Should I breed my dog?

[StewiesMom]

I hope bad breeders are offended that was my intention!

yes, I think this thing should be stickied. That's why everyone comes into breeder talk. They want to stud their dogs out or have a litter or whatever and they don't realize what it entails.

[whispersmom2]

This entire post is great. I am sorry to hear about the problems with your Yorkie mom. So many people think you just stick 2 dogs in the same crate and stand back and watch the action. Then, voila, puppies in 63 days-free-whelped, mom feeds them well, and they are all perfect....NOT!!!!!!

[sylvan]

so this can be a BUMP sticky

[JCarlson2004]

AWESOME POST!! Thank you so much for sharing this!!

[sylvan]

bumpity bump again

[red98vett]

Sylvan...this IS a really good post and a good thread to direct people thinking of breeding to....

[JUDY's2yorkies]

One more heart felt thank you,its about time the truth comes out,and its not even first timers that run into problems..but there is one bit of info outdated,thats the cost of a csection,we had one with no complications in nov and the cost was over $1,000.00,had one healthy puppy,mom is fine,yet if I had sold that puppy for what I had into it,time off work,shots,formula,and all of the extras,4 vet visits and so forth, he would have cost the new family $2950.00,but I had agreed ahead of time to $1,000.But he did go to the perfect forever home where he will be thier stud for there girls,yes a happy life for him,and a sad day for us,as he goes tonight after loving,spoiling,and not wanting to give him up,to his new home..yes there is alot more envolved to having puppies than meets the eye..keeping him for the 12 weeks makes you love him so much,yet he is going with all of the doggy parents love,training and complete devotation..don't know if we can do it again or not..

[scrapbetter]

This is one of the most singly informative pieces I've read so far...and I thank you for putting it here! Since college, I have had "pound" pets..as there are so many without homes and I am getting my yorkie from someone who puts a lot of effort into finding a "forever" home for her babies... She insists that SHE get the pup back if EVER something should happen and we cannot keep it.. (I didn't understand that one before, but I do after reading all of these posts) I thank you all!
Brenda

[winnismom]

OK, I'm going to get blasted for this but what's wrong with breeders who do the right thing concerning breeding and follow all the rules making money? Don't some people do this perhaps for some supplamental income? I understand puppy mills and all that and that's not what I'm talking about. I just don't see what's so wrong about a reputable breeder wanting to make some money off of his litters. Am i wrong?? Thanks!

[YorkieShadow]

Originally Posted by winnismom

OK, I'm going to get blasted for this but what's wrong with breeders who do the right thing concerning breeding and follow all the rules making money? Don't some people do this perhaps for some supplamental income? I understand puppy mills and all that and that's not what I'm talking about. I just don't see what's so wrong about a reputable breeder wanting to make some money off of his litters. Am i wrong?? Thanks!

No blasting here. I feel everyone breeding is looking to make some income from it. If not why even chance it. Breeders put so much into it that they have to be making some income or why would they stay into it........

[PlatinumYorkies]

Originally Posted by sylvan

.


“We want to keep a puppy.”

It’s far cheaper and easier to buy a new puppy than to breed one yourself!


"All our friends want one.”

Almost everyone who saw your dog as a pup will tell you they want one “someday”. That someday is seldom when your puppies are ready for their new homes! You’ll be amazed at how many people suddenly don’t have time for a pup right now or aren’t willing to pay your price. Don’t count on vague promises!

Placing puppies in good homes is easier said than done. Not everyone should own a dog and bad owners aren’t always easy to sort from the good ones. You have to be a good judge of character and willing to spend time getting to know people before you sell them a puppy. Do they have the experience to raise and train your puppy and if not, are you willing to teach them? Is this the BEST possible home for this particular puppy? Do you know how to evaluate puppy potential to match the right dog with the right person? Will you be willing to hang on to each pup untill just the right home comes along?


“She needs to experience sex" ... or ... “it’ll settle him down.”

No, on both counts. Sex in animals is governed by hormones. There is no love, emotion or thinking involved. A bitch only “thinks” about sex when she’s in season. The experience is forgotten once her season is over. Males only think about sex when they’re near a bitch in season. Breeding won’t settle your dog down at all - it will make your male dog worse. He’ll become more territorial and aggressive toward other dogs, may lose his house manners, and will become uncontrollable if there’s a breedable bitch in the neighhorhood. If they’ve never had it, they don’t miss it! “Settling” a dog down male or female. is a matter of maturity and training, not sex!

There’s no truth to the old wives’ tale that bitches need to have a litter before spaying. Veterinarians who still give that advice are behind the times! Research shows that even baby puppies may be spayed or neutered with no ill effects. Spaying a bitch before her first heat cycle eliminates the risk of breast cancer and life-threatening uterine infections. Neutering a male dog won’t make him a wimp! In fact, neutering will make him a better, more trainable pet by allowing him to channel what used to be sexual energy into other, more constructive, areas.


“We want to get back our investment in our dog.”

As I pointed out earlier, you’re not likely to make a profit from raising puppies. In fact, raising a litter will probably cost more than you ever imagined! You probably bought your dog to provide companionship and pleasure. Even you paid as much as $500 for it, that’s only an “investment” of $50 a year if your dog lives for 10 years - less than $1 a week. Isn’t the companionship. pleasure love and loyalty your dog gives you worth that much?



Learning how to breed responsibly

If you sincerely feel that you have exceptionally good reasons for breeding your dog and can live up to the great responsibility involved, your work is just beginningl

Your first step is to call the American Kennel Club for a referral to the national and local clubs for your breed. Join the club to meet and learn from other serious breeders. Subscribe to dog magazines, especially the national magazine for your breed and the AKC GAZETTE. Read everything you can find pertaining not only to your breed, but all breeds. You’ll need an education in all canine subjects, medical concerns, anatomy and structure, behavior, training and even some psychology for working with the owners of your new puppies. Go to dog shows where you can see and touch other examples of your breed and learn what makes them better than average.

One of the most important parts of your education is learning what the “breed standard” means. Each AKC-recognized breed has a written standard of perfection. It describes what that breed should look, move and act like. Serious breeders constantly measure, test and compare against this standard before deciding whether their chosen dog is good enough to breed. They show their dogs in order to compare them with others of high quality. Standards aren’t easily understood in one reading. It takes study and exposure to hundreds of dogs before you can really see why certain characteristics are important and whether or not your dog has them to such a degree that breeding it would improve the overall quality of the entire breed. That’s the real goal of serious dog breeding and the ONLY reason to breed any dog - to produce animals that are exceptional in appearance, health, temperament and trainability.

It can take years to gain this kind of knowledge and along the way, you might learn that the dog you have is a fine pet, but not good breeding stock. If so, you’re in good company. Some of today’s most successful breeders began by finding out the same thing. They discovered that getting a dog of suitable quality meant a serious financial commitment and a lifetime of dedication to do their very best even though there would be no real monetary reward for their effort.

Breeding dogs today is a serious matter. Before going any further, visit your local pound or animal shelter to see what happens to the dogs that were raised by people who thought it would be “fun” to have a litter. “The miracle of death” by euthanasia is just as educational as the “miracle of birth”! If you intend to breed your dog, then you should be fully aware of what the consequences may be.


Will it be worth it? Most of the time, the answer is no. The decision NOT to breed your pet is one of the most intelligent, educated and loving decisions you can make.




For more information on your breed, registration requirements,
or to find the dog clubs closest to you, call:

The American Kennel Club
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(212) 696-8200 8:30a.m.- 4:15pm
Eastern time, Monday thru Friday

BUMP!

[sylvan]

and bumpity bump

[livingdustmops]

Stacy - this post is always important for any one who is considering breeding and is well worth the read. Thank you for taking the time to post all of this information.

[abbie's mom]

Originally Posted by StewiesMom

I hone$tly wonder why $o many people would con$ider breeding their family pet$.

ummmmm.....cause we want a puppy by that family pet? Abbie's papers were limited by the breeder; but she understands that I want to breed Abbie once, for a pup for myself. She's even going to put me in touch with a reputable sire when the time comes

[Junebug]

I've never once thought about breeding Otis. I have never seen him hump anything, and the mere thought of him humping to procreate grosses me out.

He's suppposed to be asexual, like Morrissey.