Should I Breed My Dog?

If you decided to breed your dog, have you thought it out thoroughly? Have you considered what you will do with the puppies? Do you already have homes for them ready? Will you pay for their six week shots? Etc.

Responsible breeders have all this figured out.

With the rate of current litters there will never be enough homes for all the puppies and dogs, which is why millions of dogs every year euthanized, so if you make the decision to breed your dog, whether a "purebred" or not, make sure that you have thought of everything and made all the right decisions.

You may want to consider having your dog altered before you consider breeding. As there are so many dogs, already, in animal shelters, you want to make sure that there are any more unwanted puppies that are put to sleep.

Plus, having you dog altered has health benefits.

Neutering male dogs reduces the risk of prostate cancer, while spaying females reduces the risk of uterine, ovarian, and breast cancer.

Altered dogs are more affectionate and less likely to bite.

If you must breed your dog, you will want to go about it the proper way, if you can call it that.

If you have a female dog and what to find a stud, you will want to go through the registry that your female is registered with, whether it be the AKC, UKC, CKC, or ADBA, and find a willing stud. You will usually have a stud fee to pay. Sometimes along with the stud fee, the stud's owner may want the top pick puppy. You will have to consider this as well.

If you have a male, and want to find a female, you will want to go through the registry that you male is registered, and place an ad for a stud dog. You can charge a fee to stud him out, but usually breeders will only pick studs that are champion. But, it's worth a try. You can set up an agreement to get a puppy, or two, if that's what you're after. For the most part, having a male, you will not get any money from the puppies, if that's what you're after (and, if that's the case, don't breed your dog!).

You can, also, post ads in your local paper and on internet classifieds.

My personal opinion about breeding dogs is that if the dog does not have a champion bloodline, it should not be breed.

Champion bloodline, meaning titles in obedience, show, or agility.

The animals with champion bloodlines are those who will better the breed, versus cause more puppies to enter the world, with more owners who believe they should breed their dog, causing more puppies, and the cycle will continue.

This will do more harm than good to the breed.

But, at the same time, not all champion dogs need to be bred or are breeding quality dogs. Dogs that have one competitions, are those who are better of being bred, than dogs from champion lines who have not, and probably cannot, win a competition. (I say cannot because it really does take a special dog to win a competition with a hard working, patient owner.)

Disclaimer: Please be aware that the advice in this article should in no way replace that of a licensed veterinarian. The methods outlined above may or may not work for your pet. If you have any concerns, you should consult a veterinarian.