“BREEDING with your dog”
an article written by Stephanie Bridges
“So you want to use your dog for breeding?” “YES! She must have at least one litter before I spay her!”
I hear this all the time at dog school, or people phone me looking for an “XYZ BREED” to cover their bitch, as she is in season now
“How old is she?” “Hmmm about 12 months. It‟s her first time”
My question to them is “WHY?” Why do you want to breed? Just see some of the answers ….
1. For the fun of it (I can‟t believe this one)
2. Just because she has to.
3. That is how things are done.
and the most popular is ………….
4. She must have at least one litter before I have her spayed.
There is a huge misconception amongst a lot of people, that when a bitch has had a litter of puppes it makes her more aggressive, and she
becomes a better guard dog! Not true at all
If a bitch does have puppies she may seem to be aggressive. Protective of her defenceless babies. Yes! This does NOT change her character
forever. Once the puppies have grown up and gone, she will revert back to her normal self
If a bitch has puppies in her first season (and even her second) she is NOT physically mature enough to handle this. She has not finished
growing, and as a result the growing embryos drain her of the nutrition she needs for herself, particularly calcium. A severe calcium deficiency
will result in the immature mother eating her puppies
Have you ever given a thought about the hereditary/genetics faults you could be breeding with your dog? Do you care? Have you done your
homework about the characteristics of the dog you are breeding with?
Another situation that also annoys me – people who buy or obtain two dogs (one male and one female) from the same litter, and intend to breed
with these as well!! I say to them “Would you ever have a baby with your brother or sister?” Their facial expressions change from shock, to
horror, to disgust, and then they laugh as they think I am joking!
Have any of these potential breeders stopped to think what happens to those puppies once they are born? Imagine, somebody who bought a
puppy from you two years ago, is now getting divorced or decides to move into a flat or to go overseas. Are you as the breeder, prepared to
take that dog back and find it a new home?
You as the breeder are responsible for that dog‟s life!
Also, the dogs you decide to breed and sell will once again be forced to produce more puppies. For every bitch that has a minimum of eight
puppies, there are eight more dogs to reproduce. In just three generations one mating can result in 512 (yes 512) new dogs, and the sad thing is
that most of them will probably end up unwanted at animal welfare organisations
Breeding is not just for fun. The health of the bitch and puppies must be considered. They need to be vaccinated and dewormed. They also
need good, nutritious food to sustain good health. I have seen many backyard breeders feeding their „breeding stock‟ cheap corner café food.
This type of food merely fills the dog‟s stomach without any nutrional value. Inferior food stunts growth, enhances susceptibility to internal
parasites and does not increase the body‟‟s resistance to viruses like Parvo, Leptospirosis or other diseases
But they still want to breed!
If you really love your dogs you will have them spayed or neutered, and leave the breeding to professionals’
Stephanie Bridges