Dog Breeding
Breeding dogs is an industry that can be good or bad. Some breeders look to have healthy puppies that are a credit to their breed meanwhile other breeders create puppy mills where the conditions that the animals are kept in are deplorable.
We do not condone puppy mills. If you want to breed your dog, be a breeder that goes for quality over quantity and always keep the health and happiness of the animal at the forefront of your mind.
In this article, we will go over some things to consider before breeding your dog.
Things to Consider
The first step can depend on if you already have a dog.
If you don’t have a dog but want to get into the dog breeding industry, let us be clear it can be expensive if you intend to do it right. There is the initial purchase of your breeding dog to consider which can be expensive in its own right. It is especially costly if you have one with all their paperwork and the rights to breed them.
Some breeders will make you sign a contract stating that you will not breed your newly purchased dog. Failure to comply with the contract can result in legal action. If you are planning on breeding your dog to sell the puppies and they are purebred our suggestion is to spend some time researching the legal and contract aspects of the practice and get a lawyer.
Reason People Consider Breeding Their Dog
If you have a dog and they are not under a no-breeding agreement the next question is why do you want to breed your dog?
Do you think that they are amazing and you want a little piece of them to continue on after they are gone? Be warned that your dog being amazing doesn’t mean their puppies will be. The personality of your puppy may be nothing like their parents and the qualities you love in your dog may not show up in your puppies especially if the parents are not purebred.
Did you want to sell the puppies because people have said they like your dog and would love to have their puppies? Be warned that this could just be a compliment. By the time the puppies are born the offer to buy them might have been withdrawn, leaving you with a lot of dogs to take care of.
Are you hoping to stud your dog? Be warned there are contracts and legal issues involved in this process.
Breeding Your Dog
At this point let us assume that you have decided that you still want to breed your dog and you have sorted out which bitch and stud will be used to give you your puppies.
The next step will be a breeding consultation. These tests and consultations are very important to help ensure the health of the dogs being mated and help to make sure the puppies are born healthy, therefore we highly recommended to bring your dogs in for a consultation before you start the breeding process.
- Breeding consultations include the following reproductive services:
- Ovulation timing
- Semen collection, evaluation
- Estrus induction and suppression in females
- Pregnancy diagnosis and management
- C-sections
In Summary
Breeding your dog is a big decision there are some positives such as puppies and a chance at making a profit.
There are also several possible negatives such as the cost of breeding fees, the time and expense of extra vet visits, the extra work taking care of a pregnant dog and puppies, and the challenge of finding good homes for the puppies.
In the end, it is your choice. Please choose responsibly and ensure that your dogs are well taken care of with regular vet visits.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding people or pets. If you are concerned about your pet's health, contact your veterinarian right away for diagnosis and treatment.