We often meet dog owners with un-neutered/spayed dogs and the subject often leads to breeding. I can’t tell you how many times we have heard that these are not very good reasons to breed your dog.
Breeding is a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly. There are so many factors, all of which are above my head, that go into picking the parents. Just having ‘papers’ on your dog or being a purebred is not enough. I have no right to tell someone what they can or can not do, but here are some things to consider if you want to breed your dog.
- Has your dog, some outstanding attribute that is lacking in the breed in general?
- Do you understand the standard sufficiently to know what errors and attributes are?
- Have you enough genetic knowledge to understand the inheritance processes?
- Have you spent the time learning pedigrees and understanding which dogs produce what?
- Are you aware of the health issues in the breed and how to test for them, how to prevent them at least, how they are inherited? Do you have a mentor in the breed who DOES have the knowledge?
- Do you have the emotional, physical and financial capability to care for each puppy for its lifetime if you cannot sell all the dogs or they come back?
- Are you mentally prepared in the event that you have to drop an entire line and start over again?
- If you “ask” him/her to “return” your investment, you are breeding for the wrong reasons.
I recognize that all breeders at some point had to begin with their “first” litter, and new breeders are needed to carry on their lines and standards. It is therefore important that you ensure that your breeding program is starting with the right knowledge base and for the right reasons.
