What to Expect and Do

Question
Hello,
first off...We aren't professional breeders (obviously) and we aren't BYB...but my father wants his mastiff to have at least one litter of pups...
My father has the female mastiff and we have the male mastiff. Both met Mastiff standards and are of age to be bred.
We want to make sure we do this right, so I am just wondering what are some of the things we as the sellers should do when selling these pups.
We have no idea what to expect or to do though. I have been researching about things to expect and do, but i would like to personally hear from someone...

What are some of the KEY things we should expect and DO when and before these puppies are born?

I know we are for sure going to get them AKC registered, but I'm unsure about the whole Health guarantee thing. When we got our dogs they had all their shots and we in good health...I know our does doesn't come from Champion bloodlines, but is that really important?
how does a health guarantee work and how to i get one...also exactly what is the Health certificate...does it just state the pup has been checked by the vet and has its shots...
sorry for the variation in questions...

Answer
Hi Sami. I'm going to try to answer your questions in the order you asked them. If I leave something out, just remind me.;-)

The most important thing you can do when selling these puppies is to make sure they go to great homes. Draw up contracts if you need to. If these dogs are not champion quality, or doesn't possess some great Mastiff attribute that should be carried on in future generations, then you may want to register the litter as limited registration. That way, their puppies can't be registered. I understand that some people feel their dog needs to have puppies, or even that they just want a litter. The most important thing are the puppies, and their future. You have to be prepared to keep any of the puppies if you can't find them a hone right away. Or, be prepared to take any or all pups back for the rest of their life if something goes wrong with their new homes. You have to be responsible no matter what reasons you have for breeding.

A few things to expect. Be prepared that the female might need a c-section. Be prepared that the female can die giving birth. Be prepared that you can loose the whole litter and mom. Be prepared to spend atleast 3 weeks feeding the pups by hand every 3 hours in case mom can't feed them. Your whole world will revolve around mom and these puppies until they go to their new homes. Mastiffs can have really large litters, so be prepared financially to care for them all. Make sure you have plenty of space for these growing puppies, especially if it takes awhile to find homes. Take the girl in for a check up to make sure that she's healthy enough to carry, and care for a litter. Don't let her get fat, give her plenty of exercise. It will help her whelp easier. Make sure she has a spot in a quiet out of the way room to have her puppies. Get emergency numbers from your vet in case she goes into labor after hours and you need help. I don't want to sound cruel with the start of this paragraph, but I think that it's very important for people to understand that things can go seriously wrong, and need to be prepared for it just in case. What I'm trying to say, is that you need to know that mom can die, so can the pups. Or, she may need a c-section to save her and her puppies lives. Everyone needs to understand that. Most people tell me that it won't happen to their dog. Maybe not. But then I get the bad e-mail telling me that mom died, or the whole litter was lost. It can, and does happen. The better that you research and understand what to look for, the better chance she has. If she ever has a colored discharge before the birth of the first pup, take her to the vet immediately. If she pushes for longer than 15 minutes on one puppy, call the vet. If she goes longer than 3 hours inbetween puppies, call the vet. Keep a good eye on her milk, and make sure she doesn't get an infection.

Usually, a health guarantee means that you say that the dogs will be free of any genetic disease up to a certain point. And if the dog is proven to have a genetic disease, then you will take the puppy back, and refund the owner. That's why it's so important to have health tests done before breeding. Each breed has it's own problems. And if you breed dogs that are clear of these diseases, then you have a better chance of producing healthy puppies. Some things to test for are hips for hip dysplasia, eyes, thyroid, and anything else that may effect your breed. My breed, Boxer, is prone for heart problems. A responsible breeder will have all of their dogs holter and echo tested before breeding them. It can be expensive, but you don't want to breed dogs that will die at an early age, or cause the owner undue monetary expense. There is a puppy lemon law that can make a breeder responsible for their puppies if the puppy is shown to have a genetic disorder.

Champion bloodlines don't mean a whole lot to me. I'm much more impressed with a dog's pedigree when I see long lived and healthy dogs. They don't have to be champions to be bred. Just make sure they're healthy, sound, and are of good conformation.

A health certificate just means that the puppy has been seen by a vet, has been wormed, and had it's shots.

I hope that I've answered your questions, and if I can be of anymore help, let me know! P.S. I love the mastiff breed myself. If I wasn't so into Boxers, then I would definitely be in that breed!