Breeding Huskies

Question
We are considering purchasing a 3 y/o female husky and possibly breeding her with our 4 y/o male husky. Any suggestions on what to take into account? What is the breeding process for huskies like? I have read about the gestation period (approx 63 days) but otherwise I am a bit out of my league. I would appreciate any websites/books to get us started on this process. Thanks in advance for your expertise!

Answer
Well, before you purchase this bitch for brood is the best time to decide if the two should be bred. Kudos to you for asking!

A breeding husky should have appropriate health clearances: hip certification, elbow certification, and a current CERF (ACVO) eye exam, that is for both SIRE and DAM. This is to ensure that you only produce the best possible healthy puppies for your pet families.

Both parents should have an AKC full registration, and a pedigree chalk full of dogs who were worthy of breeding. How can you tell? The easiest way is to know the dogs in the pedigree and know their strengths and weaknesses, their temperaments and their health. Do you know if anyone in the pedigree was epileptic? Had heart murmurs etc. If yes, or you don't know or can't find out, than this pedigree isn't the one for you.

The quickest and easiest way to know if two dogs should be bred is to consider where you got them. This is usually where people get upset with me, and think I am judging them. If you bought your dog from a breeder who showed at dog shows, ran sleds, did obedience, therapy work etc. SOMETHING other than breeding dogs, than you should consider yourself very lucky, and ask him or her about the possibility of breeding him.

If you bought your dog on a whim, from a guy in a parking lot, the newspaper, or an online advertisement, then you do not have a dog worthy of being bred, regardless of AKC registration.

Remember, AKC registration tells you that the dog is purebred, but not whether or not it is well bred.

Who is selling you the girl? Is this a breeder? If so, why is she placing her? What do you know about her pedigree?

The only reason to breed a litter of puppies should be to better the breed and to keep a puppy to continue your line of healthy and happy pets. If this litter is going to be to produce pets to sell, that is never the right idea to breed. There are enough dogs in shelters and rescues in need of homes.

Go to a dog show, join a breed club and if you are serious about breeding, learn from those who have year of knowledge about the breed you love. Otherwise, you are doing a disservice to the breed.

Good luck, hope to hear from you soon.

Melissa