Are you interested in breeding your dog?
A lot of people think it would be a great idea to breed their dog. A lot of people think that breeding is as simple as putting a male and female dog together and 63 days later you have a batch of cute wiggly puppies. If only if it were that simple. There's WAY more to that when it comes to canine reproduction.
Before anyone decides to breed their dog, they should ask themselves a few questions…
What does my dog have to offer the canine world that CANNOT be found sitting in a shelter or rescue?
The reason it's important to ask this question is because 3 to 4 million animals are euthanized YEARLY in the United States alone. Another question to ask yourself is…
Can I responsibly whelp and raise a litter of puppies?
A lot of people do not realize that dog breeding has its' risks, some of which include death to the pups and the bitch, and that it can cost quite a bit of money to successfully and responsibly raise a litter of puppies. I think the most important question to ask yourself is…
Why do I want to breed my dog?
People come up with a lot of reasons as to why they want to breed their dog. Very few are actually good reasons. Some of the poorest reasons are "I want a dog just like Fido", "Everyone tells me that Sparky is a perfect *insert breed here* and he should be bred", "Everyone wants a dog just like Fluffy", "I want the kids to witness the miracle of life", "Fifi needs to have just one litter before we spay her" and the worst is "I want to make money". Allow me to break it down as to why these are very bad reasons…
"I want a dog just like Fido"
Everyone thinks their dogs are the greatest. Everyone knows that our dogs don't live forever yet some people think that by breeding their dog, they can create an exact likeness. It doesn't work that way. Breeding Fido will not guarantee that his progeny will be just like him. What are you going to do when they come out looking and acting just like their mother? Your best bet is to realize that Fido is in a league of his own and that no dog, whether it be related to him or not, will ever replace him.
"Everyone tells me that Sparky is a perfect *insert breed here* and he should be bred"
Unless everyone is an AKC/UKC/CanadianKC judge and/or a responsible breeder/fancier who has been involved with the breed and knows and understands the breed standard, it's best to take what they say with a grain of salt. The majority of the public does not know a poor representative of a breed from an excellent specimen of a breed if it bit them in the rear end.
"Everyone wants a dog just like Fluffy"
This one goes back to the "I want a dog just like Fido" excuse. What happens if the pups in the litter do not look like Fluffy or act like Fluffy? Not to mention that a lot of people are in love with the idea of owning a dog but not the reality of owning a dog. So the same people who are just in love with Fluffy are often the same ones who fruit out and decide they don't want one of Fluffy's offspring.
"I want the kids to witness the miracle of life"
There's nothing pretty about whelping. A lot of times, whelping occurs in the wee hours of the night when the little'uns are in bed sleeping. Then there's the actual delivery which involves a lot of fluid and blood. God forbid if a deformed puppy is delivered or an inexperienced bitch bites off more than an umbilical cord. These kinds of things can be traumatizing for kids to see.
"Fifi needs to have just one litter before we spay her"
This is absolutely untrue. Fifi doesn't need to have a litter. Motherhood for Fifi isn't an emotional thing like it is for humans. The only reason Fifi would have a litter is because Mother Nature is telling her she needs to reproduce to carry on the species. Fifi will not miss out on anything if she is not allowed to reproduce.
And the most heinous reason of all…
"I want to make money"
Uh no. You will not make money if you are breeding responsibly. There are two types of breeders… responsible ones and irresponsible ones. The choices you make will define which type you are. Considering the pet overpopulation and the problems that are occurring to the many breeds out there, one should strive to breed as responsibly as possible. As far as *I* am concerned, there's only one good reason to breed your dog and that's because you want to preserve the breed by breeding the best and healthiest dogs possible in order to bring healthy puppies into the world.
So how does one do this? I'm going to break it down. You better grab a drink, a snack and take a restroom break before reading any further because this is going to be a long one. There's no way I could make this short and sweet. Like to hear it? Here it goes…
A lot of people seem to think their dogs would make great parents. In fact, the majority of dogs that are bred in this country shouldn't have been bred at all. Let's start off with the very basic.
A. Conformation and/or working ability
All pure breed dogs have a breed standard. For example, this is the breed standard for the Boston Terrier. The breed standard explains how the Boston Terrier should look. A responsible breeder strives to breed dogs that come as close to the breed standard as possible. One of the ways people determine if their dog is a good example of their breed standard is by showing them in conformation. Conformation is a great way to get a qualified 3rd party evaluation. Something to keep in mind is that people tend to get pure breed dogs because they like the way they look… or the way they should look so unless your dog is a good representation of the breed, you might want to rethink breeding.
Another thing to keep in mind is for some breeds, conformation is not as important as working ability. A lot of breeds are still being used to perform jobs. Some are used for herding, vermin catching, hunting and rescue work among other things. In these cases, working ability and the ability to do what the breed was originally bred for is more important than conformation. As with conformation, there are many work related events that certain breeds can participate in to prove that the dog can do what it was bred for. Some responsible breeders like to go so far as proving their dogs in both conformation and work related events. With that said, some people want and need a dog that can do what it was bred for. If your dog cannot do what it was bred for, you might want to rethink breeding.
Now some people feel that they don't need to do any of this because they want to breed strictly for "pets". As I said above, 3 to 4 million animals are euthanized yearly. Animals who were fine "pets". Considering that there are rescues and even breed specific rescues all across this country, there is no shortage of "pets" therefore there's no reason to specifically breed for them.
B. Pedigrees
What do you know about the background of your dog? It's important to know your dogs history because his/her past can and will affect the future. You want to have an idea of what his/her ancestors look like. You want to know how long they lived. You want to know if any of them had health issues that could be passed onto the future. If you do not have any clue about your dogs pedigree or your dog doesn't have one, you might want to rethink breeding.
C. Health
All dog breeds are prone to certain defects. A basic vet check up cannot detect a lot of these. For example, in Boston Terriers, the biggest concerns are Juvenile Cataracts, Luxating Patellas and deafness. There are tests for these things. There's CERF for eyes, OFA for knees/hips and BAER for deafness. A regular vet can evaluate patellas and they can do x-rays for hips/spine but they must be sent in to OFA for evaluation. CERF and BAER are not done at a regular vets office. You'd have to go to specialists for those tests. And that's just CERF, OFA and BAER. There are many other tests out there for different health issues. This is why it's important to know what issues afflict your chosen breed so you can test for them, if there are tests for them. Depending on where you live, these tests can be pricey but the knowledge you gain from them is priceless. Here are some prices from different areas of the country…
New England Area: Annual CERF is $25.00 to $45.00, OFA patella is $25.00 every 2 years and BAER testing is $65.00.*
Midwest Area: CERF is $30.00, OFA patella is $38 and BAER testing is $140.00.**
West Coast Area: CERF is $35 - $50 in North California and $35 - $80 in South California.
OFA patella is $40 - $70 in North California and $45 - $90 in South California.
OFA hips is $150 - $225 in North California and $175 - $300 in South California.
BAER testing is $50 - $100 in North California and $100 - $350 in South California.
Cardiac testing to detect heart disease is Ausculations: $30 - $75 in North California and$40 - $100 in South California.
CardioCare Blood Test is $50 - $100 in North California and $50 - $150 in South California.
Echocardiograms: $150 - $350 in North California and $200 - $450 in South California.
Spinal testing to detect spinal problems is $150 - $225 in North California and $175 - $300 in South California.***
Keep in mind that these prices do vary and that's not to mention that there is a fee to register these results with their respective registries. It's highly important to register these results so that they can be shared with other breeders in order to help reduce the incidences of these defects. It may seem like a lot to do but it's very important that the healthiest dogs are used for breeding. After all, no one wants a sickly/unhealthy dog. Not to mention that a lot of states have "puppy lemon laws" which means you can be sued if you sell a sickly dog.
I'm sure you're head is spinning and that's just the basics. Prerequisites for breeding if you will. If you've decided that you can handle the above, there's more. Like to hear it? Here it goes…
1. You'll need a willing partner
Responsible dog breeding isn't as easy as finding the first bitch/dog of the same breed you come across. Part of responsible dog breeding is finding the right bitch/dog to accentuate your bitch/dogs strengths and help reduce your bitch/dogs faults. This means you'll have to get out in the dog world, check out dogs and do pedigree research. You want to make sure that each of these dogs have nice healthy backgrounds to help ensure some nice looking healthy puppies. Doing these things are time consuming and are not cheap.
2. Is the bitch ready?
What I find really strange is that a lot of people do not realize that a bitch needs to be in estrus or "in heat" in order to breed. Bitches usually go into heat around 6 months to a year. One thing to keep in mind is that most responsible breeders will not breed a bitch until she is mature. That can mean over 1 year of age for a small breed or 3 years of age for a large breed. The heat cycle lasts about 21 days but the bitch will only be receptive to breeding around 7 to 14 days into the cycle.
Now for those who don't know, when a bitch is in heat, she bleeds. Unless you put "bitches britches" on her, there will be blood everywhere. You have to watch her faithfully. Dogs can smell a bitch in heat miles away. Dogs have been known to mate through fences. The urge to breed is that strong.
If you are planning on breeding your bitch, there are several ways to go about it. You may have the stud dog on your premises, you may send your bitch to the stud dog or you may use artificial insemination. In any of these cases, you're looking at a stud fee. We're talking $400 to $1000. If you're sending your bitch to the stud dog, we're talking $200 to $400. If you're using AI, we're talking around $600 which includes having it collected, shipped and veterinary costs to inseminate the bitch.
Some people believe that the bitches owner calls the shots when it comes to stud fees. Not true. It's usually the stud dog owner who decides stud fees and it's usually a monetary fee, pick(s) of the litter or both. If you think you can make a lots of money selling puppies, that can go down the drain if the bitch only has 1 puppy and you decided the stud fee was pick of the litter. I'm telling you, breeding responsibly isn't cheap.
3. Is the dog ready?
Dogs hit puberty around 6 months of age. Responsible breeders won't breed a dog unless it's mature which is around 1 year for small breeds and 3 years for large breeds. Some reasons for waiting until the dog is older before breeding is because some health tests cannot be performed until after 1 year of age and that some registries, such as the AKC, will not register litters sired by dogs younger than 6 months.
An intact male dog will exhibit behaviors such as lifting its' leg to mark its' territory. This can range from feeling the urge to mark every tree it comes upon while out for a walk to marking your kitchen table, sofas, beds and anything that stands in your house. Intact male dog urine is very strong and it can be very hard to remove the smell. An intact male dog may also become more aggressive especially towards other male dogs. An intact male dog may also act like a fruit loop if he smells a bitch in heat. He may try to escape the house/yard and he be whiny, over excited and he may stop eating.
If you are interested in breeding your dog, the above described behaviors may intensify and may not lessen even if the dog is neutered once it has been bred. A lot of times, when a bitch is to be bred with your dog, the bitch will come to your residence. This means you are responsible for this bitch. You are to ensure her safety, ensure that she will not be bred by another dog, ensure that she will not be injured by your dog and to ensure that breeding does take place. You will also have to make sure that she is receptive to breeding because if she isn't, she may make that fact known by biting/attacking your dog.
4. Not so fast buddy!
So you're ready to start breeding but before you are ready to put the dogs together, they'll need to be tested and cleared for Brucellosis. Brucellosis is a canine STD. Not only can it cause abortion, early death to puppies and sterility in infected dogs, there's a possibility that it can be transmitted to humans. Doesn't sound like fun so be sure you test for this before you breed your dogs!
Ok, so you've bred your bitch and you aren't sure she's pregnant. One way to find out is to take her to the vet and perform a Relaxin test or an ultrasound. That will set you back around $50 to $100 depending on where you live. Some vets will suggest an X-Ray but that can't be done until after 45 days of pregnancy. That will also set you back about $60 to $100 depending on where you live.
If your bitch is pregnant then you will have to prepare for the pups. Some things you will need are a whelping box, whelping supplies, blankets, towels and newspapers. Prepare to spend around $300 for those things. Some responsible breeders will also keep milk replacement formula on hand just in case the bitch can't/won't nurse the pups or you need to supplement. Tack on $100 for about 6 weeks worth of that.
If all goes well, right before she goes into labor which is around 58 to 63 days later, she may feel the need to start nesting around the house to prepare for delivery. This is where the whelping box comes in although she might think that digging a hole in the yard or making a lovely nest right in the middle of your queen sized bed would be a great place to birth her pups. You'll want to keep an eye on her because birthing is near. She may lose her appetite but the surest way of knowing she's about to give birth is monitoring her temperature. Normal temperature is between 100 to 102 Fahrenheit and when it dramatically drops below 99 degrees that's when you'll know that whelping is near.
Depending on the breed you own, your bitch may need a C-Section to deliver. C-Sections are quite common in certain breeds like Boston Terriers and Bulldogs. Some vets will choose to schedule a C-Section and some would rather wait until the bitch is in labor before performing one. A C-Section can cost $450 to $1500 depending on where you live. This is not counting if your bitch requires an emergency C-Section or goes into labor in the middle of the night and requires emergency veterinary care. Speaking of which, it's extremely important to have the phone number and know the location of an emergency veterinarian long before your bitch goes into labor. Unfortunately, a lot of bitches go into labor during the hours when the regular vet is not open and the last thing you want to do is try to find an emergency vet at the last minute. If your bitch requires an emergency C-Section or emergency veterinary care, that can cost $1000 to $3000 depending on where you live.
If your bitch doesn't require a C-Section, you'll have to be on standby for when she does whelp. Maiden bitches can require help during delivery. You may have to help her remove a puppy from her vaginal canal. You may have to help open amniotic sacs. You may have to tie off and cut umbilical cords. You may have to suction out fluid, clean off and stimulate a puppy to breathe. If all goes well and all pups are safely delivered, you may have to keep an eye on the bitch and whelps to make sure she's nursing them and attending to their needs. She will be tired and so will you. This is where having vacation time away from work comes in handy. A lot of responsible breeders will plan for days off before and right after whelping. They want to be there to ensure that everything is going fine. And that's if everything goes fine. Sometimes Mother Nature likes to play pranks and labor and delivery can go totally wrong. It can range from the bitch rejecting a pup or a whole litter and you'll have to either find a foster bitch or raise them on your own. Sometimes despite the best care, the puppies succumb to "Fading Puppy Syndrome". The worst outcome could be the death of the pups and/or the death of the bitch. Like I said, breeding is not easy.
Now that the puppies have arrived, they will also need some veterinary care within the first 72 hours of birth. This is the time where they will have dewclaws removed and if the breed standard calls for it, they will have their tails docked. This can cost between $15 to $50 for each puppy depending on where you live.
As the puppies get older, they will begin to eat solid food. A good quality food can cost between $25 to $50. Since they are getting older, they will begin to explore outside of the whelping box. Now that they are eating solids, you can count on lots of pee and poop everywhere. I'm telling you, puppies can be very messy.
The pups will also require worming and vaccinations. These things can range from $10 to $120 per puppy per vet visit. If the pups are healthy, be prepared to at least see the vet twice while they are in your care. If they aren't healthy, be prepared to spend more. I'm telling you, puppies aren't cheap.
Since the pups are getting older and are exploring their surroundings, you will need to have lots of toys on hand. It's either they chew on toys or eat your shoes and furniture. You will also need lots of enzymatic cleaner for those accidents that they will have in the house. These things can range from $10 to $30 and the more pups you have, the more it will cost. I'm telling you, puppies can be destructive.
Ideally, you'd want to have homes lined up for your puppies before they are conceived. You want to have more homes than pups planned because it never fails that the same people who were clamoring for a puppy before conception all of a sudden have more excuses than someone going to jail as to why they can't have a puppy right now. You want to make sure these people will provide a loving forever home for your puppies. You want to be sure that they know that while raising a puppy can be lots of fun, it's also lots of work and can drive you to drink at times. Basically, you want to make sure that these people are willing to make a 10+ year commitment to a living being.
As your pups are nearing 8 to 12 weeks, which is when responsible breeders begin to place their pups in new homes, you'll want to keep a few things in mind in order to have a successful placement…
1. How educated are you on your chosen breed?
It's really important to be clued in on your breed. After all, you're a breeder now. Potential owners may have questions about your breeds history. They may have questions about what this breed was bred for. They may have questions about breed characteristics. Will you be able to honestly answer them? As a breeder, it's your job to be aware of these things because you should be the first person your puppy buyers will come to when they have questions. If you aren't up to date about your breeds history, you might want to brush up on that. Preferably before you breed your dog.
2. Temperament Testing
As your pups grow up, you'll notice that they exhibit certain behaviors. Some will behave assertively and some may be shy. Some may seem to pick up on obedience rather quickly and some may seem dumber than a box of rocks. Some may behave rather calmly and some may behave like crackheads. It's important that you tune into their behavior because their behavior and temperament can mean a good placement or a bad placement into a new home. For example, say you meet a lovely family that has a small child. It may be best to place a puppy of calm temperament with them. Say you meet someone who is interested in participating in agility. It may be best to place a high energy puppy with them.
Because you should know these puppies like the back of your hand, this is a great reason NOT to allow people to choose their own puppies. Since you know these puppies, you want to place them with the best match. Say someone leads a quiet and sedentary life. They made this quite known to you however they have their eye on the puppy who acts like Satan Incarnate. Because you know that if you place this puppy with this person, the likelihood that this puppy will end up being flushed down a toilet is really high, this is exactly why you don't allow puppy buyers, who haven't spent the last 8 to 12 weeks with these puppies, to pick whatever one they want. The only time you could offer that option is if you have 2 or more puppies with similar temperament.
3. Health guarantees
As a breeder, it's your job to breed for the healthiest dogs possible. This is why it's important to do pedigree research and to utilize health testing. A good breeder offers a worthy health guarantee. This is their way of showing how much faith they have in their breeding program. A good health guarantee will cover the most common congenital defects for at least a year or more. The reason for a year or more is because most congenital defects will not manifest themselves until the dog is older. A good health guarantee will not have "loop holes" such as only covering "life threatening" or "fatal" defects. The reason for that is because most congenital defects are not life threatening or fatal. The stipulations of a good health guarantee can be offer a full refund on the purchase price, paying for veterinary bills up to the purchase price or a replacement puppy. A good health guarantee should NOT require that the puppy be given back to make good on the guarantee. How many people are willing to part with a puppy they've fallen in love with? As a breeder, it's important that you offer a good health guarantee to your puppy buyers. This shows how much faith you have in your breeding program and that you did all that you could to ensure healthy puppies. If you feel that this is too much for you to handle and it's not something you want to be responsible for then you may want to rethink breeding. If you don't feel that you shouldn't be responsible for the health of the puppies you bring into this world, your local court system can and will make you responsible. As I said above, a lot of states have Puppy Lemon Laws which means you can be sued if you sell a sickly puppy.
4. Full/Limited Registration and Spay/Neuter Contracts
A good breeder will have the pups evaluated to find out which ones have show potential and which ones are pet quality. Often times, a breeder will bring in a qualified 3rd party to objectively give their opinions on this situation. When it comes to show potential, these dogs are sold on full registration. Full registration means that the dog can participate in dog events including conformation and that its' offspring are also eligible to be registered with that kennel club as well. Sometimes, a good breeder will be a co-owner and will sign off on registration once the dog has been finished to champion. A lot of good breeders choose to be co-owners as a way to help mentor a person who is new to showing. This is why it's extremely important to know your breed. People who buy puppies from you will look to you for help and it will be your job to teach someone about the breed so maybe one day they can do the same for someone else.
If the dog is pet quality, it should be sold on limited registration. Limited registration means that the dog can participate in dog events except conformation and any offspring it has will not be eligible for registration with that kennel club. Some people are under the assumption that pet quality means "inferior" or "unhealthy". This is untrue. All pet quality means is that the dog has a flaw that would disqualify it from the show ring. It could be as simple as ears not standing up a certain way or being a color that is not allowed by the breed standard. This does not mean that the dog is unhealthy or that it won't make a good pet.
Because it has flaws that would disqualify it from the show ring, a pet quality dog should be spayed or neutered. A lot of breeders will either spay/neuter the pups prior to placement or they'll sell the dog on a spay/neuter contract. A spay/neuter contract means that the dog has to be spayed/neutered by a specific time. A lot of breeders will withhold registration, require a refundable deposit or both until proof of spay/neuter is shown. Good breeders require spay/neuter of pet quality dogs for a few reasons. The most important one is to make sure that this dog is not irresponsibly contributing to the pet overpopulation. The other reason is that good breeders work hard to positively contribute to the dog world and the last thing you'd want is your dog being breed irresponsibly or even worse, your hard work ending up in the pedigrees of puppy mill dogs.
5. Take Back Clause
A good breeder has a clause that states for whatever reason, they will take back any dog they bring into this world. They want to make sure their dogs do not become a shelter statistic. Good breeders are serious about this. Some have gone so far as to have the dog microchipped in their name or placing heavy fines for breach of contract. I'm sure some of you got scared by reading this. Some of you may own breeds that are capable of having 12 or more pups in a litter. Should you bring 12 or more dogs into this world, are you willing and capable to keep each and everyone of them out of a shelter? Just because you sold them at 8 to 12 weeks doesn't absolve you of your responsibility to them. If more people took responsibility for what they purposely bring into this world, I doubt we'd have such a horrific shelter overpopulation statistic. This is something to keep in mind when it comes to breeding. You want to make sure you can successfully place these dogs in forever homes and that you will be willing to take back a dog(s) if necessary. That is part of being a good breeder.
So that's my breeding guide. As long as it was, I hope some of you learned something. Perhaps it gave some of you the knowledge to move forward towards the path of responsible breeding. Perhaps it scared the hell out of some of you to the point of making an appointment for your bitch/dog to be spayed/neutered tomorrow. Just remember, there's more to breeding than just putting any 2 dogs together. There's a lot of responsibility that goes into dog breeding so which will you be… a responsible dog breeder or an irresponsible dog breeder?
*Special thanks to Christi Scarpino of Whalom Bostons.
**Special thanks to Kelly Feickert of Brickhouse Bostons.
***Special thanks to Pamela Preston of ChriMaso Bostons.
Before anyone decides to breed their dog, they should ask themselves a few questions…
What does my dog have to offer the canine world that CANNOT be found sitting in a shelter or rescue?
The reason it's important to ask this question is because 3 to 4 million animals are euthanized YEARLY in the United States alone. Another question to ask yourself is…
Can I responsibly whelp and raise a litter of puppies?
A lot of people do not realize that dog breeding has its' risks, some of which include death to the pups and the bitch, and that it can cost quite a bit of money to successfully and responsibly raise a litter of puppies. I think the most important question to ask yourself is…
Why do I want to breed my dog?
People come up with a lot of reasons as to why they want to breed their dog. Very few are actually good reasons. Some of the poorest reasons are "I want a dog just like Fido", "Everyone tells me that Sparky is a perfect *insert breed here* and he should be bred", "Everyone wants a dog just like Fluffy", "I want the kids to witness the miracle of life", "Fifi needs to have just one litter before we spay her" and the worst is "I want to make money". Allow me to break it down as to why these are very bad reasons…
"I want a dog just like Fido"
Everyone thinks their dogs are the greatest. Everyone knows that our dogs don't live forever yet some people think that by breeding their dog, they can create an exact likeness. It doesn't work that way. Breeding Fido will not guarantee that his progeny will be just like him. What are you going to do when they come out looking and acting just like their mother? Your best bet is to realize that Fido is in a league of his own and that no dog, whether it be related to him or not, will ever replace him.
"Everyone tells me that Sparky is a perfect *insert breed here* and he should be bred"
Unless everyone is an AKC/UKC/CanadianKC judge and/or a responsible breeder/fancier who has been involved with the breed and knows and understands the breed standard, it's best to take what they say with a grain of salt. The majority of the public does not know a poor representative of a breed from an excellent specimen of a breed if it bit them in the rear end.
"Everyone wants a dog just like Fluffy"
This one goes back to the "I want a dog just like Fido" excuse. What happens if the pups in the litter do not look like Fluffy or act like Fluffy? Not to mention that a lot of people are in love with the idea of owning a dog but not the reality of owning a dog. So the same people who are just in love with Fluffy are often the same ones who fruit out and decide they don't want one of Fluffy's offspring.
"I want the kids to witness the miracle of life"
There's nothing pretty about whelping. A lot of times, whelping occurs in the wee hours of the night when the little'uns are in bed sleeping. Then there's the actual delivery which involves a lot of fluid and blood. God forbid if a deformed puppy is delivered or an inexperienced bitch bites off more than an umbilical cord. These kinds of things can be traumatizing for kids to see.
"Fifi needs to have just one litter before we spay her"
This is absolutely untrue. Fifi doesn't need to have a litter. Motherhood for Fifi isn't an emotional thing like it is for humans. The only reason Fifi would have a litter is because Mother Nature is telling her she needs to reproduce to carry on the species. Fifi will not miss out on anything if she is not allowed to reproduce.
And the most heinous reason of all…
"I want to make money"
Uh no. You will not make money if you are breeding responsibly. There are two types of breeders… responsible ones and irresponsible ones. The choices you make will define which type you are. Considering the pet overpopulation and the problems that are occurring to the many breeds out there, one should strive to breed as responsibly as possible. As far as *I* am concerned, there's only one good reason to breed your dog and that's because you want to preserve the breed by breeding the best and healthiest dogs possible in order to bring healthy puppies into the world.
So how does one do this? I'm going to break it down. You better grab a drink, a snack and take a restroom break before reading any further because this is going to be a long one. There's no way I could make this short and sweet. Like to hear it? Here it goes…
A lot of people seem to think their dogs would make great parents. In fact, the majority of dogs that are bred in this country shouldn't have been bred at all. Let's start off with the very basic.
A. Conformation and/or working ability
All pure breed dogs have a breed standard. For example, this is the breed standard for the Boston Terrier. The breed standard explains how the Boston Terrier should look. A responsible breeder strives to breed dogs that come as close to the breed standard as possible. One of the ways people determine if their dog is a good example of their breed standard is by showing them in conformation. Conformation is a great way to get a qualified 3rd party evaluation. Something to keep in mind is that people tend to get pure breed dogs because they like the way they look… or the way they should look so unless your dog is a good representation of the breed, you might want to rethink breeding.
Another thing to keep in mind is for some breeds, conformation is not as important as working ability. A lot of breeds are still being used to perform jobs. Some are used for herding, vermin catching, hunting and rescue work among other things. In these cases, working ability and the ability to do what the breed was originally bred for is more important than conformation. As with conformation, there are many work related events that certain breeds can participate in to prove that the dog can do what it was bred for. Some responsible breeders like to go so far as proving their dogs in both conformation and work related events. With that said, some people want and need a dog that can do what it was bred for. If your dog cannot do what it was bred for, you might want to rethink breeding.
Now some people feel that they don't need to do any of this because they want to breed strictly for "pets". As I said above, 3 to 4 million animals are euthanized yearly. Animals who were fine "pets". Considering that there are rescues and even breed specific rescues all across this country, there is no shortage of "pets" therefore there's no reason to specifically breed for them.
B. Pedigrees
What do you know about the background of your dog? It's important to know your dogs history because his/her past can and will affect the future. You want to have an idea of what his/her ancestors look like. You want to know how long they lived. You want to know if any of them had health issues that could be passed onto the future. If you do not have any clue about your dogs pedigree or your dog doesn't have one, you might want to rethink breeding.
C. Health
All dog breeds are prone to certain defects. A basic vet check up cannot detect a lot of these. For example, in Boston Terriers, the biggest concerns are Juvenile Cataracts, Luxating Patellas and deafness. There are tests for these things. There's CERF for eyes, OFA for knees/hips and BAER for deafness. A regular vet can evaluate patellas and they can do x-rays for hips/spine but they must be sent in to OFA for evaluation. CERF and BAER are not done at a regular vets office. You'd have to go to specialists for those tests. And that's just CERF, OFA and BAER. There are many other tests out there for different health issues. This is why it's important to know what issues afflict your chosen breed so you can test for them, if there are tests for them. Depending on where you live, these tests can be pricey but the knowledge you gain from them is priceless. Here are some prices from different areas of the country…
New England Area: Annual CERF is $25.00 to $45.00, OFA patella is $25.00 every 2 years and BAER testing is $65.00.*
Midwest Area: CERF is $30.00, OFA patella is $38 and BAER testing is $140.00.**
West Coast Area: CERF is $35 - $50 in North California and $35 - $80 in South California.
OFA patella is $40 - $70 in North California and $45 - $90 in South California.
OFA hips is $150 - $225 in North California and $175 - $300 in South California.
BAER testing is $50 - $100 in North California and $100 - $350 in South California.
Cardiac testing to detect heart disease is Ausculations: $30 - $75 in North California and$40 - $100 in South California.
CardioCare Blood Test is $50 - $100 in North California and $50 - $150 in South California.
Echocardiograms: $150 - $350 in North California and $200 - $450 in South California.
Spinal testing to detect spinal problems is $150 - $225 in North California and $175 - $300 in South California.***
Keep in mind that these prices do vary and that's not to mention that there is a fee to register these results with their respective registries. It's highly important to register these results so that they can be shared with other breeders in order to help reduce the incidences of these defects. It may seem like a lot to do but it's very important that the healthiest dogs are used for breeding. After all, no one wants a sickly/unhealthy dog. Not to mention that a lot of states have "puppy lemon laws" which means you can be sued if you sell a sickly dog.
I'm sure you're head is spinning and that's just the basics. Prerequisites for breeding if you will. If you've decided that you can handle the above, there's more. Like to hear it? Here it goes…
1. You'll need a willing partner
Responsible dog breeding isn't as easy as finding the first bitch/dog of the same breed you come across. Part of responsible dog breeding is finding the right bitch/dog to accentuate your bitch/dogs strengths and help reduce your bitch/dogs faults. This means you'll have to get out in the dog world, check out dogs and do pedigree research. You want to make sure that each of these dogs have nice healthy backgrounds to help ensure some nice looking healthy puppies. Doing these things are time consuming and are not cheap.
2. Is the bitch ready?
What I find really strange is that a lot of people do not realize that a bitch needs to be in estrus or "in heat" in order to breed. Bitches usually go into heat around 6 months to a year. One thing to keep in mind is that most responsible breeders will not breed a bitch until she is mature. That can mean over 1 year of age for a small breed or 3 years of age for a large breed. The heat cycle lasts about 21 days but the bitch will only be receptive to breeding around 7 to 14 days into the cycle.
Now for those who don't know, when a bitch is in heat, she bleeds. Unless you put "bitches britches" on her, there will be blood everywhere. You have to watch her faithfully. Dogs can smell a bitch in heat miles away. Dogs have been known to mate through fences. The urge to breed is that strong.
If you are planning on breeding your bitch, there are several ways to go about it. You may have the stud dog on your premises, you may send your bitch to the stud dog or you may use artificial insemination. In any of these cases, you're looking at a stud fee. We're talking $400 to $1000. If you're sending your bitch to the stud dog, we're talking $200 to $400. If you're using AI, we're talking around $600 which includes having it collected, shipped and veterinary costs to inseminate the bitch.
Some people believe that the bitches owner calls the shots when it comes to stud fees. Not true. It's usually the stud dog owner who decides stud fees and it's usually a monetary fee, pick(s) of the litter or both. If you think you can make a lots of money selling puppies, that can go down the drain if the bitch only has 1 puppy and you decided the stud fee was pick of the litter. I'm telling you, breeding responsibly isn't cheap.
3. Is the dog ready?
Dogs hit puberty around 6 months of age. Responsible breeders won't breed a dog unless it's mature which is around 1 year for small breeds and 3 years for large breeds. Some reasons for waiting until the dog is older before breeding is because some health tests cannot be performed until after 1 year of age and that some registries, such as the AKC, will not register litters sired by dogs younger than 6 months.
An intact male dog will exhibit behaviors such as lifting its' leg to mark its' territory. This can range from feeling the urge to mark every tree it comes upon while out for a walk to marking your kitchen table, sofas, beds and anything that stands in your house. Intact male dog urine is very strong and it can be very hard to remove the smell. An intact male dog may also become more aggressive especially towards other male dogs. An intact male dog may also act like a fruit loop if he smells a bitch in heat. He may try to escape the house/yard and he be whiny, over excited and he may stop eating.
If you are interested in breeding your dog, the above described behaviors may intensify and may not lessen even if the dog is neutered once it has been bred. A lot of times, when a bitch is to be bred with your dog, the bitch will come to your residence. This means you are responsible for this bitch. You are to ensure her safety, ensure that she will not be bred by another dog, ensure that she will not be injured by your dog and to ensure that breeding does take place. You will also have to make sure that she is receptive to breeding because if she isn't, she may make that fact known by biting/attacking your dog.
4. Not so fast buddy!
So you're ready to start breeding but before you are ready to put the dogs together, they'll need to be tested and cleared for Brucellosis. Brucellosis is a canine STD. Not only can it cause abortion, early death to puppies and sterility in infected dogs, there's a possibility that it can be transmitted to humans. Doesn't sound like fun so be sure you test for this before you breed your dogs!
Ok, so you've bred your bitch and you aren't sure she's pregnant. One way to find out is to take her to the vet and perform a Relaxin test or an ultrasound. That will set you back around $50 to $100 depending on where you live. Some vets will suggest an X-Ray but that can't be done until after 45 days of pregnancy. That will also set you back about $60 to $100 depending on where you live.
If your bitch is pregnant then you will have to prepare for the pups. Some things you will need are a whelping box, whelping supplies, blankets, towels and newspapers. Prepare to spend around $300 for those things. Some responsible breeders will also keep milk replacement formula on hand just in case the bitch can't/won't nurse the pups or you need to supplement. Tack on $100 for about 6 weeks worth of that.
If all goes well, right before she goes into labor which is around 58 to 63 days later, she may feel the need to start nesting around the house to prepare for delivery. This is where the whelping box comes in although she might think that digging a hole in the yard or making a lovely nest right in the middle of your queen sized bed would be a great place to birth her pups. You'll want to keep an eye on her because birthing is near. She may lose her appetite but the surest way of knowing she's about to give birth is monitoring her temperature. Normal temperature is between 100 to 102 Fahrenheit and when it dramatically drops below 99 degrees that's when you'll know that whelping is near.
Depending on the breed you own, your bitch may need a C-Section to deliver. C-Sections are quite common in certain breeds like Boston Terriers and Bulldogs. Some vets will choose to schedule a C-Section and some would rather wait until the bitch is in labor before performing one. A C-Section can cost $450 to $1500 depending on where you live. This is not counting if your bitch requires an emergency C-Section or goes into labor in the middle of the night and requires emergency veterinary care. Speaking of which, it's extremely important to have the phone number and know the location of an emergency veterinarian long before your bitch goes into labor. Unfortunately, a lot of bitches go into labor during the hours when the regular vet is not open and the last thing you want to do is try to find an emergency vet at the last minute. If your bitch requires an emergency C-Section or emergency veterinary care, that can cost $1000 to $3000 depending on where you live.
If your bitch doesn't require a C-Section, you'll have to be on standby for when she does whelp. Maiden bitches can require help during delivery. You may have to help her remove a puppy from her vaginal canal. You may have to help open amniotic sacs. You may have to tie off and cut umbilical cords. You may have to suction out fluid, clean off and stimulate a puppy to breathe. If all goes well and all pups are safely delivered, you may have to keep an eye on the bitch and whelps to make sure she's nursing them and attending to their needs. She will be tired and so will you. This is where having vacation time away from work comes in handy. A lot of responsible breeders will plan for days off before and right after whelping. They want to be there to ensure that everything is going fine. And that's if everything goes fine. Sometimes Mother Nature likes to play pranks and labor and delivery can go totally wrong. It can range from the bitch rejecting a pup or a whole litter and you'll have to either find a foster bitch or raise them on your own. Sometimes despite the best care, the puppies succumb to "Fading Puppy Syndrome". The worst outcome could be the death of the pups and/or the death of the bitch. Like I said, breeding is not easy.
Now that the puppies have arrived, they will also need some veterinary care within the first 72 hours of birth. This is the time where they will have dewclaws removed and if the breed standard calls for it, they will have their tails docked. This can cost between $15 to $50 for each puppy depending on where you live.
As the puppies get older, they will begin to eat solid food. A good quality food can cost between $25 to $50. Since they are getting older, they will begin to explore outside of the whelping box. Now that they are eating solids, you can count on lots of pee and poop everywhere. I'm telling you, puppies can be very messy.
The pups will also require worming and vaccinations. These things can range from $10 to $120 per puppy per vet visit. If the pups are healthy, be prepared to at least see the vet twice while they are in your care. If they aren't healthy, be prepared to spend more. I'm telling you, puppies aren't cheap.
Since the pups are getting older and are exploring their surroundings, you will need to have lots of toys on hand. It's either they chew on toys or eat your shoes and furniture. You will also need lots of enzymatic cleaner for those accidents that they will have in the house. These things can range from $10 to $30 and the more pups you have, the more it will cost. I'm telling you, puppies can be destructive.
Ideally, you'd want to have homes lined up for your puppies before they are conceived. You want to have more homes than pups planned because it never fails that the same people who were clamoring for a puppy before conception all of a sudden have more excuses than someone going to jail as to why they can't have a puppy right now. You want to make sure these people will provide a loving forever home for your puppies. You want to be sure that they know that while raising a puppy can be lots of fun, it's also lots of work and can drive you to drink at times. Basically, you want to make sure that these people are willing to make a 10+ year commitment to a living being.
As your pups are nearing 8 to 12 weeks, which is when responsible breeders begin to place their pups in new homes, you'll want to keep a few things in mind in order to have a successful placement…
1. How educated are you on your chosen breed?
It's really important to be clued in on your breed. After all, you're a breeder now. Potential owners may have questions about your breeds history. They may have questions about what this breed was bred for. They may have questions about breed characteristics. Will you be able to honestly answer them? As a breeder, it's your job to be aware of these things because you should be the first person your puppy buyers will come to when they have questions. If you aren't up to date about your breeds history, you might want to brush up on that. Preferably before you breed your dog.
2. Temperament Testing
As your pups grow up, you'll notice that they exhibit certain behaviors. Some will behave assertively and some may be shy. Some may seem to pick up on obedience rather quickly and some may seem dumber than a box of rocks. Some may behave rather calmly and some may behave like crackheads. It's important that you tune into their behavior because their behavior and temperament can mean a good placement or a bad placement into a new home. For example, say you meet a lovely family that has a small child. It may be best to place a puppy of calm temperament with them. Say you meet someone who is interested in participating in agility. It may be best to place a high energy puppy with them.
Because you should know these puppies like the back of your hand, this is a great reason NOT to allow people to choose their own puppies. Since you know these puppies, you want to place them with the best match. Say someone leads a quiet and sedentary life. They made this quite known to you however they have their eye on the puppy who acts like Satan Incarnate. Because you know that if you place this puppy with this person, the likelihood that this puppy will end up being flushed down a toilet is really high, this is exactly why you don't allow puppy buyers, who haven't spent the last 8 to 12 weeks with these puppies, to pick whatever one they want. The only time you could offer that option is if you have 2 or more puppies with similar temperament.
3. Health guarantees
As a breeder, it's your job to breed for the healthiest dogs possible. This is why it's important to do pedigree research and to utilize health testing. A good breeder offers a worthy health guarantee. This is their way of showing how much faith they have in their breeding program. A good health guarantee will cover the most common congenital defects for at least a year or more. The reason for a year or more is because most congenital defects will not manifest themselves until the dog is older. A good health guarantee will not have "loop holes" such as only covering "life threatening" or "fatal" defects. The reason for that is because most congenital defects are not life threatening or fatal. The stipulations of a good health guarantee can be offer a full refund on the purchase price, paying for veterinary bills up to the purchase price or a replacement puppy. A good health guarantee should NOT require that the puppy be given back to make good on the guarantee. How many people are willing to part with a puppy they've fallen in love with? As a breeder, it's important that you offer a good health guarantee to your puppy buyers. This shows how much faith you have in your breeding program and that you did all that you could to ensure healthy puppies. If you feel that this is too much for you to handle and it's not something you want to be responsible for then you may want to rethink breeding. If you don't feel that you shouldn't be responsible for the health of the puppies you bring into this world, your local court system can and will make you responsible. As I said above, a lot of states have Puppy Lemon Laws which means you can be sued if you sell a sickly puppy.
4. Full/Limited Registration and Spay/Neuter Contracts
A good breeder will have the pups evaluated to find out which ones have show potential and which ones are pet quality. Often times, a breeder will bring in a qualified 3rd party to objectively give their opinions on this situation. When it comes to show potential, these dogs are sold on full registration. Full registration means that the dog can participate in dog events including conformation and that its' offspring are also eligible to be registered with that kennel club as well. Sometimes, a good breeder will be a co-owner and will sign off on registration once the dog has been finished to champion. A lot of good breeders choose to be co-owners as a way to help mentor a person who is new to showing. This is why it's extremely important to know your breed. People who buy puppies from you will look to you for help and it will be your job to teach someone about the breed so maybe one day they can do the same for someone else.
If the dog is pet quality, it should be sold on limited registration. Limited registration means that the dog can participate in dog events except conformation and any offspring it has will not be eligible for registration with that kennel club. Some people are under the assumption that pet quality means "inferior" or "unhealthy". This is untrue. All pet quality means is that the dog has a flaw that would disqualify it from the show ring. It could be as simple as ears not standing up a certain way or being a color that is not allowed by the breed standard. This does not mean that the dog is unhealthy or that it won't make a good pet.
Because it has flaws that would disqualify it from the show ring, a pet quality dog should be spayed or neutered. A lot of breeders will either spay/neuter the pups prior to placement or they'll sell the dog on a spay/neuter contract. A spay/neuter contract means that the dog has to be spayed/neutered by a specific time. A lot of breeders will withhold registration, require a refundable deposit or both until proof of spay/neuter is shown. Good breeders require spay/neuter of pet quality dogs for a few reasons. The most important one is to make sure that this dog is not irresponsibly contributing to the pet overpopulation. The other reason is that good breeders work hard to positively contribute to the dog world and the last thing you'd want is your dog being breed irresponsibly or even worse, your hard work ending up in the pedigrees of puppy mill dogs.
5. Take Back Clause
A good breeder has a clause that states for whatever reason, they will take back any dog they bring into this world. They want to make sure their dogs do not become a shelter statistic. Good breeders are serious about this. Some have gone so far as to have the dog microchipped in their name or placing heavy fines for breach of contract. I'm sure some of you got scared by reading this. Some of you may own breeds that are capable of having 12 or more pups in a litter. Should you bring 12 or more dogs into this world, are you willing and capable to keep each and everyone of them out of a shelter? Just because you sold them at 8 to 12 weeks doesn't absolve you of your responsibility to them. If more people took responsibility for what they purposely bring into this world, I doubt we'd have such a horrific shelter overpopulation statistic. This is something to keep in mind when it comes to breeding. You want to make sure you can successfully place these dogs in forever homes and that you will be willing to take back a dog(s) if necessary. That is part of being a good breeder.
So that's my breeding guide. As long as it was, I hope some of you learned something. Perhaps it gave some of you the knowledge to move forward towards the path of responsible breeding. Perhaps it scared the hell out of some of you to the point of making an appointment for your bitch/dog to be spayed/neutered tomorrow. Just remember, there's more to breeding than just putting any 2 dogs together. There's a lot of responsibility that goes into dog breeding so which will you be… a responsible dog breeder or an irresponsible dog breeder?
*Special thanks to Christi Scarpino of Whalom Bostons.
**Special thanks to Kelly Feickert of Brickhouse Bostons.
***Special thanks to Pamela Preston of ChriMaso Bostons.