate on
any one part of the standard to the exclusion of others.)
22.
Tell me about your philosophy on
breeding dogs in general and how it relates to this breed? Why did you breed
this pair of dogs? Does this
breeding match your philosophy on breeding?
23.
What dog-related clubs or
organizations do you belong do? How
long have you belonged to them? Are
you active in these clubs or organizations?
24.
Do you work your dogs? Do you show? Do any of your dogs have temperament
degrees (such as PAT dogs or good citizenship testings)? If
not, can you explain why?
25.
Can you give me references of any
people who own dogs from your previous litters? May I call them?
“Whew, I didn’t realize that
selling puppies was this hard.
Now what?”
Be prepared for those who are
interested in the puppies to come over and visit before selecting their puppy.
This is a good time to discuss the
information in your puppy packet.
What? You say that you don’t
have any puppy packets? You should
put together useful information for the new owners. Things to include in each
packet:
1.
Four- or five-generation pedigree
(including any certification numbers for hip, eye, vWD
testing, etc.)
2.
Pictures of the sire and dam (and any
other pictures that you may have of dogs in the pedigree)
3.
Picture of the
puppy
4.
Health record of the puppy, including
any inoculations, worming, medical care and the phone number and address of your
veterinarian
5.
A copy of the breed
standard
6.
An application form for the breed
parent club and any other clubs that you belong to
7.
A list of training groups and
information on puppy socialization/training classes
8.
Information on the inoculations that
the dog will require (a brief explanation of each of the diseases being
inoculated against is always helpful and will emphasize the importance of making
sure the dog has immunity)
9.
Copies of brochures that you have
found helpful (such as crate training, leash training, helping the puppy adjust
to a new home, housetraining, etc.)
10.
Recommendations of feeding schedules
and types of food
11.
A list of
references
12.
Puppy contract (this is very
important; everyone should have some type of contract to stress the importance
and responsibility of dog ownership, as well as what you expect from the buyer
and what the buyer can expect from you, and information of what you expect to
happen if the buyer finds that he cannot keep the dog at any time in the dog’s
life)
13.
Information from the Kennel Club
about dog ownership and responsibility
Sit down and talk about the dogs, the
pedigree and dogs in it. Introduce
the people to your other dogs.
You’ll want to see how they react to adult dogs with all the size,
slobber, coat (hair on their clothes), boisterousness, etc. These reactions will tell you a lot
about how they will be able to deal with that cute little buddle of fur when it
becomes full-grown and not quite so easily cuddled. They should be able to see the mother
separate from the puppies. If the
puppies are very young, you may wish to have them look in at the puppies but not
touch them. It is always
recommended that before you have anyone touching the puppies that you first make
sure that any dog they may now own has been fully inoculated. In the States it is not uncommon for a
breeder to ask that the buyers have not visited any other litters or dogs on
that particular day before seeing the puppies. Puppies are very vulnerable and the last
thing that you will want is a virus brought into your
home.
You may, as a matter of course, serve
tea, coffee and desserts, during the time the people visit. Be sure to add those into the cost of raising a litter of puppies for
sale. Multiply the time spent with
one puppy buyer by number of puppies in the litter and you will see that time is
a serious factor in deciding whether to breed.
“What happens if there aren’t
buyers for all the puppies?”
A breeder must have the space and
financial resources to take care of any puppies that are not sold. This means, of course, that the breeder
must start the housetraining and socialization, as well as further veterinarian
costs for inoculations and worming.
Not all puppies are sold quickly, unless one is not careful about the
homes that the puppies will go to and are willing to sell them to whoever rings
up. It is not uncommon to have one
or two puppies remaining at even twelve or sixteen weeks. Puppies at a young age require a great
deal of time; housebreaking and socialization takes up even more time. As a breeder, you are responsible for
making sure that the puppies are as well-socialized as possible to prevent
future problems from occurring.
Puppies cannot just be placed in a kennel and forgotten about except at
feeding time. It means toe nail
trimming, ear cleaning, baths, teaching them to walk on leashes, meet people,
car rides, etc. If you are not
prepared to take on the responsibility of extra puppies for an extended amount
of time, you should seriously consider whether you should be
breeding.
“Yikes, it’s two years later and Mr. Smith is being transferred to
That puppy which is now a
two-year-old dog is still your responsibility. Mr. Smith may not have done any
socialization or training and Fido may hate small
children, but you, as a breeder, should be taking Fido
back for rehoming. This often means that you will incur
additional expenses, such as training classes, veterinarian costs (Mr. Smith
didn’t take Fido anywhere so he didn’t bother with the
inoculations even though you told him that it was mandatory), additional food
costs, as well as lots of your time.
It means having the means to separate Fido out
from your other dogs until they become acquainted and finding the right home for
him all over again. It doesn’t
matter whether the scenario is that Mr. Smith is getting a divorce, the ‘puppy’
got too big (even though he saw all the adult dogs and Fido is actually the smallest male you’ve seen), or the new
Mrs. Smith hates the dog or his new stepson is allergic to dogs. Some dogs are even returned to the
breeders as old dogs because their owners just couldn’t bear the idea of them
being sick and needing to be put down. Breeding is not just a four-month
proposition (between breeding and whelping). It is a lifetime
responsibility.
Conclusion
Mating your dog is not something to
lightly undertake. One important
thing to remember is that the Kennel Club registration does not guarantee that
the dog has been well-bred by a caring, conscientious breeder who has strived
mightily to ensure that her dogs are as free as possible from genetic disorders
and conforms to the breed standard on working ability, structure, temperament,
and purpose. That piece of paper
does not mean that every dog should be bred. Indeed, only a small fraction of dogs
should ever be bred. Any person who
cannot breed to the standard and only to better the breed is not deserving of
the name of breeder. Those who
cannot manage to breed the right way (which means the betterment of the breed in
its entirety and not just one characteristic should try raising snails instead.
Design-a-doggers and puppy-raisers do just as much harm as puppy
mills and backyard breeders. In
some cases, the damage is even greater because these people can talk well, but
just can’t meet the exacting criteria of someone who has dedicated themselves to
the task of safeguarding and improving the dogs that they
love.
Some breeders lose the distinction of
breeder and join the ranks of backyard breeders, puppy farmers, and even the
design-a-dog category (by intensifying on one or several traits rather than the
overall standard) when they lose track of the objective of breeding which should
be solely and entirely the betterment of the breed. These are often wonderful people who at
one time and held the greatest respect through their ability to breed with the
future in mind, having a plan and a goal. Having worked hard to get the respect
and become true breeders, these breeders gave up somewhere along the line,
believing that everything they produced was the best without clearly looking at
where they were going. Many of these people now simply put dog A with dog B
because they own them or they are top winning dogs and they don't bother to look
beyond. Breeders cannot afford to sit upon their laurels, nor can they simply
start looking at each litter as a way to pick up a bit of money and start
compromising their integrity and reputation by cutting corners. It's a tough
life that we, as breeders, have, but it is one that we have chosen and to do
less than our very best each time is not only neglectful to our dogs, but is
dishonest to the breed and dog world in general, as well as those who trust that
we live up to our reputation.
Breeding
for any one trait is irresponsible breeding. Breeding to make a bit of money is
irresponsible breeding. Breeding to
simply produce dogs and fulfil a market is irresponsible breeding. Breeding without doing everything
possible to ensure healthy puppies and dogs is irresponsible
breeding.
Make sure
you don’t join the ranks of the irresponsible.
Copyright 2001 Sierra
