When to breed

Question
Hello first of all we are not wanting to breed to make money we want other good loving families to feel the love for a dog as much as we do We have a toy pom Sandy shes about 17 months old she was born Aug 2003 we do want to breed her but are greatly concerned about her health first dont want to harm her in any way I have read so much I am not sure what to do We have been told to wait till shes at least 2 yrs so she will be more mature and will hopefully be a better mom shes very healthy all shots up todate house brooken shes in heat right now but we dont want to rush things we know nothing about breeding dogs some friends have a male toy pom ready when we are hes healthy as well same size same color just a bit oler hes about 8 yrs old any info you could provide will be helpfull we will not breed her in this heat want to have more info and make sure we are doing the right thing for our Sandy we love her more than we thought was possible     
  my email is hpo27@yahoo.com   Thanks so much Judy Kentucky  

Answer
Hi Judy,

Unless your female is a top speciman of the breed you should not breed her.  Is she a champion?  How 'bout the male you want to use?  If you don't know what you are doing and even if you do, you could be risking her life.  I am sure your pom is a wonderful dog (most dogs are) and I believe that you are a loving person and that you love your dog very much, but this is NOT a reason to breed.  Even if you are not breeding for money, your dog is healthy, and just want "other good loving families to feel the love for a dog" it's still NOT a good reason to breed and here's why:

There are many wonderful, loving puppies and dogs that need homes. MILLIONS of wonderful dogs just like Sandy, are put to death in this country every year because there are not enough homes for them all. :(

The ONLY reason to breed is because your motivation for breeding is to produce the finest possible dogs. That means someone who breeds only dogs that are themselves good pets AND good representatives of what their breed should be. It also means someone who tests their parent dogs to make sure that they are free from any genetic defects before they are bred. It means someone who knows the background of their dogs well enough to know what they should produce.

In most cases, the people who are truly responsible breeders do show their dogs, in order to determine that they do indeed resemble the breed that they are supposed to be. Show and performance events are how responsible breeders make sure that their dogs both look and act how their breeds are supposed to look and act.  If you have any interest in breeding, find a reputable show breeder to help you get started.  (But do not assume that someone is a reputable breeder just because they show dogs.)  

Please go to these sites to learn more about breeding:
http://www.learntobreed.com/
http://wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm#breeding
http://yourpurebredpuppy.com/buying/common/breeders.html

Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Best to you,
Carrie
PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS.