Is dog breeding for you?

Is dog breeding for you?

Breeding any breed of dogs are a lot of work and if you decide to go into this type of business you need to educate and prepare yourself for everything that goes into this type of work. A few things to think about is time, overhead costs, space, marketing, and most importantly the health and well-being of your pups before they go off to their new homes. Here are a few things that I learned with my business and my very first litter. After reading this blog you decide if dog breeding is for you.

Preparing for your first litter

When you decide breed dogs it’s difficult to know where to start. There are so many questions you ask yourself which include How do I need to prepare? What factors do I need to consider before committing to such a big responsibility? Is this something I can do?

The average cost of breeding

Researching online is a good start to learning about the average coast of breeding. However, new breeders need to learn all the ‘behind the scenes’ costs that are involved with ethical breeding. Yes, you can make money selling pups, but it takes money to make money. It’s good to connect with other experienced breeders to help answer any questions you may have about breeding for the first time. Some costs associated with breeding include but are not limited to:

• Breeding Stock – Make sure you have a healthy dam and stud to ensure you are producing healthy puppies

• Stud Services - If you are the owner of a healthy dam then there are fees you will usually need to pay for a pedigree stud who can also produce healthy litters

• Caring for the parent dog(s) – You need to make sure your dam is being well taken care of before, during, and after pregnancy and this includes health tests, vaccinations, food, any extra supplements that may be required and insurance.

• Pre-breeding Health Screenings – You need to consider veterinary costs to pre-screen your dam to see when she is ready to mate

• Whelping (Birth) – This is the most costly and time-consuming part of the process and one of the most important. You need to have whelping (birthing) stations, blankets, wipes, gloves, etc. if your dam is giving birth at home. However, there are some breeds of dogs like the micro bullies that will need a professional vet to perform a c-section. This is more common in some breeds as opposed to others but is a cost that you will need to factor in.

• Raising and feeding the puppies – Be ready these pups love to eat! You will need to feed them every 2 hours when they are first born so get someone to help to rotate the schedule so you can get some rest too.

Make sure when choosing to breed dogs you choose to breed with dogs that are fit and healthy so completing health exams on both parents is very important. If choosing a dam, ensure the dam is a mature age and that her temperament is suitable for whelping before mating her to prepare her for a successful birthing experience. Talking to the breeder of your dam can help in learning more about the mother and finding out if she had a smooth pregnancy or if there were any complications.

Whelping

If you are whelping and not having a c-section, you need to have a clean, sanitized whelping station for when the litter is due, comfortable bedding, lots of knowledge of what's expected of you throughout the birth and your local vet on hand for any questions or concerns you may have during the pregnancy. Dogs are pregnant for 63 days (9 weeks). It is advisable to prepare for whelping at about 58 days. The whelping stage (labor time) can last between 6-12 hours and sometimes up to 36 hours, especially for nervous or first-time dams so be ready to lose sleep. However, if you are having a c-section done than make sure you take her to the vet on the date the vet tells you she is due.

Space for a litter of puppies

Depending on the breed of dog the size of the litter can be from 1 to 15 puppies. Whatever the size be ready to accommodate these pups for the first 8 weeks of their lives. These cuties grow quick before being rehomed.

Time needed with the pups

Newborn puppies are like newborn babies, but you will have many all at one time. Puppies will wean off the mom at around 3-4 weeks of age making the transition difficult, time-consuming, and messy. Often the runt (smallest) of the litter will need extra time with the mom while the rest of the pups move onto solids.

Bottle feeding puppies is common during the first few weeks but should only be done if the mom does not produce milk, refuses to feed her pups or pups are very weak and need manual feeding. Manual feeding usually contains supplements and this will need to be done every 2 hours so prepare for some sleepless nights and having some extra help if possible.

A new litter of puppies requires 24-hour attention for the first 8 weeks. So, if you can’t dedicate this time then this may not be for you.

Re-homing your litter

As your puppies grow you should be preparing to re-home them. It’s good to start getting a list of potential buyers before you mate your dam, so you have multiple people to choose from when rehoming your puppies. Ensure that you are 100% confident your puppies are going to the correct home where they will be loved and well cared for.

As a new breeder, you may be apprehensive about advertising your litter on social media to strangers so start off with neighbors, friends, and local vets to see if you can sell the litter to trusted people.

Breeder expectations

De-worming

Worms are very common in puppies so keeping up with de-worming treatment is vital. Puppies should be dewormed at 5, 8, and 12 weeks old and then every 3 months thereafter to ensure they do not get worms. Talking to your new puppy buyer is important since your pups may be sold at eight weeks. Make sure they are made aware if the 8-week deworming treatment is their responsibility or not.

Vaccinations and Pedigree papers.

Vaccinations are extremely important to a pup's health. It helps build immunity from diseases pups can be susceptible to such as Canine Distemper and/or Canine Parvovirus. Puppies can have their first vaccination between 6-8 weeks old and their second 2-3 weeks after their first. Your vet will be able to tell when and what vaccinations are needed for your puppies. If you haven't vaccinated your puppies before selling them, you will need to disclose this information to the new puppy owner. A responsible breeder will make sure their litter has all the necessary vaccinations up to the first 8 weeks before selling them and providing the new owner with a health certificate and pedigree registration papers.

Socialization

Socializing your puppies is an important part of their developmental stage as it prepares them to be confident additions to their new homes. A breeder may sometimes find it difficult to socialize their pups with people since they will only know the breeder who is rearing them for the first 8 weeks. Daily interaction with the puppies is a start.

Health Insurance

It is good practice to let the new owners to find pet insurance for their new puppies to ensure they will continue to lead a healthy life.

Well, now that you have read a few pointers on breeding dogs are you ready to be a dog breeder? If you are….best of luck to you!