[sylvan]

I know this is long and I posted it once before, but we seem to be getting frequent questions about this subject and I think this article makes some excellent points.

SHOULD I BREED MY DOG??

Almost everyone who owns a dog thinks about breeding it at least once. Raising a litter sounds easy and fun -- but having puppies isn’t all its cracked up to be. Breeding dogs involves much more work and responsibility than most people are prepared for. Before you breed your dog, there are some important things to consider:

Will all your puppies find good, permanent homes?

According to the Humane Society of the United States and the government Census Bureau, 2,000 puppies and 450 humans are born every hour in our country. Right from the start, only 1 out of 4 puppies has a chance at a home. Finding a permanent home is even harder - only 1 out of 10 dogs will stay with its original buyer for its whole life. 5 out of 10 will change owners before they’re a year old. The remainder of these dogs will end up in animal shelters, abandoned and unwanted. Even if your dog is an expensive purebred, your puppies are subject to the same statistics. At least 3 million dogs will be killed in animal shelters this year alone because there just aren’t enough homes for all of them There are so many unwanted pets that cities all over the country are considering passing laws that will ban all breeding.


Your responsibilities as a breeder:

As a breeder you’re personally responsible for each and every puppy for the rest of its life. Your responsibility doesn’t end with selling the puppy - it only starts there! It will be up to you to know where those puppies are six months, a year, five years from now and whether or not they’re being taken care of. It will be up to you to keep any unsold puppies or to take back puppies you’ve sold after they’re grown if their owners can’t keep them anymore. Since only 1 out of 10 puppies stays with its original buyer for life, you can expect to have to take back most of your litter sooner or later. The time to prepare for this is now - before you bring puppies into the world, not after. Will you have facilities to house these dogs? Will you have time to care for them? If you’re offering your dog for stud service, you have as much responsibility for the welfare of his puppies as do the owners of the bitches bred to him.

As a breeder,you have the responsibility of controlling the reproductive future of the puppies you sell. It might seem like having just one litter doesn’t add much to the dog population but - if your dog or bitch produces just one litter of four pups who in turn each produce just one litter themselves and so forth, in only 7 years your dog will have 4000 descendants! “Just one litter" has serious consequences! You’ll need to learn how to write and enforce a contract requiring the new owners to spay or neuter their puppies.

You have a responsibility to your puppies and their buyers to produce the healthiest and most mentally sound dogs possible All breeds have genetic health and temperament problems that can be passed on to their puppies. It takes experience and knowledge to learn how to recognize these problems. Many inherited defects are “hidden” - although your dog may not seem to have a problem, it could be genetically programmed to pass trouble along to its pups. Without expensive medical testing and a thorough understanding of genetics and pedigrees, you could easily produce puppies that will be a heartache to their owners and a financial burden to you. Reputable breeders check their adult stock for evidence of hip and elbow dysplasia, eye diseases, thyroid and hormone trouble, skin problems and allergies, bleeding disorders and other problems before even thinking of breeding.

As a breeder, you must be prepared to guarantee your puppies against inherited health problems that may not appear until adulthood. This can mean refunding money or replacing a dog years later. Many states are now passing “puppy lemon laws” that would require a breeder to refund up to three times the purchase price of a defective puppy or pay for its medical bills. Temperament is also subject to guarantees. You could be sued if a dog you produce bites someone! You need to be there to give buyers advice on training, behavioral and medical problems. You’re the “on-line” support for your puppies’ owners for the next 10-15 years!


Having a litter is expensive

Raising a litter involves a considerable investment in time and money - money that you aren’t likely to get back in profit. By the time your bitch is old enough to have puppies, you’ll already have more than $1000 invested in her purchase price, food & upkeep, vaccinations and the medical tests & certification to prove her suitability for breeding. In order to produce quality puppies, you’ll need to use a stud dog that’s as good or better than she is. Good stud dogs require a hefty fee. Most professional breeders won’t be interested in taking a puppy in exchange nor are they interested in breeding to just any bitch.

There’ll be pre-whelping exams and x-rays, post-whelping exams and shots, dewclaw removal and/or tail docking, puppy shots (two sets for each pup before they’re sold), worming medication, extra food for dam & pups, equipment like whelping boxes, heating pads, puppy playpens, crates, etc. Problem pregnancies are common. A cesarian section can cost up to $500.

You’ll be taking time off work to help whelp the litter and make sure all is well the first few days. especially if this is your bitch’s first litter. Dogs don’t always know what to do and can accidentally kill their puppies. A problem during whelping can cost your bitch her life if you’re not there to tend her. You can depend on a 25% mortality rate for newborn puppies no matter how well you care for them. Birth defects like cleft palettes are also common. Then there will be advertising costs to help sell your puppies. Depending on your breed and part of the country, it can take up to 4 months to find proper homes for your whole litter. Even breeders of top quality show dogs rarely break even on their expenses.


AKC registration requirements

If you plan to register your litter with the AKC, you need to become familiar with their rules and recordkeeping requirements. You should be aware that they have the right to inspect your premises and breeding records at any time. If your recordkeepng doesn’t meet their standards, they can refuse to register your puppies, impose a fine and suspend you from registration privileges for life.



Before going any further, think hard about your reasons for wanting to breed a litter. Here are some of the most common ones:


“Nature intended for dogs to have puppies.”

Nature doesn’t control our pets’ reproductive careers any more - people do. Nature’s way is very different than ours. Nature never intends for all animals to reproduce. In the wild, nature sees to it that only the strongest, fittest and smartest animals survive long enough to have babies. Nature only allows females to conceive when the food supply and environment is suitable to assure their offspring a good future. We humans allow our animals to reproduce anytime whether if there is a future for them or not.


“We’re doing it for the kids.”

Seeing the miracle of birth isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s messy, bloody and usually happens in the middle of the night. It’s painful for the bitch and her cries may be more than you or the kids can stand. There are videos and books available to show children what birth is like without the responsibility and expense of raising puppies.


“We want another dog just like this one."

Your puppies have at least a 50-50 chance of taking after the other parent instead! Your dog is unique, special. The laws of heredity make it impossible for any two to be exactly alike. Many of the qualities of personality that make your dog so adorable to you are developed, not inherited.