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Originally Posted by Lorraine  Here is the reality of breeding and yes just one litter on the way makes you a breeder.
Be prepared to take time off work within about a week of whelping which can happen 59-63 days after conception although can be early or late. Too early they are premature and increases the likelihood of losing the litter. There are still the ones that can be born dead for various reasons, you have to be ready to deal with that.
Someone has to be there during whelping and for about a week afterwards, perhaps longer if a new and especially inexperienced mom. Then there is what to do if one is a weakling how to get it nursing perhaps having to tube feed to help it then lose it anyway sometimes at 3, 7, 10 days of age.
At whelping, to know that all pups have been expelled and the placentas have come out. Does she need antibiotics? Most of the time they do a nd I always put them on for 7 days. I am lucky I have a knowledgable vet and always have them on hand. After whelping to be sure to watch for any complications on mom. You lose the mom you will be raising the puppies if they survive. That means 24 hour round the clock feeding of setting your alarm for every 60min to get up and feed and wiping bums etc to get them to potty.
Your responsibility continues through the weaning process as you have to feed and clean up after them. And watch for any health issues than can manifest now that they are no long supported by their moms system but their own kidney, heart liver etc. Sometimes things can go wrong you can lose a pup at weaning time or shortly after, hopefully before being sold so you deal with it not some brand new owner with their dear puppy. If that happens you reimburse the purchase price. You better have a contract outlining what you will cover as you could be liable for any vet fees they ran up in determining the problem. AS I read the posts on here, it came to light your bitch is fearful personality. Did you realize all her puppies likely will be. Attitude is very inheritable that’s a reason why breeders who know better would never keep one like that in a breeding program.
Then at 10 weeks first vaccs vet check. About 4 weeks later 2nd vaccs and vet check then they can go to a new home. Gee these are not out at the door at 8 weeks and you will be doing the cleaning up and care for them.
What about genetic diseases. Sire and dam can be carriers and not manifest a disease but their pups may. That’s one reason you need to know the pedigree, what dogs are in it and if anything has shown up in them or puppies produced. It is a tricky thing as carriers do not exhibit anything but pups can, sometimes a whole litter. One breeder I know of years ago produced a litter of 3 and 2 of the sibs came up with legge calves perthes. She was knowledgable about her line but it happened anyway. Such as it is in the breeding world..
I hope for your girls sake all goes well. Things can go terribly wrong even with a first litter. I have been doing this for about 18 years, have mentors, excellent Vets and let me tell you , no litter yet has been a walk in the park as I know what can go wrong, I know what has gone wrong.
Why do I do it? I have no idea it sure is NOT the money. I make nothing I don't break even I have to support us with my job I do. I have no vacations, income is chaotic as I chose to have my own business so I could take time off as needed. No paid holiday, no paid sick leave, no company pension plan no nothing. I am totally on my own with all that stuff. |
Great insight. It seems like a lot of people think having puppies is an 8 week commitment, and then it's over. If you breed a dog, you should be prepared to be responsible for that dog for life, if that's what it comes to...if the owners have to surrender it back for any reason, OR if the dog has health issues that are the result of bad breeding/genetics passed on down the line....it should be up to the breeder to take care of it. If ALL breeders did this, we wouldn't have a need for rescues.
Just recently, look what happened with a puppy Lady Jane had. A lady had to give up her puppy to a rescue because she couldn't afford the vet care for it. The breeders answer was just to throw her another dog and let someone else take care of the sick puppy...and Lady Jane and the rescue she works with, were left footing the vet bills and dealing with the heart ache. The breeder made the decision to bring the puppy into the world, it should have been up to the breeder to take care of it!! Not the new owner...and not the rescue!!
Whenever anyone wants to breed a dog, i feel like they should go volunteer at a shelter for a few days first. There are too many dogs out there that need a "pet" home....there are Yorkies of every age and size sitting in rescues all over the country. So breeding a dog just because you want puppies, or thinks she wants puppies, IMO isn't a good enough reason to justify adding to the pet population. If you have 1 puppy, that's one less home another homeless dog can have. It's a little too late to change things now...but hopefully the OP will consider getting his little girls spayed and the male dog neutered.
If you do decide to spay and terminate the pregnancy, I'd be happy to point you to some places to help get your mother a yorkie, since i know you planned on giving her a puppy. I just rescued one myself a few months ago and rescuing is such a GREAT feeling!!
More food for thought...MOST(if not ALL) responsible breeders require a spay and neuter contract. Why...because they want to protect their name, their line and their dogs. The fact that you and your roommate have both intact dogs make me wonder what kind of breeder you guy got your puppies from, where neither of them required that you spay or neuter your dogs. My guess is...if they didn't require a spay/neuter contract(like I hope you will with your puppies), they were not breeding responsibly...and they might have paired dogs that shouldn't have been paired and the problems could get passed down to your dogs puppies. Most breeders that have good lines want to protect their lines...the fact that someone doesn't care to protect it, makes me wonder why.