Breeding - pros and cons.

[Lillium]

I have a 7 month old Purebred Yorkie Bitch who was originally purchased as a pet but has the potential to be much more. I was thinking of breeding with her further down the track, I've been reading up a lot on the subject but wanted to ask some opinions and hear what other people have to say on the topic.

I want to stress that if I do indeed go through with this, I have every single intention of doing everything the correct way - health screenings, not breeding until she's of an age where she's ready, not breeding until I'm ready, being as prepared as possible for the unexpected and everything else being a responsible breeder entails. I am also in close contact with my pup's breeder.

I'm not going to breed to make money, I'm not one of those people. My reason for wanting to breed is mainly due to the fact that I'd love another Yorkie at some point in the future, as would my Mum as she has fallen in love with Suzy. So I was thinking maybe I would have a litter with her as she's a gorgeous little thing with a beautiful personality and a great lineage. If she had show quality puppies, as she is a show quality dog (who attended her first show on Saturday), I would consider showing them. But I doubt I'd sell any of her litter and I doubt I'd have more than 1 litter with her. I don't even know at this stage, I'm just throwing ideas around at this stage and considering everything.

So what I wanted to pose for discussion, the pros and cons of breeding.

I want to hear positive stories, horror stories, opinions etc so that I can give this more thought.

Again, this is not going to be happening for some time but I want to do some serious research before I even consider doing it and I would really appreciate some opinions.

[hha]

Did you get papers with her? If they have limited registration, you really can't breed her, as you wouldn't be able to register the pups, plus, you paid for a pet..How big is your puppy? I never have nor would I ever breed, I have heard too many horror stories, people have lost their bitches during pregnancy, have even lost pups, it's very hard to lose a beloved pet for me to ever consider doing it. JMO

[Sunnie]

Let me be the first to say (since I woke up and cannot get back to sleep) that I commend you for asking lots of questions and doing the required ( I think they should be required) testing before making a decision. That puts you well on your way to being a responsible breeder if that is what you chose to do. I will let the more experienced tell you the pros and cons. I wish you much luck in whatever you decide to do.
Sonya

[blitz]

Originally Posted by Lillium

I have a 7 month old Purebred Yorkie Bitch who was originally purchased as a pet but has the potential to be much more. I was thinking of breeding with her further down the track, I've been reading up a lot on the subject but wanted to ask some opinions and hear what other people have to say on the topic.

I want to stress that if I do indeed go through with this, I have every single intention of doing everything the correct way - health screenings, not breeding until she's of an age where she's ready, not breeding until I'm ready, being as prepared as possible for the unexpected and everything else being a responsible breeder entails. I am also in close contact with my pup's breeder.

I'm not going to breed to make money, I'm not one of those people. My reason for wanting to breed is mainly due to the fact that I'd love another Yorkie at some point in the future, as would my Mum as she has fallen in love with Suzy. So I was thinking maybe I would have a litter with her as she's a gorgeous little thing with a beautiful personality and a great lineage. If she had show quality puppies, as she is a show quality dog (who attended her first show on Saturday), I would consider showing them. But I doubt I'd sell any of her litter and I doubt I'd have more than 1 litter with her. I don't even know at this stage, I'm just throwing ideas around at this stage and considering everything.

So what I wanted to pose for discussion, the pros and cons of breeding.

I want to hear positive stories, horror stories, opinions etc so that I can give this more thought.

I've had litters where I wound up with healthy happy beautiful puppies and the bitch reveled in motherhood and I thoroughly enjoyed watching these whelps develop into bouncing playing puppies. I got so much satisfaction, pride and joy from them.

Then there are the unknown possibilities that I have personally experienced, such as eclampsia, c-section, sick or fading puppies. Then it's a nightmare. I've had a bitch that needed a c-section and all the puppies died. I had a bitch that lost more than half her puppies in 3 breedings. I had a bitch that conceived 1 large puppy that was born dead. I've had litters where 1 of 3 puppies died. I had a litter where the mother got to the umbilical cord before I could and she ripped it too roughly and exposed the puppies intestines. That puppy screamed in agony until I got him to the vet who euthanized him. I've had puppies that hung on for 3 weeks being cared for in an incubator and then died. The one thing that never happened to me is that I never lost a bitch, thank God. I had a puppy that had a liver shunt and it cost me a fortune to get it fixed. I had a puppy that had a PDA and that cost me another small fortune. However, seeing those puppies go on and live happy lives as pets, did give me satisfaction because I could never give up on a puppy as long as it had a chance. I had a puppy that lived for a little over a year with hydrocephalus and that was a challenge.

I'm sorry the bad was longer than the good and the truth is, there is a lot more of the first, good scenarios than the bad secenarios, but those things all happened to me. When I went into this I somehow felt that none of the bad things that people talked about would happen to me because I was going to take superior care of my dogs but my very first bitch got eclampsia and one of the puppies had an unrepairable heart condition and she had to be euthanized! But, I went on to breed plenty of litters after that and had plenty of successful, happy healthy litters.

So after all that is it worth it? I would say, yes although I never got used to losing puppies. It is painful to watch that little life ebb away despite everything you do and the tears and heartache make you wonder how you can ever do tis again but somehow, a breeder, brushes herself off and in time gets excited again about planning her next breeding. Some people just ARE breeders, I believe and it's a natural thing for them to do.

If you don't feel you really are a breeder, than it might NOT be a good idea for you to do because there are no guarantees and that's what you need to know. If you can go into it knowing that and still be hell bent on doing it, maybe you are a breeder.

[Lillium]

Originally Posted by hha

Did you get papers with her? If they have limited registration, you really can't breed her, as you wouldn't be able to register the pups, plus, you paid for a pet..How big is your puppy? I never have nor would I ever breed, I have heard too many horror stories, people have lost their bitches during pregnancy, have even lost pups, it's very hard to lose a beloved pet for me to ever consider doing it. JMO

Sorry, I should have mentioned this in my original post. Yes, she has papers. I'm in Australia, I don't think we have "limited registration" here. She is fully registered with the appropriate organisation. Her breeder is aware that I am considering breeding with her and is willing to answer any questions, help with finding a Sire etc. She also very supportive in regards to me showing the pup, I attended Suzy's first show with her on the weekend.

I didn't pay for a puppy, she wasn't sold to me as a pet only as she isn't pet quality. She was purchased as I wanted a Yorkshire Terrier but did not want to support backyard breeding, pet stores and I wanted some sort of guarantee in regards to health. Her lineage has a history of Australian Champions and the litter was bred with the intention of the breeder keeping one of the pup's for herself for showing purposes. The breeder was tossing up between keeping the puppy I ended up with and another, in the end she chose the other purely because that pup was more open towards her and essentially, the puppy chose her.

My puppy is about 6 and a half pounds, within the standard. She could probably stand to lose a little bit of weight, but she isn't fat... just well loved.

As I said before, I'm just throwing ideas around at the moment. So I have to hear some of these horror stories etc to allow me to make a well informed decision.

[Lillium]

Originally Posted by blitz

I've had litters where I wound up with healthy happy beautiful puppies and the bitch reveled in motherhood and I thoroughly enjoyed watching these whelps develop into bouncing playing puppies. I got so much satisfaction, pride and joy from them.

Then there are the unknown possibilities that I have personally experienced, such as eclampsia, c-section, sick or fading puppies. Then it's a nightmare. I've had a bitch that needed a c-section and all the puppies died. I had a bitch that lost more than half her puppies in 3 breedings. I had a bitch that conceived 1 large puppy that was born dead. I've had litters where 1 of 3 puppies died. I had a litter where the mother got to the umbilical cord before I could and she ripped it too roughly and exposed the puppies intestines. That puppy screamed in agony until I got him to the vet who euthanized him. I've had puppies that hung on for 3 weeks being cared for in an incubator and then died. The one thing that never happened to me is that I never lost a bitch, thank God. I had a puppy that had a liver shunt and it cost me a fortune to get it fixed. I had a puppy that had a PDA and that cost me another small fortune. However, seeing those puppies go on and live happy lives as pets, did give me satisfaction because I could never give up on a puppy as long as it had a chance. I had a puppy that lived for a little over a year with hydrocephalus and that was a challenge.

I'm sorry the bad was longer than the good and the truth is, there is a lot more of the first, good scenarios than the bad secenarios, but those things all happened to me. When I went into this I somehow felt that none of the bad things that people talked about would happen to me because I was going to take superior care of my dogs but my very first bitch got eclampsia and one of the puppies had an unrepairable heart condition and she had to be euthanized! But, I went on to breed plenty of litters after that and had plenty of successful, happy healthy litters.

So after all that is it worth it? I would say, yes although I never got used to losing puppies. It is painful to watch that little life ebb away despite everything you do and the tears and heartache make you wonder how you can ever do tis again but somehow, a breeder, brushes herself off and in time gets excited again about planning her next breeding. Some people just ARE breeders, I believe and it's a natural thing for them to do.

If you don't feel you really are a breeder, than it might NOT be a good idea for you to do because there are no guarantees and that's what you need to know. If you can go into it knowing that and still be hell bent on doing it, maybe you are a breeder.

Thank you very much for your reply. I appreciate the thought and time you put into posting.

You've certainly given me some food for thought. I'm sorry to hear about the issues you have had with some of the pups and litters. But, I'm happy to hear that you have experienced the satisfaction, pride and joy from breeding. I guess with everything we've got to take the good with the bad, it's just, as you said, if I can go into this knowing what can potentially happen and still be hell bent on doing it, then it is for me. I just need to know as much as possible so I can make an informed decision.

I am only 24 (but if I decide to do this then I will have help, including my Mum who showed Malts and bred a litter herself with no problems - although this was done purely by accident due to a pair of Houdinis who got through all the barriers etc). If I decide to breed, I may not end up breeding with Suzy as she's my first pup - I may end up breeding when I'm 30 with a completely different Bitch but I'd just like to know as much as possible about it before I decide. It is a big thing to consider, especially in regards to potentially losing the pups and the bitch, but also the X factors that just tend to happen that you can't be prepared for.

[Lillium]

Originally Posted by Sunnie

Let me be the first to say (since I woke up and cannot get back to sleep) that I commend you for asking lots of questions and doing the required ( I think they should be required) testing before making a decision. That puts you well on your way to being a responsible breeder if that is what you chose to do. I will let the more experienced tell you the pros and cons. I wish you much luck in whatever you decide to do.
Sonya

Thank you, Sonya. Above all, I want to be as responsible as possible. After all, Yorkies are living creatures that deserve respect and all the love and care we can possibly give. I understand that this is not something that should be entered into lightly.

[topknot]

My puppy is about 6 and a half pounds, within the standard. She could probably stand to lose a little bit of weight, but she isn't fat... just well loved. - I have a 7 month old Purebred Yorkie Bitch who was originally purchased as a pet

I would say she may grow some more. Females usually grow and put on a bit more weight as they approach 1 year old and harmones set in. This is what my vet has always told me and seem to be true as what I noticed with my own dogs. I had some only 4.5 pounds and finally got to 5 around 1 year old or just after their birthday.

Pros and cons - it can be very happy - it's like expereincing motherhood again as you see the pups grow and flurish. It can also be very sad when you loose pups or even the mom. I just lost a pup on this last litter (stomach was on the outside) and I almost lost the mom (she had to have a c-section).

You must see if you have the extra time, energy, and money too.
Money - The c-section was very expensive, very expensive - especially after she ended up back to the vets several times after the c-section for fluids, amoxicillin, and glucose. You will have pup care to pay for: shots, tail docks, dewclaws, pads, bedding, etc., etc, etc... Not including what the mom may need. Testing for pups and mom, stud service if you use someone else stud. Personally, it cost me a lot of money.

Time - I was up off and on all through the night days before she had her pups and then for a week after the pups were born. You have to check and make sure they did not get covered up, fall out of their bed area (holding on to tit when mom jumps out - they can get slung out), whelping a litter takes hours. Days missed from work is usually called for. You just can't leave the pups alone or a bitch ready to whelp alone - anything can happen and you could loose them. Etc...

Energy - it takes a lot muscles - bend over whelping a litter for hours and after caring for pups, hours of lack sleeping, etc... When the pups get older and mom does not clean them up - you will have to do all the cleaning. Pups love to romp in their stool, so lots of cleaning is always in store. You will find yourself always watching so you can change the pads or papers as soon as they go. Small litters are easier, but what a chore for those larger litters!

Space is also something to think about. Do you have a quite place for mom and baby to stay at in the home where they will be nice and warm and can rest and grow (when young).

The above is all food for thought and what you need to think of before breeding. You must think for yourself - do you have the time, money, and energy to devote to breedng.

I am glad you decided to research before diving in. When our babies are young - you think wouldn't it be nice to have another one (more babies around). They are so cute! But reality is much different than the dream. It's a lot like having a having a human baby - it is a lot of work, takes a lot of money, and taks a lot of time.
T.

[topknot]

I forgot to mention:
I also had to spoon feed my mama yorkie for 7 days after she had her pups and that was 4 times at least a day, since she would not eat on her own. I also had to tempt her to drink water too by swooshing my finger in her bowl. And wash her up after the spoon feedings - she got the food all over her face hairs. So it was a lot of work and time to devote! This is not what happens every litter, but you must be prepared because it can happen.
T.