I know JUST what you mean! I had to avoid this section completely for a while because heaven help you if you actually answer a question honestly when someonen asks it! :rolleyes: The "I'm new here this is my first post and my 3.5 lb girl is prego by my 8 lb male and it was an accident because I was going to breed her next year not now and she is due tomorrow what do I do?" type posts get to where they are too much to handle after a while.

I find basically it's easiest just to avoid the questions asking for advice on something relating to breeding altogether. Unfortunately for the poor money making dogs involved, many breeders have started avoided making the much needed advice hard to come by.:(

economy, breeders, testing, etc...
 

We are seeing a drop in overall impulse calls as opposed to the constant bombardment of two years ago. We are still relatively unaffected since we generally sell on an approval list. When litters are larger than expected, we will have a puppy or maybe two that can be purchased after the buyer approval process has been completed. However, we prefer not to breed until we have several approved buyers waiting. I'm positive this costs us sells, but we never have puppies over 4 months or so waiting to be adopted. The key to that is not breeding unless you already have approved buyers. That type of program seems to work for us and again has left us unaffected by the current economic situation. I do believe we are in a "do I buy a puppy or put gas in my car" situation right now. We will continue to slow our breeding program as needed.

As far as testing goes, it is a must in our book. I cannot in good conscience sell a puppy without proper testing of both the puppy and its parents. Regardless of the costs of testing, breeders should do their part in insuring they are not adding genetic anomalies into the pet population at large. All puppies need to be sold on an alteration contract. It is an absolute must. The fact that so many breeders (of all breeds) do not do this is completely parallel to the decline of the appearence and health of any given animal be it canine or what ever. Anyone breeding who is not interested in gaining a general knowledge of genetics and how it relates to their dog prior to breeding shouldn't be breeding anything. I too become very frustrated with the "I have puppies due from an 8 lb male and 4 lb female, what do I do now."

I'm a firm believer that everyone out there breeding started small, as we did. The difference between a "good" breeder and one who isn't is the the level of knowledge he or she has taken upon themselves to learn. Every thing one needs to know is out there, one needs to look or ask for it. It is the lazy attitude toward breeding that I simply cannot even respond to anymore.

Lastly, I fault the buyers out there who do absolutely no homework prior to their purchase and then are angry when their adorable puppy grows into a 15 lb flop eared what ever and decide they are going to rehome it. Sorry if I'm stepping on any toes, but families looking for a puppy cannot rely on a breeder's "word" anymore thanks to the huge number of folks who will sell anything for a buck. I am a firm believer, you get what you pay for. Those of you who are selling quality dogs for a sound price, times will get better. Keep your chin up and know that there are great buyers out there who are looking for you. Also, help out each other... If you know a breeder who is reputable and is struggling send buyers their way if you have nothing to offer. Those of us who stick together will survive this economy we are in.... BTW, I used to do a limited amount of boarding and grooming, if you have a kennel and can offer these services, do so.... It has really kept me afloat lately.