Important Things to Consider When Breeding Dogs

Before you begin on your journey of becoming a top quality breeder, you need to realize this is not a one-time adventure – it is serious and time consuming. You will face many challenges and it will take at least fifteen years before you really know if your breeding program and selections have resulted in better quality dogs than when you first began. There is a “breed standard” but no one has ever bred the perfect dog. The closer you are to the standard the better.

Look at your motives carefully. Is your desire to breed your dog (or become a breeder) a passing interest or have you wanted this for as long you can remember? Do you love being around animals and understand the responsibility for taking care of them? Your motivation may simply be the pay-off – how much money can you make? Money is important, but if it is your primary drive, you probably will not last long. Those who are quality breeders are that way because they love animals and are fulfilled being around them and taking care of them.

Once you have decided that you are truly committed it is important to select a breed of dog that you enjoy being around. Consider where you live and the climate of your location, you do not want to breed dogs for Alaska if you live in Pakistan. If you live in the city, you do not want to breed dogs that need plenty of space to roam. When you have thoroughly considered the type of breed and the location you will be breeding memorize the Breed Standard because that is your goal! Do your research and talk to other dog breeders. Talk to those who purchase pups. As you encounter various breeders, you will notice some hold high standards and others do not. Every person who purchases a dog does not always care about those standards either. You need to decide what is best for you, your breeding business, and the standards you are going to strive for.

Breeding is considerable and should not enter into this profession lightly. What type of food will you be feeding your dogs – cheap, grain-based, or high quality? What will their housing be like – will you simply have them running around outside or will they have optimal housing? Do you have a veterinarian you can trust to help you during the breeding process – how will you have to pay him? You also need to consider insurance, advertising, phone bills, and the visits that your sire, dam, and pups will be making to the veterinarian before they are even sold. Here is a partial list of some of the expenses you could expect as a high-quality breeder:

• Your dog needs to be registered through OFA (Orthopedic foundation for Animals)
• Your dog needs to be registered through CERF (this is for their eyes for hereditary defects)
• Your dog will need a cardiac exam
• Thyroid exam
• DNA and microchip are very important and when received need to be registered with AKC
• Brucellosis needs to be run prior to each breeding
• Vaccinations and preventative worming before breeding

If you have a bitch, you will now need to find a mate for breeding and inquire as to what the stud fee will be. With these considerations (and there are many more) you need to also take into account that you still may have problems with the pups. On the other hand, you may encounter, after considerable expense, that the dog you have chosen to breed is not suitable and will need to begin the process all over. Breeding is not easy; it is rewarding. You will have considerable expenses; you will have considerable joy. Do not make this decision lightly though when you do have a wonderful time with your canine friends.

Zahid N. Sindhu is a dog enthusiast who, after noticing the lack of an online resource for dog lovers in Pakistan, decided to launch http://www.DogsPK.com The site features a comprehensive list of breeds, breeders, veterinarians and online classifieds. The site also has a forum where people meet to discuss their canine friends.

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