Should You Breed Your Dog?

You might think that breeding your purebreed dog is a great idea. Who wouldn't want a dog as awesome as yours? Stop and read this before you make a decision.

You love your pure breed dog and you figure since your dog is so smart, and beautiful and lovable, it would be great to breed her. That way, lots of people can enjoy a dog as wonderful as yours. While it is easy to understand your thinking, breeding your dog is not something to take lightly. In fact, there are many things to consider.

One of the first and most practical燾onsiderations is cost. In order to produce a healthy, quality litter of puppies, you can't simply find some random male to mate with your female. First, you must have your female tested for genetic health problems, such as hip燿ysplasia or Wobbler's Syndrome,爐hat could be passed on to the puppies.

The next challenge will be to find a stud that is suitable to breed with your female. This will require some research and the stud will also have to have clearance for genetic problems. Your female may have a perfect temperament, but it is equally as important that the stud have a good, breed appropriate temperament also. Once you find a suitable stud, you may be surprised at the cost爋f 爐he fee to breed your female. For a quality, health tested stud, $1000.00 would not be unusual. It could be more or less depending on the breed, the pedigree etc.. If you are not lucky enough to find a stud in your area, you will have travel expenses as well.

Once your female has been bred, there will be vet visits for her. This could be just an exam or it could include an ultrasound. Once the puppies are born, assuming you don't have any problems爐hat need emergency爄ntervention during the whelping, 爕ou will have the puppies checked by the vet and if needed, tails and dew claws need to be taken care of. As long as the puppies are all nursing well and thriving,燼nd the litter isn't more than 9 or 10 pups, you should not have to provide supplement feeding with puppy formula. After the 4th week, it will be time to start with the worming and shots for the pups.燨f course this will require more vet visits.燭his will need to be done 2 times before the pups go to their new homes. Also, once the pups are ready to be weaned, you will be buying high quality puppy kibble.

You will be responsible for the care and health of your puppies for 8 weeks. The above costs do not include any additional costs that爓ill 燽e爊ecessary爄f any of the puppies are not thriving. Puppies that are not nursing well become dehydrated and can quickly become critical. One of the most important jobs you will have as owner of a litter of puppies, is to find them all good homes. This requires you to screen potential owners to make sure they are committed to raising and keeping the puppy. The last thing you want is for puppies from your litter爐o end up in a shelter.

I hope this article sheds some light on the realities of breeding your beloved pet. While it may seem like a good idea, the truth is, it requires a lot more time, effort, and cost than you may be able to take on. So enjoy devoting your time and love to your four-legged best friend and leave the breeding to the experienced breeders.

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