Dog Breeding

Dog Breeding - Reasons NOT to breed

If you are thinking about breeding your dog, stop and think about it a bit more.

First consider why you want puppies.
You want another like your dog ? First, realise that even a cloned dog will not be the same temperament as your own. And say you choose one of your puppies to keep, can you find excellent homes for the others ?
If you have a male and agree to pay half of the medical costs for the mother....what if there are complications and surgeries ? Can you afford expensive vet care ?

You want a purebred dog and you think your dog is attractive....
If you live in a medium to large town/city you will already know there is at least one pound and one SPCA of some form.
There are literally thousands of pure bred dogs that are killed every year as no one will give them a home.

You think you can better the breed.
This one is worth thinking about. Many breeders only advocate the breeding of champions. I see considerable fault in this logic due to many considerations not the least of which are inbreeding and genetic variation.
New research coming to light (primarily in horses for the moment...) points to dominant genes on the DNA of the mother.
Outcrossing to another breed of dog is also another way to vary your breed for the better. Just look at the example of the American Mastiff. Outcrossed to the Anatolian Shepard, this breed has enjoyed longer life, less health problems and it still looks the same as the original English Mastiff.

Now if these questions or concepts are a little too involved for you, I would consider thinking some more on the Breeding possibility or get a good book to help you clear up some of the questions.

One that helped me immensly is : DOG BREEDER 101

Next time; " I'll make money from Dog Breeding ! "

Lincoln.