This article may not be copied without written permission from the author. We have all been in the situation where we love our dog, and we want another JUST like him/her so we think of breeding in hopes the puppies will be just like our dog; or we have purchased a quality dog and think we'll 'make more'. It can work, but before you take the plunge, there are several factors to consider. No German Shepherd should be bred until it has passed a hip x-ray for dysplasia no matter how good the pedigree is, and no matter how healthy your dog seems to be. A dog can function fine with mild dysplasia, but it will produce more of it, and it can be much more severe in the pups. The x-rays must be done at 2 years old. This means you will have to go through 3 or 4 heat cycles with your female bleeding for 3 weeks each time. This makes all males in the area HORNY. Females that have never tried to escape may try to do so when their hormones are raging, and by the way, guess where the term "bitch" came from…the way a female's personality can change when she is in heat or pregnant or nursing pups. Males can congregate and get into fights trying to get in to your female. The only way to be sure your female is not accidentally bred is to keep her inside when she is in heat. Let's say your male and female have been x-rayed and have no dysplasia (cost is about $150 per dog), Now you need to think about the delivery. Yes, wolves do it on their own, but in nature, if there is a problem the mom and her pups die. We don't want that to happen to our beloved dogs, so this means you must be able to be present to help with the delivery in case the mother has problems. There are books available you can read that will help you know when a female needs help so you DON'T lose her in puppy-birth. Can you take off work to be with her during delivery? Mom needs a quiet place to deliver and raise her litter where other dogs can not disturb her. It must not get over 80 degrees or under 60 degrees. OK, so we'll assume she has delivered OK. She may have a few puppies, or she may have 12 puppies. Where will you keep them when they start getting out of their box at 3 to 4 weeks old? No puppy should be placed into it's new home before 7 weeks of age…..so, you've got a month of WORK ahead of you keeping the pups fed 3-4 times a day and cleaned at least as often. To do less sets the pups up for illness. It is not fair to the puppies to let them get sick due to lack of proper care. By the way, a good size litter can go through a 40 lb bag of puppy food EACH WEEK (cost about $35 each). Worming needs to be done at least 2 times before they are old enough to sell, and at least one set of 'puppy shots' must be done. If you can do this yourself it will cost you around $100, but if you must have the vet do it….be ready to pay lots more! Oh, and don't forget the cost for advertising the litter for sale! OK, what if your female did not have an easy delivery. What if she had to have a c-section (cost is about $700 to $1000)? This happens more than most people think. Will you be able to help the female by bottle feeding the puppies every 3 hours day AND night for 3 weeks until they can start eating baby pablum? So, now it's time to sell the little darlings. This is where you make a killing, right? Well, Kennel X sells their dogs for hundreds of dollars each. You paid a lot for your dog as a pup, so you should be able to get a lot for your pups, right? Maybe, maybe not. Kennel X has been in business for years and years. They have shown many dogs successfully. They are well known. They can usually sell their pups for more than a newcomer to breeding can…they have 'paid their dues'. Also, part of what you pay for when you buy a puppy is access to the breeder for advice and help when you have questions or problems as your puppy grows up. Do you have the same level of knowledge to offer to your puppy buyers? Now all the puppies are in their new homes. If you were lucky, they were reserved and sold by 8 weeks old. If you weren't so lucky, you may still be cleaning and feeding and cleaning and feeding them at 12-16 weeks of age. Let's say you were lucky and they all went to new homes. Now you can take a huge sigh of relief! But, what about the owner that calls you when the puppy is 6-8 months old and is in the destructive stage and they don't want it any more…are you prepared to take it back, and give it the training it should have received from the buyers, and then find it another home? Or what if the owner develops a serious health problem, or there is a divorce, or they are moving and they can't keep the dog? Do not create these new puppies unless you are prepared to help them if they need it. Breeding a litter and seeing them develop into wonderful, healthy dogs that enrich the lives of their new owners can be VERY satisfying. The process may go very smoothly, but it is YOUR responsibility to be ready and able to do what ever is needed if things go wrong. After all, the female got pregnant because you wanted (or allowed) her to. You might lose money on the litter. You may break even on costs. You might even make a little money, but if you consider how many hours of work it takes to raise the pups, and the time spent educating and interviewing of potential buyers, you probably made only a few dollars an hour. So, why do people become Breeders? Because they love the breed and they are willing to do what ever is necessary to produce those wonderful dogs for others to own and LOVE.
|
