Breeding is a bigger deal than many folks realize. It should involve a lot of study, planning, and preperation. It can also be an expensive undertaking. In depth health testing and certifications (more than getting 'vet-checked'), professional temperament and conformation evaluations, veterinary care, extra food for mom and the litter, puppy innoculations, as well as the unexpected expenses will leave you in the red after the puppies are sold. Not to mention at least 8 weeks of monitoring, socializing, and caring for the litter and the screening of potential homes that should have started long before the litter was whelped.
Of course, there are thousands of people who breed dogs every day without doing any of the above. Skipping these steps means they have no regard for the health or quality of what they produce, the people that will be purchasing their puppies, or the breed itself. There are some people that do this whom really do love their dogs & have the very best intentions (like wanting to have just one litter to provide nice pets for their friends/family), but just don't know what breeding really entails. The results are still the same: more unhealthy, low quality dogs for the already over flowing unwanted pet population.
Here are some things you should ask yourself before deciding to breed. Really sit back and consider each question as honestly as possible.
Do you know your dogs heritage? This is important because any pups your dog produces will have a little of his/her grand parents, great grand parents, and so on in them. Are your dogs' ancestors something you'd like to reproduce? Are they fine representatives of your breed? Do you know enough about your breed to answer this question? A good breeding dog needs to have a lineage of proven dogs behind it.
Is YOUR dog worthy of being bred? This is probably the toughest question for most pet owners to answer honestly. Of course you think your dog is great. This is why it is so important to get opinions from independent truly knowledgeable people, like breed judges for example. They can help you determine if your dog is correct conformation wise. (Which is imporant in order for resulting puppies to actually look like the breed their supposed to be.) Other factors like temperament and in some breeds (German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Dobermans, etc) working ability need to be taken into consideration.
Have you had your dog tested for health problems common to the breed? These problems can be passed on, and you want your puppies to have the best chance possible at a long healthy life.
What would you do if your dog had a litter of 11 puppies and only 3 were sold?
What would you do if people wanted to return the dogs a few years later when hidden health or temperament issues cropped up?
- By breeding your dog, will you be adding real quality or mere quantity to the pet population?
These are just the very basic things to consider before deciding to breed. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. You may think you're doing no harm by producing that one litter of 4 pups and finding great homes for them all. But what if each (or even one) of your puppy buyers decide their pets are great too and have just one litter themselves. Then puppies from those litters are also bred just once. Presto, Rufus has just developed his very own bloodline. Producing a litter can have long and far reaching ramifications. By allowing only dogs that have proven they can make a positive impact on the breed (by being free of genetic disorders, showing true breed temperament, correct conformation, and abilities to excel at a given task - all determined by a qualified person in each arena) you make sure any damage done is minimal.
If breeding is something you are genuinely interested in, be interested in doing it right.
