How many is too many????

[TeddyandTiffy]

"I didn't really think there would be a set & definite answer....it just got me wondering as to maybe the average amount of dogs a reputable breeder could handle and still give the love and attention to them that they need and deserve."


This is me myself and how I myself feel:

There isn't no set definite answer, it is what each breeder/owner feels they can keep up with, but I myself know I couldn't keep up with 50 unless there was hired help to assist me in caring for them. This is why we downsized, It wasn't an easy choice as I truly loved each one of our babies in our litters and Tiffanie we had since she was a baby it was hard to allow her to be with someone else but with 2 children at the ages of 9 & 12, hubby, we have a Framing Construction Company, school, and such I just felt I couldn't keep up with them all and give them all the attention they needed, now when U have a litter of puppies that usually go to their forever homes at around the ages of 12 weeks some of ours we had till ages 6 months due to being so big, to me that is different for they aren't in U're regular pack. Our regular pack now is 5 and I can give each one what they need and all the love they deserve.


"This is a timely discussion for me as I spent several hours today bathing and grooming all of our yorkies. We have three grown females and one grown male -- two of these have 3/4 's of a full coat, one is pregnant and one is nursing. We have our four little boy puppies -- 6 weeks old now and running everywhere, they had their first baths today.

All dogs live in our family room/kitchen with us, and sleep in crates in our bedroom at night. The puppies are kept in a playpen in our bedroom at night and in a playpen in the kitchen when I have to be away during the day. Otherwise they run in the kitchen with an x-pen fence to keep them off the family room carpet.

There is going to be some overlap between the litter we have now and our next litter (due in 2 weeks). We know we have at least 4 puppies in the next litter (sonogram)."


It does become time consuming when U're taking care of U're babies they way then should be kept.


"When your house smells like a pet shop and/or a dirty hamster cage"

When Clydes' new family came to our house, when they came into our Yorkie Room she said "Now this is the way a home for Yorkies should smell and look" they had went to other homes and pet stores here in our town that day looking for a Yorkie and she said out of all the visited not one was in the shape ours was, that ours was the cleanest they had seen. Well of course I was very proud. And they adopted Clyde that day.

[luckylady]

Originally Posted by peanut

Rose I agree with you, I don't use crates, I have a "nursery" that the puppies and Lexie stay in that is gated and she can get out of, the rest of the crew have full run of my house, when it gets to the point where I have to use crates and leave them in there thats when I stop and find homes for them all. I think its so sad for dogs to be in crates most of there life or chained. thats jmo.

Thanks Kim. IMO, what a sad life for dogs to have to spend most of their days in kennels or cages. I feel the same way about "outdoor dogs". If a dog is going to be kept outside all the time, what's the point? My definition of an outdoor dog is "a big dog - a dog that likes to spend alot of time in the great outdoors; setters, labs, retrievers, etc.", but to live in a kennel outside???? Again, what's the point? JMO...maybe I don't understand the whole reasoning behind it since (though I love dogs), I am definitely a little dog person. Actually anymore, I am a Yorkie person.

[Sugar's Mom]

Originally Posted by mojo

Sugars mom (sorry, I know I have seen your name many times, just evades me right now) - I am wondering how many you have if you don't mind sharing. Just curious/no judgement.

i don't mind at all to tell you. Right now I have five in my living room. Two stud males, ONE breeding girl, one girl that I show that is too small and too young to breed and one SPAYED female. In my bedroom in an x-pen for now, I have one mama and three babies two weeks old. That Mama was also spayed when she had the litter so you see, I am not over run with dogs . Nor am I the big breeder people seem to think I am. I have one huge crate right in the middle of the living room that has the door open at all times so every once in awhile, someone takes a nap in it. Now, when someone is in heat, they take turns in the crate. Two hours max time in and two hours out. often instead of crating, I turn them out to have run of the house.

[katelin]

Originally Posted by Sugar's Mom

i don't mind at all to tell you. Right now I have five in my living room. Two stud males, ONE breeding girl, one girl that I show that is too small and too young to breed and one SPAYED female. In my bedroom in an x-pen for now, I have one mama and three babies two weeks old. That Mama was also spayed when she had the litter so you see, I am not over run with dogs . Nor am I the big breeder people seem to think I am. I have one huge crate right in the middle of the living room that has the door open at all times so every once in awhile, someone takes a nap in it. Now, when someone is in heat, they take turns in the crate. Two hours max time in and two hours out. often instead of crating, I turn them out to have run of the house.

Just curious as to why you have two stud males. I know sometimes a breeder will keep back a really good puppy, and you can't always predict whether it will be a boy/girl, but just wondering how you got the mix of dogs you have.

Also, when a female is in heat I just put a belly band on our little boy. That lead to all kinds of activity, but nothing else (at least so far). Do you think that it is better to physically separate them? My guy is house trained with a doggie door, but when the girls are in heat he starts marking EVERYTHING. So he would have to be in a belly band anyway. Anyone else have this problem?

[skeeter_haven]

I also use Belly Bands for my retired stud Skeeter , I still do even though he was neautered a month ago. He still has it in his head to mark and thinks he is still the King!

[Sugar's Mom]

Originally Posted by katelin

Just curious as to why you have two stud males. I know sometimes a breeder will keep back a really good puppy, and you can't always predict whether it will be a boy/girl, but just wondering how you got the mix of dogs you have.

Also, when a female is in heat I just put a belly band on our little boy. That lead to all kinds of activity, but nothing else (at least so far). Do you think that it is better to physically separate them? My guy is house trained with a doggie door, but when the girls are in heat he starts marking EVERYTHING. So he would have to be in a belly band anyway. Anyone else have this problem?

I have two studs because i USED to have three breeding females. two are spayed now AND Renny, my new stud, well I have had him almost two years now has a pedigree to die for. Ceeby was the only male for two years, then Renny came along. I couldn't resist him.Plus, I have kept one of Ceeby's girls back so obviously, she can't be bred to ceeby. I am breeding her to Renny next Friday. It will be her first time. She is in her second heat right now. That is the breeding girl I mentioned. NO NO NO do not count on Belly Bands and yess, you had better physically separate them. Ceeby bred one of my females when he had a belly band on right over the top of it and there has been more than one case of that happening on here or the male taki ng the females panties off. When you do put one in a crate, you have to watch that also because the femalee will back up to the crate and the male can reach his legs thru it and pull her close, next thing you have puppies. You could also put one or the other in another room. As I said, sometimes I let mine run in the house so they don't have to stay in the crate so long.

[peanut]

Originally Posted by katelin

Just curious as to why you have two stud males. I know sometimes a breeder will keep back a really good puppy, and you can't always predict whether it will be a boy/girl, but just wondering how you got the mix of dogs you have.

Also, when a female is in heat I just put a belly band on our little boy. That lead to all kinds of activity, but nothing else (at least so far). Do you think that it is better to physically separate them? My guy is house trained with a doggie door, but when the girls are in heat he starts marking EVERYTHING. So he would have to be in a belly band anyway. Anyone else have this problem?

I belly band, diaper and seperate, just in case, I have seen my boys and I don't trust them at all, I put the female in a room with the door closed when I am gone, but I wouldn't be surprized to find it open one day, thats why mine wear bands and diapers even when they are seperated, they are little demons on a mission when they are in heat

[MindieRose]

Originally Posted by BubblPopElectrc

When your house smells like a pet shop and/or a dirty hamster cage.

Thats why we dont have hamsters

We have 5 that have free run of the house except at night or when we are gone, then they are crated. I personally cannot see having them in separate building myself, but as MyFairLacy said, its sort of a case by case thing, as to what each breeder handles and how they handle it.

[BakersDozen]

Originally Posted by MindieRose

Thats why we dont have hamsters

We have 5 that have free run of the house except at night or when we are gone, then they are crated. I personally cannot see having them in separate building myself, but as MyFairLacy said, its sort of a case by case thing, as to what each breeder handles and how they handle it.

lol...I have never had hamsters...remind me too much of rats....do they smell particularly bad???

I agree, depends on each breeder. I can see where it would be possible, with additional help, to have a number of dogs and still be well cared for and well socialized too. Like, if a single breeder can care well for, say, 10 dogs, then theoretically they should be able to hire another person for each additional 10 dogs and still have good care and socialization. Probably in real life the ratio wouldn't be quite that liberal. I think a situation like this would take lots of planning and attention to detail to be done properly, but could be done. I don't see how a true "puppy mill" could do this, as they would not lay out the $$ for adequate care and help.

Bottom line, there's really no way to judge from numbers alone. It's like setting an arbitrary limit on how many kids a person can have....different for everyone.

[luckylady]

Well....I guess another point I'm also concerned about with having so many dogs is, if a breeder has so many dogs; just where are all of their puppies going? 15-20- or more dogs make alot of litters. Would reputable breeders have places for all those puppies? Or does that sound more like puppy mills or pet shop breeders. That's what comes first to my mind; hence the red flags. Just curious of opinions.

[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by luckylady

Well....I guess another point I'm also concerned about with having so many dogs is, if a breeder has so many dogs; just where are all of their puppies going? 15-20- or more dogs make alot of litters. Would reputable breeders have places for all those puppies? Or does that sound more like puppy mills or pet shop breeders. That's what comes first to my mind; hence the red flags. Just curious of opinions.

you bring up a very good point Fewer litters...easier to find exceptional homes. Many litters...might have to settle for "okay" homes

[TeddyandTiffy]

Originally Posted by katelin

Just curious as to why you have two stud males. I know sometimes a breeder will keep back a really good puppy, and you can't always predict whether it will be a boy/girl, but just wondering how you got the mix of dogs you have.

Also, when a female is in heat I just put a belly band on our little boy. That lead to all kinds of activity, but nothing else (at least so far). Do you think that it is better to physically separate them? My guy is house trained with a doggie door, but when the girls are in heat he starts marking EVERYTHING. So he would have to be in a belly band anyway. Anyone else have this problem?

I have 2 males and 1 (Galahad) marks like crazy like 18 times in 15 minutes in Feb right before Sage came into heat. Mine never go out to potty except on walks or nice days when they go out on their harnesses. I put mine in our living room in a playpen with puppy pads and U should see the marking they do on them, I change them 3 times a day. They also wear belly bands when they roam the living room, we have gates up at 2 doors and 2 doors to close between the rooms. I don't dare trust Galahad after marking that much in that little time, he was gonna make sure Teddy knew and knows Sage is his, lol and she is his just not till next Spring.