“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 Timbuktu and can’t take Fido. Now what?”
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.
Source:
TO BREED OR NOT TO BREED – THAT IS THE QUESTION