Thinking of Breeding Your Dog?
by Brenda Mc Whorter - Twin Branch Saints

Breeding dogs is not profitable, and it is probably a lot more effort than you realize. It can put your own pet at serious risk, and breeding contributes to the problems of surplus pets - even if you are thinking of breeding purebreds.

According to a 1995 survey by the American Animal Hospital Association, nearly 80 percent of all U.S. pets are spayed & neutered. The America Kennel Clubs findings back this up - most AKC registered puppies are never bred.

What do these people know that you don't know? That spayed & neutered dogs make happier, healthier, safer and less expensive pets.

Breeding a dog takes time & money, especially for the owner of the female. Your female, and the dogs you breed her to, need to be certified clear of inherited problems such as hip dysplasia, and inherited eye diseases, thyroid problems, and autoimmune diseases. Both dogs need to be tested for venereal disease, and they need to be current on their vaccinations, free of parasites and on heartworm preventative. This all costs money -- a figure that could easily reach into the hundreds of dollars.

Your dog will need high-quality food in greater amounts than usual, and possibly supplements, if your Vet recommends them, for the last few weeks of her pregnancy and the entire time she is nursing. If the litter is too much for her, you'll be hand raising at least some of the puppies, and maybe all of them if she becomes unable to nurse. Above all, you have to be prepared to deal with a long list of medical emergencies that can threaten the lives of both the mother and puppies, and can result in a very large vet bill.

You will have to take time away from work when your dog is whelping, or giving birth, and you should take more time to socialize your pups to ensure that they become good pets for the people you sell them to. You need to expose your puppies to children, men, women, cats and the normal noises of a human household. This must be done often, throughout puppyhood in order to avoid a shy or fearful pup. A litter of puppies is a constant mess-making machine: your washing machine will be working around the clock and you'll be begging your neighbors for old newspapers & towels within a week. You will need a whelping box & hot water bottles or special heating elements to keep puppies warm when they are young because they cannot regulate their own body temperature well. When they are up on those pudgy little legs, you need an exercise pen to keep them safe, and away from the many, many things those sharp puppy teeth can decimate. What if you can't get the price you want for your puppies? The popularity of fad breeds means that before long too many puppies are around, and prices fall accordingly. You may be playing "Let's Make A Deal" with the last couple or even be giving them away. It's not unheard-of for desperate, first-time breeders to drop the remains of a litter off at a shelter either.

Ask any reputable breeder to show you just what producing a high-quality litter costs. Chances are, you'll find more items in the expenses column than those listed here, such as ultrasounds to verify pregnancies, or cesareans to get them out. Litter announcements and advertising costs money, too, and hardly a breeder alive hasn't dealt with a disaster such as an illness that has wiped out an entire litter of dreams and left nothing but huge veterinary expenses behind.

So you think you want to breed dogs.......it needs to be pointed out there are too many dogs dying for the want of a home...too many dogs with health problems that could be eliminated through conscientious breeding...too many dogs with inherited personality problems, such as aggression or shyness or even yappiness...too many dogs with personality problems caused by improper handling the first few weeks of their lives...too many dog problems are caused by people who shouldn't be breeding dogs. If you care about your dogs, the dogs you are thinking of producing, and all dogs....you need to consider breeding very carefully. You need to educate yourself about your breed & the congenital health and temperament problems within your breed. You need to have a game plan for breeding, and a plan - as well as a fund - for dealing with emergencies. You need to know how to find good homes for those babies and you need to be prepared to deal with the puppies you can't sell, or the ones who come back because they didn't meet expectations -- they are your responsibility, for the rest of their lives. These are the things that typify a reputable breeder. You can be one, but you have to work really hard at it -- there are no shortcuts.

If you cannot honestly say you can do all of those things a reputable breeder does, you need, finally, to spay or neuter your dog!