Little did you realize what an exciting future lay ahead when you brought home that appealing little puppy. Following good advise, you assured yourself of quality by buying from a reputable breeder. As your bitch grew and developed into what the breeder termed "a promising specimen" you began your pups training and then took her to the field.
Now you're satisfied with her hunting ability and friends keep telling you that you ought to consider breeding her. Maybe you already have the stud you want to breed to on the premises, or your friends have him.
It's an appealing idea, but the world of dog breeding is as unfamiliar to you as the training of her was just a short time ago. You have no idea how to properly go about breeding your dog or what to expect. So how can you know whether breeding her is really the right next step for you?
To help clear up some of the confusion, read everything you can find on the subject of breeding. Talk to others like yourself -- owners of just one or two dogs -- who have been through it. Then, seriously consider your answers to the following questions before deciding whether breeding is right for you.
Is She Free of Inherited Defects?
Your bitch may appear fine, but many problems can only be found by special examination. So before you do anything else, consult your veterinarian and follow his or her recommendations to get your bitch's hips radiographed, her eyes examined, and anything else that will give her a clean slate. Affected bitches or stud dogs can pass defects on in a much more severe form than they have, causing nothing but heartache to you as well as to your puppies eventual owners.
Why Are You Having Her Bred?
The novelty of a first litter can wear off very quickly in face of the extra work it entails. And breeding is unlikely to be a financially profitable venture. So if your intention is to provide an interesting experience for your family, or to recoup some of the money you have spent on your dog, neither is a valid reason for breeding.
Breeding, whelping, raising, and selling a litter is a serious commitment that requires a great deal of time, work, and often worry. A deep and sincere desire to contribute to breed quality is the only thing that will override any problems and inconveniences you'll encounter in breeding. If you don't feel fully committed, and more excited about your possible contribution to the breed than anything else, then having a litter may be a decision you'll regret as being more of a nuisance than a joy.
What Are Your Plans For Her?
The business of conception, pregnancy, and caring for a litter can really interrupt the every day life you have established with her. If she's your constant companion, are you prepared to be without her? When it's time to be bred, she may have to be at the stud's kennel for a couple of days or more. Then once she has a litter to care for, she won't be interested in her time with you.
Motherhood can also keep a bitch out of hunting for quite some time. By the end of approximately two months of "making like a mom," your companion will not be up to par. Count on as long as three to four months away from her usual hunting with you when having her bred.
Does Your Lifestyle Allow It?
Studying pedigrees and visiting kennels to select the most compatible stud can consume weeks or even months of your spare time. And because the onset of a bitch's season can't be predetermined exactly, a short-notice trip to the stud will probably be necessary. If the stud's owner lives far away, you'll have two long round trips -- one to take her there and another a week or so later to reclaim her. Even if he lives nearby, you'll be busy running her back and forth for a least two breedings.
Then, too, the expectant bitch will require more of your time -- pre- and postnatal veterinary visits, more frequent trips outside, extra feeding, and careful observation to catch any health problems in the bitch or her litter.
Once the litter is fully mobile, you'll have to clean the whelping box or pen regularly -- and you won't believe, until you see it for yourself, what a troop of eight untrained puppies can produce in a single day!
Come weaning age, someone must be available four times daily to "mix the mush and make like a teacher." Puppies don't automatically take to eating from a bowl. This means extra time again to clear up the disaster area resulting from the tromp of tiny feet through those food bowls. You'll need close to an hour, start to finish, for each feeding session.
What About Facilities?
Unless you live in a warm climate or have a fairly large, heated kennel building, chances are that part of your home will have to become a nursery. The required space depends on how large your bitch is, but the noise and odor level of raising a robust litter is equal regardless of size. Utilizing a spare bedroom or corner of the laundry room may not be practical.
The nursery area should be self-contained so the bitch and puppies can be confined. Between the initial reluctance of some bitches to be full-time mothers, and their sometimes copious post-whelping discharge, you'll need a door between yourself and her occasionally. That same door later will prevent curious puppies from making a shambles of your house.
And what about socializing? From weaning to at least eight weeks, puppies need lots of contact with people. Someone needs to be at home to fulfill this important part of their development.
Nor should you forget to check city or township bylaws. While indoors, your litter's existence may go unnoticed, but once they experience the outdoors, the "chattering" of eight to ten dogs (and who knows how long you may have them, if puppy sales are slow) may be objectionable to the neighbors. A single complaint to authorities could lead to legal action.
Can You Afford It?
At least $1,000 is necessary to cover the basic expenses of stud fee, veterinary care, feeding extras, advertising, and so on. Should mother or babies develop serious problems, or you don't find a ready market for the puppies (a common disadvantage with a first litter), this figure could double, thereby far outweighing what sales will bring. In the beginning you may not think the money matters, but imagine how you will feel if unforeseen expenses start playing havoc with your budget. Are you able and willing to underwrite such costs without guarantee of full recompense?
Can You Part With Them
Having reared the puppies for many long weeks, you may find that letting them go to new homes is far easier said than done, especially for young children.
And while we're on the subject, you must be willing and able to assess buyers and stand behind your puppies with a guarantee. This can make for frustrating or downright unhappy situations; turning away a hopeful but unsuitable potential buyer or later dealing with an unsatisfied one can be tough, yet these things are your responsibility as the breeder.
In summary, breeding a litter is certainly a considerable undertaking, one that should never be taken lightly. Some people love it; others have regretted it. Only you can make that important decision whether or not to give breeding your best try.