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Breeding Your Dog, Part 3

© Pat Williams

In parts one and two, we talked about genetics, health and temperament. Before we go any farther let's ask ourselves why we want to breed our dog. She is cute, loveable, everyone who meets her falls in love with her, she is a great companion, it will be a good experience for the kids etc. etc.

I've heard them all and I must say I can't completely disagree with those reasons, but are they good enough to create a bunch of new puppies adding to the already exploding pet population? Whether it is a hobby or a business, good professional breeders do not breed their animals to make money.



In fact, breeding show dogs is a losing proposition. In most cases, an ethical breeder is lucky to break even and has to subsidize their breeding program by boarding, teaching obedience classes and/or handling dog for other owners.

So, you might ask, why do they do it? The answer is simple:
For the love of the breed.

Okay, I can hear you skeptics out there already. "I just paid seven hundred dollars for a puppy from a pet shop and we all know that breeders get more for their dogs." While that statement may be true, consider the following.

The puppy that came from the pet shop was bought from a broker who, in turn, buys his stock from a puppy mill. How do I know it came from a puppy mill? Simple. No ethical breeder who spends time and money and pours his heart into breeding the best and healthiest puppies he can, would ever think of handing his litter over to a broker, never to know where his babies will end up. Out of all the puppies I've bred, I have been in contact with every owner, save one and, to this day, twelve years later, it still haunts me wondering what ever happened to him. The woman moved and I lost tract of her. So I can only pray that Harley had a good life in a loving home as the rest of them did.







As show breeders, we travel from show to show observing the best the breed has to offer. We know most of the dogs being shown and we watch their development. When we see a dog who shows great potential and could add qualities we need to our bloodlines, then we consider a breeding. Our goal is to preserve the standard and improve our lines. We already have a list of people who want our puppies and have been screened, or we will announce a future breeding in our club magazine. In most cases, we will have homes ready for our puppies long before the breeding occurs.

The copyright of the article Breeding Your Dog, Part 3 in Dogs Etc. is owned by Pat Williams. Permission to republish Breeding Your Dog, Part 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.