Dog breeding is one exciting way to show your love and passion for these canine friends. But while it seems like an easy thing to do, in reality, it is more than that. It takes a lot to start breeding that just getting a female dog in heat together with a male dog that’s willing. So if you’ve ever considered breeding dogs or any animals, then this list is for you.
Decide On Whether You Want To Breed Or Not
Pets are for anyone but breeding is not. Before you start on this endeavor, you need to decide first if you are willing to undertake the responsibilities that come with it. To know this, you must first do your research. Read books about breeding and different dogs. You could also visit your local vet and other breeders to ask them how was their experience and if they have tips or insights they could share.
When you decide to breed, it is important that you are doing it for the right reasons, otherwise you would fail and only contribute to overbreeding. Do not merely breed for pets, as this is the first step into becoming a puppy mill. Remember that the dogs are living animals and not merely things. They are entitled to proper care and investment so decide wisely.
Assess your current situation and see if breeding is possible for you. This requires a lot of time, patience and investment. It’s not merely getting two dogs and mating them. You need to be able to provide them with the right health care, food, grooming, housing, exercise, etc. Breeding dogs need a lot of personal time with these animals so if you’re away most of the time, then it might not be a good idea for you. Also, dogs give birth to an average of 5 puppies per birth so you must have a big enough space to keep the puppies and help them grow.
Understand the different temperaments and needs of varieties of dogs. This would help you examine if you are ready to breed and if yes, which breed you should go for.
Choose Your Dog Breed
Once you have decided that you would give breeding a go then you must decide what breed you’d like to start with first. After that, you need to secure a female dog called a dam and a male dog also known as sire. If you prefer to only take care of a dam, then you could enlist the services of a stud dog. Payment for the services of a stud differs with the arrangement from its owner. Some opt to be paid while others opt to have a pick from the litter.
Study the genetic background and bloodline of the dogs you want to breed. You could check this via the American Kennel Club or any canine registry authority. Just like humans, dogs must not be bred with its relative as this could produce genetic deformation, disabilities and defects because of inbreeding.
Research the breed’s temperament and behavior so that you would have knowledge of the right kind of care and treatment it needs. This would also help prevent the breeding of overly aggressive canines, which should be avoided.
Breed dogs that are of the proper age. The best time to mate dogs are those around 2 years old because the animal is already fully developed and most genetic issues would have already come up by then. Dogs that are bred at a younger age might also be prone to immaturity and unable to care for its pup when it gives birth.
Dog Care In Breeding
Breed your dogs when the dam is in heat. Always monitor the female dog to know when this happens. The dam would be ready to accept the sire if she is prepared to breed.
During delivery, prepare a whelping box in advance. Have your dam always up to date with its vitamins and medicine to prepare for the birth. You could also choose to have the female dog deliver the puppies through C-section but that would cost more.
Once the puppies are out, monitor their health and have them checked by the vet as soon as possible. Feed them regularly. Check if the dam is allowing the puppies to drink milk from her breasts, if not, you may have to guide them to the teat first.
As you start breeding, have your dam, sire and even the pups get frequent visits to the vet to ensure their optimal health. Keep their vaccinations up to date. You could also keep the medical records as history of your dogs for your and future owners’ reference.
