Are You Considering Dog Breeding?

If you browse through the free dog sales advertising websites you will notice that there are hundreds of puppies for sale every day. Many of these offers are made by professional breeders who have a reputation for being extremely passionate about what it is they do. On the other hand, most of these puppies for sale are being offered by people that decided to breed their dogs, but lack the experience needed to make dog breeding a lifelong endeavor.

If you are one of these people who do not take a great interest in dog breeding for a living, yet are considering breeding your dogs in order to make a few extra dollars and maybe even keep a puppy or two, it would pay you to read the following when it comes to dog breeding:

1. Professional dog breeders know the importance of sacrificing their time so that the puppies are born as healthy and strong as possible. This can take hours and hours of devotion each and every day. You may want to reconsider dog breeding if you are not prepared to give up a large chunk of your freedom.

The largest part of your time will be spent on advertising and handling phone calls and inquiries from interested buyers. Men and women who are interested in the types of puppies you have available will have all sorts of questions and you must be ready to answer these questions at any given time. 95% of those who contact you with interest in your puppies will just ask questions or come by and look at the dogs, but will not end up buying one. Some new dog breeders do not have the patience for dealing with people like this.

2. Dog breeding also requires a great interest and knowledge about genetics, as well as knowing what steps to take to prevent genetic diseases. The process of dog pregnancy and how to assist with the whelping phase is one that you must be prepared for.

Dog breeding is a lot more than just putting a male and female together and hope that they mate. You must be aware of the different ways to prevent health problems and educate yourself on the proper nutritional needs of the new puppies, as well as the pregnant mother’s food throughout the pregnancy.

Dog Breeding Is Not For Amateurs

Are you tempted to start breeding dogs in the hope of adding a couple of new puppies to the family and/or making a few extra dollars by selling the other pups? I think everyone who owns a dog has thought about it at some time or another. Unfortunately, there are some downsides to breeding dogs that you may not feel comfortable with.

Dog breeding is considered to be a “way of life” for those professionals that are passionate about their animals. These people live, eat and breathe dog breeding. However, the same is not true for 99% of the other people out there that just decided to have puppies for the fun of it, or for the possibility of smalltime profits.

Here are a few reasons why you might want to reconsider dog breeding, unless you are 100% committed to the process and to the health of the new puppies:

1. Breeding can be expensive. For starters, the costs that you will have to absorb can get a little pricey with veterinarian checkups and care for all of the puppies, which include prevention of heartworm, fleas and regular worms. In addition, you need to budget enough money to advertise the new puppies once they are born. For most people that are not professional breeders, you may barely make enough money back to cover your investment.

2. Breeding puppies yourself can also be emotionally heartbreaking. This is one downside of breeding that most people do not expect. For example, it is not unusual for the mother to die due to whelping complications. What is even more depressing is that many times one or more puppies from the litter will pass away as well. These circumstances are not something that every family can handle, so please keep these possibilities in mind should you begin to breed dogs.

3. A third downside to breeding dogs is that the entire process is a huge responsibility. This should be quite obvious with just the above examples given in terms of your investment and emotional participation. Once you decide to breed your dogs and bring new life into this world, you are now entirely responsible to ensure that those puppies are given the utmost in high quality attention and health care. Breeding new puppies is not a hobby and therefore you must understand that your time and energy must be devoted to the process 100%.

Finding A Professional Dog Breeder That Puts Health First

If you are thinking about getting a specific pure bred puppy, the best route is to go to a professional breeder. If you want to make sure that the purebred puppy is in great health, has a sound temperament, and one that will match your personality and lifestyle, then you need to find an honest and knowledgeable breeder, one that will help you find that perfect puppy.

The Importance Of Finding The Right Breeder

Nowadays, finding a reputable breeder is not as easy as it used to be. Many self-proclaimed breeders are nothing more than regular dog owners practicing “backyard breeding”. Many of these backyard breeders lack proper knowledge, history and understanding of the breed, other than the one that they own.

Therefore, you need to thoroughly research and find a legitimate breeder, one who is honest and well educated about a specific dog breed. A reputable breeder should be able to give you pertinent information about his/her puppies, as well as answer questions you may have regarding the breed, even after you have purchased the puppy. Most importantly, a reputable breeder should have a genuine interest and love for his/her dogs.

One advantage of going to breeders is that they have first-hand experience and knowledge of raising that specific dog breed. These are two important factors that they can pass down to you which will help you raise a healthy and happy dog. Reliable breeders are concerned about many aspects of their dogs, with health being number one.

Health

A reputable breeder’s top priority is to make sure that his/her puppies are free of genetic diseases that are common and dangerous to that specific breed. For instance, a breeder of Labrador retrievers should test their puppies for diseases and disorders that are common with the breed, such as developmental diseases of the bone and joint, retinal dysplasia and tricuspid dysplasia.

That breeder should have an updated certificate for eye evaluation obtained from the Canine Eye Registration Foundation, that ensures the puppy does not have genetic eye disease. The results of the eye evaluation should be registered at the Canine Health Information Center, where potential buyers and owners can go and check the results.