Pros And Cons To Breeding Your Dog

Before deciding to breed your female dog there are some positive and negative considerations that owners should consider. Breeding your dog is not an inexpensive or easy task if you are seriously planning on making the best possible selection of a male dog. There are serious health considerations with regards to breeding dogs that should be discussed with your vet and family members before making the final decision.

Drawbacks To Breeding Your Dog

Breeds have their own unique issues when it comes to breeding. Below are some of the general concerns that can arise with any breed:

Cost of stud services. For a championship bloodline it can be several hundred or even thousands of dollars to have your female bred to a purebred male.

Potential health risks. There is always the possibility that the female can be injured during breeding, or may develop life-threatening conditions during the pregnancy. Female dogs can die during delivery if they are left unsupervised and there is a complication.

Additional vet expenses. The female may require additional trips to the vet or even help with birthing or whelping the puppies. These vet bills can range between the cost of a check-up to several thousands of dollars depending on the size of the dog and the troubles they experience.

Health issues with the puppies. If there are health issues with the puppies the owner of the female is usually responsible unless there have been other arrangements made prior to the birth. Again, these can be minor or they can be very costly.

Vaccinations and feeding. Not only will the female require more and higher quality feed throughout her pregnancy but the puppies will also require vet visits and high quality food. For the larger breeds the food can be very costly, and for any breed the vaccinations and vet visits are critical and are an additional cost.

Ongoing health issues with the female. Female dogs that have had a litter of puppies are much more likely to develop ovarian and breast cancers than spayed females that have not had a litter.

Positive to Breeding Your Female

There are positives as well to breeding your female. Helping develop a line of healthy and breed standard puppies is very rewarding. Finding good homes and families for the puppies is a great opportunity to share the breed of your choice with caring and loving individuals.

In addition breeding is a way for kennels and breeders to seek to develop championship lines. There is increased awareness of the kennel if one of the puppies becomes a champion dog.

For most individuals making money off of puppies is simply not realistic. By the time that you consider the expenses of breeding and caring for the females the price of the puppies does not cover the expenses of raising them. Careful consideration of the options for breeding is important before deciding if this is right for your dog or not.