terrible dog breeder!
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EG8 said:Goodness Lord....
What happen already? We are supposed to have a matured debate, not name calling swearing whatsoever.
Things like this that makes people stay out from this discussion.
Hehe, as you can see, it's just out of control, hehe :D
Before you breed.....
To those who wants a healthy pet,
Please know the differences of buying a cheap RM 400 pet vs a good healthy one at RM 1000. The differences ? is a lifetime vet bills or lifetime happy fun with the dog.
read on.....
http://www.adoptarescuepet.org/byb.htm
Up to 10 million healthy animals are killed in U.S. pounds and shelters
every year. The killing could easily be prevented by spaying and neutering.
Euthanasia is the single largest cause of death for dogs in the U.S. Each
year 27 million of the animals are born. Five to ten million we classify as
"surplus" and kill. That's about one million per month. These numbers do not
include the millions of dead dogs whose bodies we scrape off the streets, or
the hundreds of thousands of abandoned, severely neglected or abused ones
who never make it to our shelters to be counted and killed. The five to ten
million figure represents those we "must" kill because they are unwanted.
Most of these animals are young and healthy; in fact, it is estimated that a
majority are less than one year of age. The problem is simple: we have too
many dogs. Too many for the too few homes available. The solution we have
opted for is to kill the extras. This solution has been considered
acceptable by default, as though there were no other way to control the crisis. And we
spend over $1 billion every year destroying "man's best friend."
Why is this happening in the United States today? The number one biggest
contributor to the problem is the backyard breeder not the puppy mills.
This is a name that has become unpopular and no one wants to admit they are a
backyard breeder. Many people do not even realize they are part of the
problem. This is what I need to address in this post. The only way to stop
the needless killing of dogs is to stop the needless breeding of them.
Every breed of dog recognized by the AKC has a written standard, a blueprint
of what the dog should look like and act like. These standards were written
so that all would know what a quality example of the breed is and strive to
produce dogs that meet or exceed the standard in health, temperament and
appearance. To be sure you are breeding dogs that meet these standards,
your dogs must be judged by people who have a lifetime of experience among the
breed. Do you know the standard of the Pure Breed Dog? Does your dog
meet this standard according to an AKC Judge? If not, your dog is pet
quality. A pet is to be loved, cherished, trained, cared for, spoiled and
bragged about, but it is NEVER to be bred. No matter how cute or sweet the
dog may be, if it is not up to the standard, you have no business breeding
it.
If you have a purebred dog this does not give you the right to breed it.
Most purebred dogs are not breeding quality. If you breed your pet quality
dog, you are a backyard breeder, whether you breed the dog in your
backyard, garage, living room or an expensive hotel room, the term is still backyard
breeder.
If your pet quality dog has AKC papers, that's nice but it doesn't change
anything. You still don't have the right to breed it.
If your pet quality dog cost you $500 be glad you had the money to afford
it. You still have no right to breed it.
Do you think you can make your $500 back if you breed your pet dog or if
your pet dog is a color or size that isn't in the standard but you just know
everyone will want buy a pup if you breed her? Shame on you! Now you are a backyard
breeder with the purpose of breeding pups for bucks.
If the price for a tail dock or an ear crop seem high to you, what are you
going to do when your beloved pet needs an emergency C section. Will you
even be there with her to know if she is in trouble? Would you recognize
trouble before it's too late?
And if you still want to breed your pet dog but need to ask who's supposed
to cut off the tails and ears, ask yourself "What the Hell am I thinking!"
Do you think genetic testing is something they used in the OJ trial but has
nothing to do with your dog breeding career? You are a backyard breeder.
Backyard breeders sell pups that aren't up to the standard of the breed.
They do this for many reasons. None are good enough reasons to contribute
to the killing of dogs. Period.
Backyard breeders will swear all of their pups went to a good home. They
believe this but it's not true. Some may have been lucky enough to go to a
good home but more than half of them will end up dead, in a shelter, alone,
on a cold table with a needle sticking out of their leg. Some of those good
homes will get tired of the dog and they will just give it away to anyone
who is willing to take it. Some of your beloved dog's children will end up
living alone in a backyard, barking all night, cold and neglected until the
owner gets complaints and then that pups will be dead. Some will be starved
and beaten. Some will be bred until they die from it. Some will end up in
rescue and I will have to find space for it in my home and I will have to
show it that not all humans are bad. I will train it, and feed it the
proper food so it can heal. I will take the fleas off of it and I will get rid of
the worms. I will give it the shots it should have had but no one
remembered to give it. I will do these things because the backyard breeder didn't do it
and wouldn't take the dog back when it was 2 years old and full of problems.
I will spay or neuter that pup before I find it a new home so that I will
never have to rescue one of it's pups and so I can be sure it will never end
up in the hands of another backyard breeder looking to make profit from
puppies.
Backyard breeders are not responsible pet owners. They think they love the
dogs but it's not really true because they don't really want to be bothered
with doing all that it takes to breed ethically. They love feeling
important when they say "I breed "Pure Breed dogs"". But breeding pet dogs isn't
something to be proud of. If a shame on our society. It's the reason for
the killing that goes on in shelters. Why do you want to be part of that?
Do you want to be respected? Spay or neuter you pet dog. There's really no
other way. The kind of homes you want for your pet pups don't want to buy
from you. They are looking for responsible, respected breeders who are
doing something for the breed as a whole. Most of those who will come running to
buy your pups are the kind of people I wouldn't give a dog I didn't like to.
They are the ones who will turn your puppy into a shelter when the novelty
wears off. That's a fact.
Want to stop the problem of killing 1 Million dogs a month all over America?
Spay or neuter your pet dog now and tell everyone you know to do the same
and leave the breeding to the people who are doing something to better the
breed.
Want to be a respected breeder? Start by reading this:
http://www.minschnauzer.com/breeding/index.html
Then find someone who lives up to all of it and ask them to be your mentor.
Do your research. Know what you are doing. Have a savings account ready
for all the problems you will encounter. Buy the best dogs you can find for
your breeding program. Do everything your mentor tells you, he/she has the
experience and is not just trying to push you around. Be sure that
everything you do as a breeder meets the standards we have set for
responsible breeders. Or don't breed!
Let's make a difference starting now.
To those who wants a healthy pet,
Please know the differences of buying a cheap RM 400 pet vs a good healthy one at RM 1000. The differences ? is a lifetime vet bills or lifetime happy fun with the dog.
read on.....
http://www.adoptarescuepet.org/byb.htm
Up to 10 million healthy animals are killed in U.S. pounds and shelters
every year. The killing could easily be prevented by spaying and neutering.
Euthanasia is the single largest cause of death for dogs in the U.S. Each
year 27 million of the animals are born. Five to ten million we classify as
"surplus" and kill. That's about one million per month. These numbers do not
include the millions of dead dogs whose bodies we scrape off the streets, or
the hundreds of thousands of abandoned, severely neglected or abused ones
who never make it to our shelters to be counted and killed. The five to ten
million figure represents those we "must" kill because they are unwanted.
Most of these animals are young and healthy; in fact, it is estimated that a
majority are less than one year of age. The problem is simple: we have too
many dogs. Too many for the too few homes available. The solution we have
opted for is to kill the extras. This solution has been considered
acceptable by default, as though there were no other way to control the crisis. And we
spend over $1 billion every year destroying "man's best friend."
Why is this happening in the United States today? The number one biggest
contributor to the problem is the backyard breeder not the puppy mills.
This is a name that has become unpopular and no one wants to admit they are a
backyard breeder. Many people do not even realize they are part of the
problem. This is what I need to address in this post. The only way to stop
the needless killing of dogs is to stop the needless breeding of them.
Every breed of dog recognized by the AKC has a written standard, a blueprint
of what the dog should look like and act like. These standards were written
so that all would know what a quality example of the breed is and strive to
produce dogs that meet or exceed the standard in health, temperament and
appearance. To be sure you are breeding dogs that meet these standards,
your dogs must be judged by people who have a lifetime of experience among the
breed. Do you know the standard of the Pure Breed Dog? Does your dog
meet this standard according to an AKC Judge? If not, your dog is pet
quality. A pet is to be loved, cherished, trained, cared for, spoiled and
bragged about, but it is NEVER to be bred. No matter how cute or sweet the
dog may be, if it is not up to the standard, you have no business breeding
it.
If you have a purebred dog this does not give you the right to breed it.
Most purebred dogs are not breeding quality. If you breed your pet quality
dog, you are a backyard breeder, whether you breed the dog in your
backyard, garage, living room or an expensive hotel room, the term is still backyard
breeder.
If your pet quality dog has AKC papers, that's nice but it doesn't change
anything. You still don't have the right to breed it.
If your pet quality dog cost you $500 be glad you had the money to afford
it. You still have no right to breed it.
Do you think you can make your $500 back if you breed your pet dog or if
your pet dog is a color or size that isn't in the standard but you just know
everyone will want buy a pup if you breed her? Shame on you! Now you are a backyard
breeder with the purpose of breeding pups for bucks.
If the price for a tail dock or an ear crop seem high to you, what are you
going to do when your beloved pet needs an emergency C section. Will you
even be there with her to know if she is in trouble? Would you recognize
trouble before it's too late?
And if you still want to breed your pet dog but need to ask who's supposed
to cut off the tails and ears, ask yourself "What the Hell am I thinking!"
Do you think genetic testing is something they used in the OJ trial but has
nothing to do with your dog breeding career? You are a backyard breeder.
Backyard breeders sell pups that aren't up to the standard of the breed.
They do this for many reasons. None are good enough reasons to contribute
to the killing of dogs. Period.
Backyard breeders will swear all of their pups went to a good home. They
believe this but it's not true. Some may have been lucky enough to go to a
good home but more than half of them will end up dead, in a shelter, alone,
on a cold table with a needle sticking out of their leg. Some of those good
homes will get tired of the dog and they will just give it away to anyone
who is willing to take it. Some of your beloved dog's children will end up
living alone in a backyard, barking all night, cold and neglected until the
owner gets complaints and then that pups will be dead. Some will be starved
and beaten. Some will be bred until they die from it. Some will end up in
rescue and I will have to find space for it in my home and I will have to
show it that not all humans are bad. I will train it, and feed it the
proper food so it can heal. I will take the fleas off of it and I will get rid of
the worms. I will give it the shots it should have had but no one
remembered to give it. I will do these things because the backyard breeder didn't do it
and wouldn't take the dog back when it was 2 years old and full of problems.
I will spay or neuter that pup before I find it a new home so that I will
never have to rescue one of it's pups and so I can be sure it will never end
up in the hands of another backyard breeder looking to make profit from
puppies.
Backyard breeders are not responsible pet owners. They think they love the
dogs but it's not really true because they don't really want to be bothered
with doing all that it takes to breed ethically. They love feeling
important when they say "I breed "Pure Breed dogs"". But breeding pet dogs isn't
something to be proud of. If a shame on our society. It's the reason for
the killing that goes on in shelters. Why do you want to be part of that?
Do you want to be respected? Spay or neuter you pet dog. There's really no
other way. The kind of homes you want for your pet pups don't want to buy
from you. They are looking for responsible, respected breeders who are
doing something for the breed as a whole. Most of those who will come running to
buy your pups are the kind of people I wouldn't give a dog I didn't like to.
They are the ones who will turn your puppy into a shelter when the novelty
wears off. That's a fact.
Want to stop the problem of killing 1 Million dogs a month all over America?
Spay or neuter your pet dog now and tell everyone you know to do the same
and leave the breeding to the people who are doing something to better the
breed.
Want to be a respected breeder? Start by reading this:
http://www.minschnauzer.com/breeding/index.html
Then find someone who lives up to all of it and ask them to be your mentor.
Do your research. Know what you are doing. Have a savings account ready
for all the problems you will encounter. Buy the best dogs you can find for
your breeding program. Do everything your mentor tells you, he/she has the
experience and is not just trying to push you around. Be sure that
everything you do as a breeder meets the standards we have set for
responsible breeders. Or don't breed!
Let's make a difference starting now.
NOSkill, EG7 & slk850,
From what I have noticed all your nonsense is only write a post for the sake of talk and pitiful it is, its pure nonsense stuff u guys are saying.
Want to know more before talking ? find out n read.
know what ur talking about before simply write. Its degrading and also an embarassment to read an so called adult post claiming this n that n calling names. Want to claim to be an adult then start to act, think n write like one. Dont be a pot calling the kettle black and pretend otherwise.
What i see, carie is a penang lang, therefore the penang kia all comes to help n defend. cheaper puppies, better for buyers but you guys never think or even want to listen to what the consequences of those poor puppies with healthy problems. Guess u never encounter one yourself therefore cudn't careless or maybe simply because you do not own or even like a dog/pet for that matter.
argue for the sake just to find some entertainment ? How sad to see things like this in an adult forum. really really degrading ....
From what I have noticed all your nonsense is only write a post for the sake of talk and pitiful it is, its pure nonsense stuff u guys are saying.
Want to know more before talking ? find out n read.
know what ur talking about before simply write. Its degrading and also an embarassment to read an so called adult post claiming this n that n calling names. Want to claim to be an adult then start to act, think n write like one. Dont be a pot calling the kettle black and pretend otherwise.
What i see, carie is a penang lang, therefore the penang kia all comes to help n defend. cheaper puppies, better for buyers but you guys never think or even want to listen to what the consequences of those poor puppies with healthy problems. Guess u never encounter one yourself therefore cudn't careless or maybe simply because you do not own or even like a dog/pet for that matter.
argue for the sake just to find some entertainment ? How sad to see things like this in an adult forum. really really degrading ....
Breeding
taken from www.barynuk.com/breeding.htm
Breeding
Everyone who has owned a dog has thought about having a litter of puppies. Here are some of the most common reasons pets owners give when asked why they want to breed their pets, along with a few facts that need to be considered.
1. "My dog has AKC papers. It should be bred."
This is a common misconception. AKC papers are worth exactly what they are printed on. The AKC is a registry only, not a regulatory agency. They require no proof of health or quality to issue papers. All AKC papers tell you is who the parents of the dog are, they are not a "license to breed."
2. "I paid $XXX.XX dollars for him/her. I'd like to make that back."
According to a recent survey by the American Kennel Club, the average litter of pups looses approximately $2500.00! There are so many hidden costs that the pet owner may not think about such as prenatal exams for the bitch, extra food for her when she is pregnant, food for the puppies once they're weaned, the puppies first shots, time off of work to care for the bitch when she's in whelp; the list goes on. What if the dam should run into medical problems? According to the same survey, 63% of the bitches bred suffer medical problems endangering their and/or their puppies' lives. C-sections, antibiotics, milk replacement for puppies, etc, all cost a lot of money. Most pet owners buy their dogs for pleasure. Do people really expect something bought for enjoyment to "pay for itself?" If someone bought a pretty gold ring, would they shave off little pieces of gold and make earrings so they could sell them and "get their money back?" Of course not! Then why must a dog, who gives so much and asks so little, have to justify its existence by "paying for itself?"
3. "You need to let them have a litter before they are spayed." or "I want her to experience motherhood."
These are nothing more than old wives tales. The benefits of spaying a bitch before her first season out weigh those of leaving her intact. A bitch left intact suffers a greater chance of contracting diseases and living a shorter life. A spayed bitch has no chance of developing pyometria, endometrosis, uterine and ovarian cancer and has a much lesser chance of developing mammary cancer, one of the more common canine cancers. As for "experiencing motherhood", bitches have no sense of maternal "needs." Their desire to reproduce is strictly an instinctive response to hormonal fluctuation.
4. "But I don't want to rob my dog of his manhood. He won't hunt or guard the house."
The pet owner should not confuse the canine sexual act with human sexual fulfillment. There is no "love" involved with canines, it is purely an instinctive hormonal response. Dogs do not need their reproductive organs or a sexual experience to "make their life complete." A neutered male makes a far superior pet. He will not roam in search of bitches in season, he will have less tendency to mark his territory with urine and he will be less likely to get into fights. He will not develop cancer of the testes and he will suffer far less prostate and urinary tract problems. He will make a better watch dog because he will be less inclined to wander off and will stay home where he is needed. If he is a hunting dog, you can be sure he won't be distracted by the scent of a bitch in season! The list of benefits goes on and on. Sometimes a male dog will have only one testicle descended into the scrotum. This is commonly called "monorchidism". When neither testicle has descended it is commonly called "cryptorchidism". In these cases one or both testes have been retained up in the dog's abdominal cavity. Because testes are not designed to be kept at body temperature, the retainned testicle essentially "cooks" and becomes a serious cancer risk. Occasionally a monorchid male is fertile, but the trait is hereditary. Therefore, a monorchid male should never, ever be bred. It is not fair to pass on this high cancer risk.
5. "But if I have my pet fixed he (or she) will get fat!"
A neutered or spayed pet will not get fat simply from the surgery. A pet only gets fat if an owner over feeds it. When an animal is neutered, its metabolism slows down, therefore it requires fewer calories. If the owner continues to feed the pet the same amount of food after the surgery as before, it is very likely the pet will gain weight. The owner needs to limit the amount of food the pet gets as well as maintaining a healthy amount of exercise.
6. "I want my children to witness the miracle of life."
Are the children ready for the miracle of death as well? As stated earlier, 63% of bitches bred suffer problems. Many times these problems are fatal for the puppies and/or the mother as well. Puppies can be born dead or die from complications at birth. Dams can retain placentas, develop eclampsia, go into uterine inertia or die during a c-section. The list of possible problems is very long. If the potential mother is a treasured family pet, why would anyone want to put her into a dangerous situation? Buy the kids a book, it's cheaper, safer and far more humane.
7. "I work all day, but I don't need to worry about being there when she whelps. Back on the farm, our dog had her puppies out in the barn and no one ever helped."
The dog has been a domestic animal for centuries. Man has shaped it into many different breeds and types. Because of this, it is no longer a wild animal that can reproduce with no help from man. Some breeds, such as the bulldog, can rarely even breed naturally and must be artificially inseminated. The bitch does need assistance, even if it is just someone to watch and make sure she is not in trouble. On a regular basis, veterinarians see bitches that have been in hard labor for 36 hours or longer with no results. Usually, the owners will say they didn't realize she was in labor, or that they thought she could "do it all alone." The poor animals and the puppies they carry rarely ever survive. Even well-cared for bitches can have problems. Eclampsia can develop very quickly and will kill the dam if the owner doesn't seek veterinary assistance immediately. Then the owner is left with orphaned newborns that must be bottle fed every three hours, around the clock. How many pet owners have the time to devote to this? A pet owner who would let the puppies die rather than taking proper care of them had no right to breed them in the first place.
8. "The vet says my dog is perfectly healthy."
The special tests required to diagnose hereditary problems are not normally part of a routine veterinary check up. Hip dysplasia is a hereditary, crippling disorder that has been diagnosed in virtually all AKC recognized breeds. It can be as mild as a 4 or 5 year old with a little stiffness on a cold morning or as severe as a 6 month old that can't get up and walk. Rottweilers, Bullmastiffs, Saint Bernards and American Staffordshire Terriers are just a few of the breeds which have a particularly high incidence of this disorder. The only way you can be sure your dog is not afflicted with the disease is to have a special radiograph taken and sent off to the Orthopedic Foundation For Animals (OFA) where they will be read and evaluated. Hereditary eye diseases which can cause blindness are also a big problem in many AKC breeds such as the American Cocker Spaniel, the Siberian Husky, the Poodle, the Collie, and the Labrador Retriever. In most cases, these diseases can only be detected by a special exam performed by a canine ophthalmologist. There are also inherited blood and heart disorders that can severely shorten a dog's life and/or require it to be on medication for the rest of its life. All these things can be prevented if people would just take the time to test the dogs they want to breed. Not just the health needs to be checked, but the quality of the animal needs to be taken into consideration. This is especially hard to do with a much-loved pet. A pet that is too large, too small, bites when being groomed, has a coat which is too long or too short is not a good representative of the breed. AND these traits are hereditary. How would someone feel if they bought a Shetland Sheepdog and it grew up to be as large as a Great Dane or if they purchased a Cocker Spaniel that bit every time they tried to brush it? It certainly wouldn't be what they expected or wanted, yet someone bred it and sold it to them as a purebred dog. It happens every day. Several years ago, the American Cocker Spaniel fell from the first place in popularity because it developed some severe hereditary temperament and health problems. They became nasty dogs that bit with little provocation and "hyper" dogs that urinated when excited. They developed tremendous hereditary eye problems that cause blindness as well as hip and joint problems that cause lameness. Who was to blame? John Q. Public who insisted on breeding dogs without doing any testing and with no regard to quality. Fortunately for the American Cocker, there was a staunch group of fanciers who managed to preserve the health and "merry " temperament that makes the cocker such an endearing pet. Due to the hard work of these individuals, the American Cocker is back in the top ten. Unfortunately, once again, cockers with bad temperments and/or serious health problems are starting to show up. All because people insist on breeding their pets with no regard for physical, temperamental or health quality. Now several other breeds such as the Rottweiler, the Akita, the Siberian Husky and the Chow Chow appear to be headed the same direction as the American Cocker Spaniel.
9. "We're not interested in doing all that testing. All we want to do is have a litter of puppies. We're not going to show or anything, in fact, we aren't even going to sell the puppies. We are going to give them away. All the neighbors said they'd take one. Besides, what harm is there in one litter of puppies?"
"What harm is there in one litter of puppies?" The answer is simple mathematics. Say a pet owner breeds a litter without bothering to check the parents for hereditary problems or evaluate them for quality. If six puppies are born, and those puppies each go on to have six puppies, who each, in turn, have six puppies, it doesn't take much to figure out that soon it will be next to impossible to find any representative of the breed which does not have a tremendous potential for hereditary problems. The harm is done to the very breed which the pet owner professes to love, the unsuspecting person who buys a puppy from him or her and the dog itself, who must suffer with a problem that very well could have been prevented. The fact that a pet owner is not going to show a puppy or is not going to take money for it does not relieve him or her of the responsibility, either. It is not any fairer to give an unsuspecting person a dog with problems that could have been prevented than it is to sell them one. Also, unless you have a deposit and contract in writing, don't count on all the neighbors to take a puppy. It is an old joke in the dog fancy that when the puppies show up all the homes disappear. The thought of a warm, cuddly puppy is nice and everybody wants one when they are talking about it, but when the puppies actually show up, there is always an excuse to not take one.
10. "But Poopsie is such a wonderful pet, we want to get a puppy out of him/her."
Poopsie being such a wonderful dog is no guarantee that the offspring will be. The offspring can never be exactly like the parent and to expect such is to set yourself up for disappointment. Besides, just because the owner loves the pet does not excuse him or her from the responsibility of checking for quality and health. If the pet owner is truly ready to take on another dog then he or she should search out a reputable, quality breeder and buy a nice, pet-quality dog that has been bred with care, planning and forethought. Remember, a pet-quality puppy from a superior quality litter is far better than a "pick" puppy from a poor quality litter. Besides, would a pet owner really love his or her pet any less if it never has any offspring? Of course not!
11. "I'm not interested in showing. Dog shows are just beauty contests. I want to breed real working dogs for hunting (or herding or police work, guard work, etc.). Besides, I heard that dog shows are nothing but politics."
To someone who doesn't understand dog showing it may appear that it is just a "beauty contest". Actually, the dogs are being judged on a lot more than just their pretty faces. They are being judged on their correct movement, size and structure. A dog that is correctly conformed moves correctly and efficiently, therefore using less energy. It's fine to have a hunting dog that has all the instincts, but if its conformation isn't correct it will burn too much energy moving and won't be able to hunt as long as a dog that is correctly conformed. Also, if someone is truly interested in breeding good working dogs then testing for hereditary problems takes on just that much more importance. What good is a herding dog with great working abilities if it has hip dysplasia and can hardly get up and walk? There is a saying around the dog fancy that "form follows function". This proves itself to be true time and time again with an increasing number of dogs achieving both conformation show degrees and working titles. As for the politics in dog shows, yes, it is there. Just as it is in any activity where a large number of people are involved in competition. Politics can be found every where from the African Violet Society, to the Little League games to the kennel club dog shows. While there are a few "bad apples", the vast majority of dog show judges are out there to judge the dogs to the best of their ability.
12. "My dog has 'champion bloodlines'. his father (or mother, grandfather, great-grandmother, etc.) was a champion."
The words "Champion bloodlines" are probably some of the most misunderstood and misleading ever used in advertising. Just because a dog has champions in its pedigree in no way guarantees it is show/breeding quality. Most of the show/breeding quality dogs today will only have one or two untitled dogs in their entire pedigree! When a show breeder breeds a litter of puppies he or she does so with the quality of the animal being bred in mind. He or she tries to breed the best to the best and hopes for the best, i.e. that all the pups will be championship quality. However, not all pups in all quality bred litters are show/breeding quality. Maybe one's ears are a little too long or neck is a little too short. Not enough for any pet owner to notice, but enough to make the pup a "pet-quality" rather than a "show/breeding quality." These "pet-quality" puppies may have a pedigree full of champions and still not be breeding quality! If your father was an Olympic gold medalist in the 50 yd dash, wouldn't it be a little silly to assume your child would be too? The influence of any single ancestor is miniscule at best. Therefore, the chances of a pet-quality dog with only one or two champions in its pedigree being a show or breeding quality animal are quite slim. There is nothing wrong with a dog without a star-studded pedigree, just as there is nothing wrong with a "pet-quality" pup with a dazzling pedigree. It does not mean that the animal is not intelligent, can't live a long and productive life or be the most wonderful companion in the world. It just means that he or she shouldn't be bred.
According to Mr. Ken Marden, past president of the American Kennel Club, the only reason a dog or bitch should be bred is for the betterment of the breed. Only dogs that have proven themselves to be of superior quality in the show ring, obedience ring, field or tracking trials and tests, etc. and have been tested clear of inheritable problems should be bred.
Every year 40,000 pets pass through the Travis County Humane society. Only approximately 10,000 are adopted. This means 30,000 pets are killed each year in Travis county alone. A frightening fact is that roughly 22% of the dogs are purebred! Obviously there are more than enough pets in this world all ready and anyone who is breeding "just pets" is doing a horrible injustice to the very animals they profess to love!
If the pet owner truly wants to breed dogs, he or she needs to start by spaying or neutering the pet they own and purchasing a high-quality animal from a respected, responsible show breeder.
The pet owner needs to be prepared to do all the medical testing to rule out hereditary problems in that animal. The owner should also be prepared to exhibit that animal in show and/or working trials and tests to make sure it is the quality to be bred. This means a considerable outlay of time and money. If the pet owner is not willing to do this then he or she should not consider breeding. If the pet owner if willing, then they will discover a wonderful new sport; the sport of purebred dogs.
© Sheri Graner 1989, Contact Sheri at [email protected] Permission to copy with author acknowledged.
Email: [email protected]
taken from www.barynuk.com/breeding.htm
Breeding
Everyone who has owned a dog has thought about having a litter of puppies. Here are some of the most common reasons pets owners give when asked why they want to breed their pets, along with a few facts that need to be considered.
1. "My dog has AKC papers. It should be bred."
This is a common misconception. AKC papers are worth exactly what they are printed on. The AKC is a registry only, not a regulatory agency. They require no proof of health or quality to issue papers. All AKC papers tell you is who the parents of the dog are, they are not a "license to breed."
2. "I paid $XXX.XX dollars for him/her. I'd like to make that back."
According to a recent survey by the American Kennel Club, the average litter of pups looses approximately $2500.00! There are so many hidden costs that the pet owner may not think about such as prenatal exams for the bitch, extra food for her when she is pregnant, food for the puppies once they're weaned, the puppies first shots, time off of work to care for the bitch when she's in whelp; the list goes on. What if the dam should run into medical problems? According to the same survey, 63% of the bitches bred suffer medical problems endangering their and/or their puppies' lives. C-sections, antibiotics, milk replacement for puppies, etc, all cost a lot of money. Most pet owners buy their dogs for pleasure. Do people really expect something bought for enjoyment to "pay for itself?" If someone bought a pretty gold ring, would they shave off little pieces of gold and make earrings so they could sell them and "get their money back?" Of course not! Then why must a dog, who gives so much and asks so little, have to justify its existence by "paying for itself?"
3. "You need to let them have a litter before they are spayed." or "I want her to experience motherhood."
These are nothing more than old wives tales. The benefits of spaying a bitch before her first season out weigh those of leaving her intact. A bitch left intact suffers a greater chance of contracting diseases and living a shorter life. A spayed bitch has no chance of developing pyometria, endometrosis, uterine and ovarian cancer and has a much lesser chance of developing mammary cancer, one of the more common canine cancers. As for "experiencing motherhood", bitches have no sense of maternal "needs." Their desire to reproduce is strictly an instinctive response to hormonal fluctuation.
4. "But I don't want to rob my dog of his manhood. He won't hunt or guard the house."
The pet owner should not confuse the canine sexual act with human sexual fulfillment. There is no "love" involved with canines, it is purely an instinctive hormonal response. Dogs do not need their reproductive organs or a sexual experience to "make their life complete." A neutered male makes a far superior pet. He will not roam in search of bitches in season, he will have less tendency to mark his territory with urine and he will be less likely to get into fights. He will not develop cancer of the testes and he will suffer far less prostate and urinary tract problems. He will make a better watch dog because he will be less inclined to wander off and will stay home where he is needed. If he is a hunting dog, you can be sure he won't be distracted by the scent of a bitch in season! The list of benefits goes on and on. Sometimes a male dog will have only one testicle descended into the scrotum. This is commonly called "monorchidism". When neither testicle has descended it is commonly called "cryptorchidism". In these cases one or both testes have been retained up in the dog's abdominal cavity. Because testes are not designed to be kept at body temperature, the retainned testicle essentially "cooks" and becomes a serious cancer risk. Occasionally a monorchid male is fertile, but the trait is hereditary. Therefore, a monorchid male should never, ever be bred. It is not fair to pass on this high cancer risk.
5. "But if I have my pet fixed he (or she) will get fat!"
A neutered or spayed pet will not get fat simply from the surgery. A pet only gets fat if an owner over feeds it. When an animal is neutered, its metabolism slows down, therefore it requires fewer calories. If the owner continues to feed the pet the same amount of food after the surgery as before, it is very likely the pet will gain weight. The owner needs to limit the amount of food the pet gets as well as maintaining a healthy amount of exercise.
6. "I want my children to witness the miracle of life."
Are the children ready for the miracle of death as well? As stated earlier, 63% of bitches bred suffer problems. Many times these problems are fatal for the puppies and/or the mother as well. Puppies can be born dead or die from complications at birth. Dams can retain placentas, develop eclampsia, go into uterine inertia or die during a c-section. The list of possible problems is very long. If the potential mother is a treasured family pet, why would anyone want to put her into a dangerous situation? Buy the kids a book, it's cheaper, safer and far more humane.
7. "I work all day, but I don't need to worry about being there when she whelps. Back on the farm, our dog had her puppies out in the barn and no one ever helped."
The dog has been a domestic animal for centuries. Man has shaped it into many different breeds and types. Because of this, it is no longer a wild animal that can reproduce with no help from man. Some breeds, such as the bulldog, can rarely even breed naturally and must be artificially inseminated. The bitch does need assistance, even if it is just someone to watch and make sure she is not in trouble. On a regular basis, veterinarians see bitches that have been in hard labor for 36 hours or longer with no results. Usually, the owners will say they didn't realize she was in labor, or that they thought she could "do it all alone." The poor animals and the puppies they carry rarely ever survive. Even well-cared for bitches can have problems. Eclampsia can develop very quickly and will kill the dam if the owner doesn't seek veterinary assistance immediately. Then the owner is left with orphaned newborns that must be bottle fed every three hours, around the clock. How many pet owners have the time to devote to this? A pet owner who would let the puppies die rather than taking proper care of them had no right to breed them in the first place.
8. "The vet says my dog is perfectly healthy."
The special tests required to diagnose hereditary problems are not normally part of a routine veterinary check up. Hip dysplasia is a hereditary, crippling disorder that has been diagnosed in virtually all AKC recognized breeds. It can be as mild as a 4 or 5 year old with a little stiffness on a cold morning or as severe as a 6 month old that can't get up and walk. Rottweilers, Bullmastiffs, Saint Bernards and American Staffordshire Terriers are just a few of the breeds which have a particularly high incidence of this disorder. The only way you can be sure your dog is not afflicted with the disease is to have a special radiograph taken and sent off to the Orthopedic Foundation For Animals (OFA) where they will be read and evaluated. Hereditary eye diseases which can cause blindness are also a big problem in many AKC breeds such as the American Cocker Spaniel, the Siberian Husky, the Poodle, the Collie, and the Labrador Retriever. In most cases, these diseases can only be detected by a special exam performed by a canine ophthalmologist. There are also inherited blood and heart disorders that can severely shorten a dog's life and/or require it to be on medication for the rest of its life. All these things can be prevented if people would just take the time to test the dogs they want to breed. Not just the health needs to be checked, but the quality of the animal needs to be taken into consideration. This is especially hard to do with a much-loved pet. A pet that is too large, too small, bites when being groomed, has a coat which is too long or too short is not a good representative of the breed. AND these traits are hereditary. How would someone feel if they bought a Shetland Sheepdog and it grew up to be as large as a Great Dane or if they purchased a Cocker Spaniel that bit every time they tried to brush it? It certainly wouldn't be what they expected or wanted, yet someone bred it and sold it to them as a purebred dog. It happens every day. Several years ago, the American Cocker Spaniel fell from the first place in popularity because it developed some severe hereditary temperament and health problems. They became nasty dogs that bit with little provocation and "hyper" dogs that urinated when excited. They developed tremendous hereditary eye problems that cause blindness as well as hip and joint problems that cause lameness. Who was to blame? John Q. Public who insisted on breeding dogs without doing any testing and with no regard to quality. Fortunately for the American Cocker, there was a staunch group of fanciers who managed to preserve the health and "merry " temperament that makes the cocker such an endearing pet. Due to the hard work of these individuals, the American Cocker is back in the top ten. Unfortunately, once again, cockers with bad temperments and/or serious health problems are starting to show up. All because people insist on breeding their pets with no regard for physical, temperamental or health quality. Now several other breeds such as the Rottweiler, the Akita, the Siberian Husky and the Chow Chow appear to be headed the same direction as the American Cocker Spaniel.
9. "We're not interested in doing all that testing. All we want to do is have a litter of puppies. We're not going to show or anything, in fact, we aren't even going to sell the puppies. We are going to give them away. All the neighbors said they'd take one. Besides, what harm is there in one litter of puppies?"
"What harm is there in one litter of puppies?" The answer is simple mathematics. Say a pet owner breeds a litter without bothering to check the parents for hereditary problems or evaluate them for quality. If six puppies are born, and those puppies each go on to have six puppies, who each, in turn, have six puppies, it doesn't take much to figure out that soon it will be next to impossible to find any representative of the breed which does not have a tremendous potential for hereditary problems. The harm is done to the very breed which the pet owner professes to love, the unsuspecting person who buys a puppy from him or her and the dog itself, who must suffer with a problem that very well could have been prevented. The fact that a pet owner is not going to show a puppy or is not going to take money for it does not relieve him or her of the responsibility, either. It is not any fairer to give an unsuspecting person a dog with problems that could have been prevented than it is to sell them one. Also, unless you have a deposit and contract in writing, don't count on all the neighbors to take a puppy. It is an old joke in the dog fancy that when the puppies show up all the homes disappear. The thought of a warm, cuddly puppy is nice and everybody wants one when they are talking about it, but when the puppies actually show up, there is always an excuse to not take one.
10. "But Poopsie is such a wonderful pet, we want to get a puppy out of him/her."
Poopsie being such a wonderful dog is no guarantee that the offspring will be. The offspring can never be exactly like the parent and to expect such is to set yourself up for disappointment. Besides, just because the owner loves the pet does not excuse him or her from the responsibility of checking for quality and health. If the pet owner is truly ready to take on another dog then he or she should search out a reputable, quality breeder and buy a nice, pet-quality dog that has been bred with care, planning and forethought. Remember, a pet-quality puppy from a superior quality litter is far better than a "pick" puppy from a poor quality litter. Besides, would a pet owner really love his or her pet any less if it never has any offspring? Of course not!
11. "I'm not interested in showing. Dog shows are just beauty contests. I want to breed real working dogs for hunting (or herding or police work, guard work, etc.). Besides, I heard that dog shows are nothing but politics."
To someone who doesn't understand dog showing it may appear that it is just a "beauty contest". Actually, the dogs are being judged on a lot more than just their pretty faces. They are being judged on their correct movement, size and structure. A dog that is correctly conformed moves correctly and efficiently, therefore using less energy. It's fine to have a hunting dog that has all the instincts, but if its conformation isn't correct it will burn too much energy moving and won't be able to hunt as long as a dog that is correctly conformed. Also, if someone is truly interested in breeding good working dogs then testing for hereditary problems takes on just that much more importance. What good is a herding dog with great working abilities if it has hip dysplasia and can hardly get up and walk? There is a saying around the dog fancy that "form follows function". This proves itself to be true time and time again with an increasing number of dogs achieving both conformation show degrees and working titles. As for the politics in dog shows, yes, it is there. Just as it is in any activity where a large number of people are involved in competition. Politics can be found every where from the African Violet Society, to the Little League games to the kennel club dog shows. While there are a few "bad apples", the vast majority of dog show judges are out there to judge the dogs to the best of their ability.
12. "My dog has 'champion bloodlines'. his father (or mother, grandfather, great-grandmother, etc.) was a champion."
The words "Champion bloodlines" are probably some of the most misunderstood and misleading ever used in advertising. Just because a dog has champions in its pedigree in no way guarantees it is show/breeding quality. Most of the show/breeding quality dogs today will only have one or two untitled dogs in their entire pedigree! When a show breeder breeds a litter of puppies he or she does so with the quality of the animal being bred in mind. He or she tries to breed the best to the best and hopes for the best, i.e. that all the pups will be championship quality. However, not all pups in all quality bred litters are show/breeding quality. Maybe one's ears are a little too long or neck is a little too short. Not enough for any pet owner to notice, but enough to make the pup a "pet-quality" rather than a "show/breeding quality." These "pet-quality" puppies may have a pedigree full of champions and still not be breeding quality! If your father was an Olympic gold medalist in the 50 yd dash, wouldn't it be a little silly to assume your child would be too? The influence of any single ancestor is miniscule at best. Therefore, the chances of a pet-quality dog with only one or two champions in its pedigree being a show or breeding quality animal are quite slim. There is nothing wrong with a dog without a star-studded pedigree, just as there is nothing wrong with a "pet-quality" pup with a dazzling pedigree. It does not mean that the animal is not intelligent, can't live a long and productive life or be the most wonderful companion in the world. It just means that he or she shouldn't be bred.
According to Mr. Ken Marden, past president of the American Kennel Club, the only reason a dog or bitch should be bred is for the betterment of the breed. Only dogs that have proven themselves to be of superior quality in the show ring, obedience ring, field or tracking trials and tests, etc. and have been tested clear of inheritable problems should be bred.
Every year 40,000 pets pass through the Travis County Humane society. Only approximately 10,000 are adopted. This means 30,000 pets are killed each year in Travis county alone. A frightening fact is that roughly 22% of the dogs are purebred! Obviously there are more than enough pets in this world all ready and anyone who is breeding "just pets" is doing a horrible injustice to the very animals they profess to love!
If the pet owner truly wants to breed dogs, he or she needs to start by spaying or neutering the pet they own and purchasing a high-quality animal from a respected, responsible show breeder.
The pet owner needs to be prepared to do all the medical testing to rule out hereditary problems in that animal. The owner should also be prepared to exhibit that animal in show and/or working trials and tests to make sure it is the quality to be bred. This means a considerable outlay of time and money. If the pet owner is not willing to do this then he or she should not consider breeding. If the pet owner if willing, then they will discover a wonderful new sport; the sport of purebred dogs.
© Sheri Graner 1989, Contact Sheri at [email protected] Permission to copy with author acknowledged.
Email: [email protected]
Article: Responsible Breeding
Taken from www.akc.org
Breed to Improve
The motto of the responsible breeder of purebred dogs is "Breed to Improve." Responsible breeders do not breed to make money-because they know they won't. Responsible breeders do not breed to show their kids the marvels of reproduction and birth-because they know that breeding can be a difficult, and sometimes heart-breaking, process. Responsible breeders do not breed their dog just to produce some cute puppies - because they know that each of those cute puppies will require many hours of care, and must be placed with a responsible owner who will continue that care even when the cuteness of puppyhood is over.
Responsible breeders do not breed unless they are convinced that their knowledge, experience, and devotion to their favorite breed will result in a mating that will produce an exceptional litter of puppies, with qualities that are as near as possible to the ideal for that breed. They breed to preserve and to enhance the characteristics that make their breed unique. In short, they breed to improve.
Every dog is the best dog in the world to its owner. Responsible breeders, however, know to avoid "kennel blindness"-- in other words, they take a step back and honestly evaluate the good and bad points of their own dogs before making the decision to breed them. The goal of breeding, after all, is to produce a better dog.
Examine your dog carefully. Recognize its flaws. If you decide to continue with the breeding process, look for a mate that will eliminate or balance those flaws. The National Parent Club for your breed may also provide assistance.
The best way to get an objective opinion of your dog is to test it against others. Enter dog shows to determine how your dog measures up against the best specimens of its breeds. If you want to breed a great obedience dog or a great hunter, enter obedience trials or hunting tests. If your dog is a success at these events, you will be more confident that breeding it will make a contribution to the breed.
Taken from www.akc.org
Breed to Improve
The motto of the responsible breeder of purebred dogs is "Breed to Improve." Responsible breeders do not breed to make money-because they know they won't. Responsible breeders do not breed to show their kids the marvels of reproduction and birth-because they know that breeding can be a difficult, and sometimes heart-breaking, process. Responsible breeders do not breed their dog just to produce some cute puppies - because they know that each of those cute puppies will require many hours of care, and must be placed with a responsible owner who will continue that care even when the cuteness of puppyhood is over.
Responsible breeders do not breed unless they are convinced that their knowledge, experience, and devotion to their favorite breed will result in a mating that will produce an exceptional litter of puppies, with qualities that are as near as possible to the ideal for that breed. They breed to preserve and to enhance the characteristics that make their breed unique. In short, they breed to improve.
Every dog is the best dog in the world to its owner. Responsible breeders, however, know to avoid "kennel blindness"-- in other words, they take a step back and honestly evaluate the good and bad points of their own dogs before making the decision to breed them. The goal of breeding, after all, is to produce a better dog.
Examine your dog carefully. Recognize its flaws. If you decide to continue with the breeding process, look for a mate that will eliminate or balance those flaws. The National Parent Club for your breed may also provide assistance.
The best way to get an objective opinion of your dog is to test it against others. Enter dog shows to determine how your dog measures up against the best specimens of its breeds. If you want to breed a great obedience dog or a great hunter, enter obedience trials or hunting tests. If your dog is a success at these events, you will be more confident that breeding it will make a contribution to the breed.
For a soon to be breeders or current breeders!!
A responsible breeder...
Breeds dogs because he admires a breed, never just for money, and is dedicated to promoting and protecting his chosen breed - takes the responsibility of breeding dogs very seriously - is proud of his dogs and is always pleased to show them ALL off and talk about them - has spent time researching his chosen breed and pedigrees - cares who buys his puppies and will ask questions of any prospective purchaser to ensure they are able to provide a good, loving home for the rest of that puppy's life - will explain all about the breed the prospective buyer is interested in, to ensure that it is the right breed for him - ensures his breeding stock is tested for any hereditary problems known in the breed - ensures all dogs and puppies are well looked after and correctly socialised - does not continually breed from one bitch, season after season, but allows her to recover between litters - will help to rehome any puppy that does not work out in its new home - supplies at least a puppy diet and care sheet, and often a lot more, when selling a puppy - does not sell his puppies to a third party (dealer or pet shop), but direct to the puppy buyer. Nor would he allow any of his dogs or puppies to be sold at an auction - will ensure his puppies are wormed at the appropriate times - will not let his puppies leave home before 8weeks old - welcomes enquiries about his breed, whether or not he has puppies for sale
A responsible breeder...
Breeds dogs because he admires a breed, never just for money, and is dedicated to promoting and protecting his chosen breed - takes the responsibility of breeding dogs very seriously - is proud of his dogs and is always pleased to show them ALL off and talk about them - has spent time researching his chosen breed and pedigrees - cares who buys his puppies and will ask questions of any prospective purchaser to ensure they are able to provide a good, loving home for the rest of that puppy's life - will explain all about the breed the prospective buyer is interested in, to ensure that it is the right breed for him - ensures his breeding stock is tested for any hereditary problems known in the breed - ensures all dogs and puppies are well looked after and correctly socialised - does not continually breed from one bitch, season after season, but allows her to recover between litters - will help to rehome any puppy that does not work out in its new home - supplies at least a puppy diet and care sheet, and often a lot more, when selling a puppy - does not sell his puppies to a third party (dealer or pet shop), but direct to the puppy buyer. Nor would he allow any of his dogs or puppies to be sold at an auction - will ensure his puppies are wormed at the appropriate times - will not let his puppies leave home before 8weeks old - welcomes enquiries about his breed, whether or not he has puppies for sale
Dogs can inherit more than good looks from dam n sire
Ranger and Sassy are Labrador Retrievers. Ranger is black, Sassy is black, and they produced six black puppies in their first litter. A year later, Linda Roberts repeated the breeding; this time, there were seven puppies, five black and two yellow.
So what happened? Although they produced only black puppies in the first litter, Roberts knew that yellow puppies were possible because Ranger's sire was yellow and Sassy had yellow siblings. The appearance of yellow puppies in this litter illustrates two principles of genetics -- you can't always tell what the pups will look like by looking at the parents, and the pairing of genes is akin to a roll of the dice: it's almost impossible to predict which combinations will crop up.
The black-and-yellow Labrador example is simplistic to illustrate these principles. In reality, color inheritance is far more complex, but not nearly as complex as that affecting structure and health.
Color is actually governed by several sets of genes, some that produce the color itself, others that influence intensity, pattern, amount and distribution of white markings, or distribution of pigment on individual hairs. Structure is controlled by genes that affect bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and growth rate, and health depends on gene interaction as simple as that governing progressive retinal atrophy (the dog either has it or he doesn't; there's no halfway) or as complex as that influencing various autoimmune diseases, seizures, or various circulatory defects.
Genetic potential is also dependent on environmental factors such as stress, nutrition, and infectious disease. For example, a puppy that suffers from serious disease or malnutrition at a young age may never grow to the size intended in his genes. Genes and structure
The most common structural problem affecting dogs is hip dysplasia.
Canine hip dysplasia is a general description of malformation of the hip joint that ultimately leads to arthritis. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket arrangement that allows for mobility of the dog's rear. The ball is the femoral head, the knob at the top of the upper leg bone or femur. The socket is the acetabulum, a scooped out area on the pelvic structure. The two parts must fit together and be lubricated by sufficient joint fluid to maintain structural soundness and avoid arthritis. Hip dysplasia is joint malformation that occurs when the ball and socket are misaligned, loosely fitted, or misshapen. Dysplastic dogs experience pain, generally are not as active as healthy dogs, and may need expensive corrective surgery as they age.
Hip dysplasia is an inherited condition and diagnosis before breeding is necessary to keep breeding stock healthy and limit the occurrence of the disease in offspring.
Nutrition also plays a part: studies show that puppies pushed to rapid growth manifest more hip problems than siblings allowed to grow at a slower rate. Many veterinarians recommend that puppies be fed adult maintenance dog foods with less than 25 percent protein and be kept slightly hungry so their bones are not pushed into rapid growth that may be detrimental to good hip formation.
Hip dysplasia can be diagnosed only by x-ray of the hip joint. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals pioneered hip dysplasia diagnosis with the hip extended x-ray to check for joint malformation and arthritic changes, but its method cannot measure joint looseness.
PennHip, the method developed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, takes up the slack; it measures joint laxity as well as identifying joint malformation and arthritic changes to help breeders decide which dogs to breed and which to remove from a breeding program.
Hip dysplasia can be mild or debilitating. Mild cases may need no more than an occasional aspirin; moderate cases can be corrected by surgery, and severe cases can result in painful crippling and euthanasia, even of pups less than a year old.
Myths about hip dysplasia abound and obscure both the seriousness of the disease and the opportunity to reduce its occurrence. For example, the presence or absence of hip dysplasia cannot be detected by observation. Dogs that seem perfectly agile as pups and young adults may actually be mildly dysplastic in one or both hips. Diagnosis is possible only by x-rays of the dog's hips.
Breeders can choose from several methods of hip dysplasia diagnosis. Dogs can be x-rayed as puppies and the pictures submitted to one of three registries. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals is a nonprofit foundation that uses readings by three radiologists to read each x-ray. If the dog is less than two years old, OFA issues a preliminary hip status report. If the dog is older than two, they report that the dog is either dysplastic or not and, if not, how it rates in comparison with other dogs of its breed. This second rating is issued as fair, good, or excellent.
PennHip, the system developed at the University of Pennsylvania and now owned by International Canine Genetics, uses a series of three different x-rays to determine the dog's hip status. The Institute for Genetic Disease Control uses the same x-rays as required by OFA but will report a dog as dysplastic or not at 12 months of age. Any veterinarian experienced in x-ray procedures can take pictures for an OFA or GDC reading. Only those specifically trained in the PennHip method can submit to that registry.
The American Kennel Club includes OFA certification numbers in its records of each registered dog and prints them on litter registration papers.
Puppy buyers should ask breeders for certification that breeding stock has been certified free of hip dysplasia by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals or PennHIP, the testing process of International Canine Genetics. In order to pass the test, dog hips must be x-rayed and evaluated by canine radiologists. OFA will evaluate x-rays of dogs two years old and older and issue a number certifying that the dog has fair, good, or excellent hips. PennHIP evaluates the hips by looking at joint looseness as well as bone formation.
Unfortunately, there are no guarantees; even if breeders go to the expense of hip x-rays and breed only those with good or excellent hips, puppies can still develop bad hips.
In the past few years, some radicals have blamed purebred breeders for the incidence of hip dysplasia and used this accusation to encourage people to adopt mixed breed dogs from shelters. But the charge does not echo the facts on two fronts: actually, responsible breeders lead the effort to eliminate hip dysplasia and mixed breed or crossbred dogs can also have the disease. Any breed or mix can be dysplastic; however, there are almost no statistics regarding the incidence of hip dysplasia in non-purebreds as these dogs are seldom x-rayed.
Puppy buyers can help the effort by purchasing purebred puppies only from breeders who x-ray their breeding stock and provide a contract that stipulates some recourse if the pup does develop dysplasia. Owners or adopters of non-purebred dogs can also help by sterilizing their pets before they become sexually mature to prevent any possibility of producing affected offspring.
Other structural problems caused by inheritance are elbow dysplasia, dwarfism, osteochondrosis (abnormal formation of bone and cartilage), spinal disc diseases, Legg-Perthes disease (a hip malformation occurring mostly in small breeds), and patellar luxation (loose kneecap). Autoimmune diseases
This is a group of diseases marked by failure of the immune system. It includes sebaceous adenitis, pemphigus, and VKH (skin diseases); hemolytic anemia; systemic lupus; polyarthritis; and some thyroid disease. Although these diseases seem to be genetic, they are often triggered by stress. Some seem to be specific to a few breeds, while others affect many breeds. Little is known about the mode of inheritance; that is, whether they are simple as progressive retinal atrophy and sebaceous adenitis are in some breeds or are, like hip dysplasia, a complex association of many genes. Environmental influence is suspected in the onset of some autoimmune problems, but research is slow in proving a definite link.
Autoimmune diseases are the subject of many research projects. The Genatodermatosis Foundation in Dayton discovered the genetic base for sebaceous adenitis in Standard Poodles to help breeders eliminate this chronic skin disease in their dogs. Using this research as a base, GDF is now working on the disease in Akitas.
Dr. Jean Dodds has done much research in thyroid diseases, including a potential connection with the bleeding disorder von Willebrand's Disease and the influence of multivalent vaccinations on the incidence of thyroid problems.
It is possible that the incidence of autoimmune diseases follows particular lines of dogs but does not always manifest as the same disease. For example, one puppy in a litter may develop polyarthritis, while another may develop pemphigus or lupus or VKH and others may show no disease at all.
Although great strides in genetic research have been made in the past few years, researchers are barely in the doorway of full understanding of canine inheritance. Researchers at several universities are working on the canine genome project, a massive undertaking to identify the hundreds of thousands of genes situated on the 39 pairs of chromosomes that make the dog a dog. (Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes.) They will examine blood samples from thousands of dogs and compare the results to determine the chromosomal location of traits and abnormalities. The American Kennel Club has established a genetics foundation to pursue such research, and the University of California Davis has spawned the Institute for Genetic Disease Control to provide open registries for genetic problems.
Ranger and Sassy are Labrador Retrievers. Ranger is black, Sassy is black, and they produced six black puppies in their first litter. A year later, Linda Roberts repeated the breeding; this time, there were seven puppies, five black and two yellow.
So what happened? Although they produced only black puppies in the first litter, Roberts knew that yellow puppies were possible because Ranger's sire was yellow and Sassy had yellow siblings. The appearance of yellow puppies in this litter illustrates two principles of genetics -- you can't always tell what the pups will look like by looking at the parents, and the pairing of genes is akin to a roll of the dice: it's almost impossible to predict which combinations will crop up.
The black-and-yellow Labrador example is simplistic to illustrate these principles. In reality, color inheritance is far more complex, but not nearly as complex as that affecting structure and health.
Color is actually governed by several sets of genes, some that produce the color itself, others that influence intensity, pattern, amount and distribution of white markings, or distribution of pigment on individual hairs. Structure is controlled by genes that affect bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and growth rate, and health depends on gene interaction as simple as that governing progressive retinal atrophy (the dog either has it or he doesn't; there's no halfway) or as complex as that influencing various autoimmune diseases, seizures, or various circulatory defects.
Genetic potential is also dependent on environmental factors such as stress, nutrition, and infectious disease. For example, a puppy that suffers from serious disease or malnutrition at a young age may never grow to the size intended in his genes. Genes and structure
The most common structural problem affecting dogs is hip dysplasia.
Canine hip dysplasia is a general description of malformation of the hip joint that ultimately leads to arthritis. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket arrangement that allows for mobility of the dog's rear. The ball is the femoral head, the knob at the top of the upper leg bone or femur. The socket is the acetabulum, a scooped out area on the pelvic structure. The two parts must fit together and be lubricated by sufficient joint fluid to maintain structural soundness and avoid arthritis. Hip dysplasia is joint malformation that occurs when the ball and socket are misaligned, loosely fitted, or misshapen. Dysplastic dogs experience pain, generally are not as active as healthy dogs, and may need expensive corrective surgery as they age.
Hip dysplasia is an inherited condition and diagnosis before breeding is necessary to keep breeding stock healthy and limit the occurrence of the disease in offspring.
Nutrition also plays a part: studies show that puppies pushed to rapid growth manifest more hip problems than siblings allowed to grow at a slower rate. Many veterinarians recommend that puppies be fed adult maintenance dog foods with less than 25 percent protein and be kept slightly hungry so their bones are not pushed into rapid growth that may be detrimental to good hip formation.
Hip dysplasia can be diagnosed only by x-ray of the hip joint. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals pioneered hip dysplasia diagnosis with the hip extended x-ray to check for joint malformation and arthritic changes, but its method cannot measure joint looseness.
PennHip, the method developed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, takes up the slack; it measures joint laxity as well as identifying joint malformation and arthritic changes to help breeders decide which dogs to breed and which to remove from a breeding program.
Hip dysplasia can be mild or debilitating. Mild cases may need no more than an occasional aspirin; moderate cases can be corrected by surgery, and severe cases can result in painful crippling and euthanasia, even of pups less than a year old.
Myths about hip dysplasia abound and obscure both the seriousness of the disease and the opportunity to reduce its occurrence. For example, the presence or absence of hip dysplasia cannot be detected by observation. Dogs that seem perfectly agile as pups and young adults may actually be mildly dysplastic in one or both hips. Diagnosis is possible only by x-rays of the dog's hips.
Breeders can choose from several methods of hip dysplasia diagnosis. Dogs can be x-rayed as puppies and the pictures submitted to one of three registries. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals is a nonprofit foundation that uses readings by three radiologists to read each x-ray. If the dog is less than two years old, OFA issues a preliminary hip status report. If the dog is older than two, they report that the dog is either dysplastic or not and, if not, how it rates in comparison with other dogs of its breed. This second rating is issued as fair, good, or excellent.
PennHip, the system developed at the University of Pennsylvania and now owned by International Canine Genetics, uses a series of three different x-rays to determine the dog's hip status. The Institute for Genetic Disease Control uses the same x-rays as required by OFA but will report a dog as dysplastic or not at 12 months of age. Any veterinarian experienced in x-ray procedures can take pictures for an OFA or GDC reading. Only those specifically trained in the PennHip method can submit to that registry.
The American Kennel Club includes OFA certification numbers in its records of each registered dog and prints them on litter registration papers.
Puppy buyers should ask breeders for certification that breeding stock has been certified free of hip dysplasia by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals or PennHIP, the testing process of International Canine Genetics. In order to pass the test, dog hips must be x-rayed and evaluated by canine radiologists. OFA will evaluate x-rays of dogs two years old and older and issue a number certifying that the dog has fair, good, or excellent hips. PennHIP evaluates the hips by looking at joint looseness as well as bone formation.
Unfortunately, there are no guarantees; even if breeders go to the expense of hip x-rays and breed only those with good or excellent hips, puppies can still develop bad hips.
In the past few years, some radicals have blamed purebred breeders for the incidence of hip dysplasia and used this accusation to encourage people to adopt mixed breed dogs from shelters. But the charge does not echo the facts on two fronts: actually, responsible breeders lead the effort to eliminate hip dysplasia and mixed breed or crossbred dogs can also have the disease. Any breed or mix can be dysplastic; however, there are almost no statistics regarding the incidence of hip dysplasia in non-purebreds as these dogs are seldom x-rayed.
Puppy buyers can help the effort by purchasing purebred puppies only from breeders who x-ray their breeding stock and provide a contract that stipulates some recourse if the pup does develop dysplasia. Owners or adopters of non-purebred dogs can also help by sterilizing their pets before they become sexually mature to prevent any possibility of producing affected offspring.
Other structural problems caused by inheritance are elbow dysplasia, dwarfism, osteochondrosis (abnormal formation of bone and cartilage), spinal disc diseases, Legg-Perthes disease (a hip malformation occurring mostly in small breeds), and patellar luxation (loose kneecap). Autoimmune diseases
This is a group of diseases marked by failure of the immune system. It includes sebaceous adenitis, pemphigus, and VKH (skin diseases); hemolytic anemia; systemic lupus; polyarthritis; and some thyroid disease. Although these diseases seem to be genetic, they are often triggered by stress. Some seem to be specific to a few breeds, while others affect many breeds. Little is known about the mode of inheritance; that is, whether they are simple as progressive retinal atrophy and sebaceous adenitis are in some breeds or are, like hip dysplasia, a complex association of many genes. Environmental influence is suspected in the onset of some autoimmune problems, but research is slow in proving a definite link.
Autoimmune diseases are the subject of many research projects. The Genatodermatosis Foundation in Dayton discovered the genetic base for sebaceous adenitis in Standard Poodles to help breeders eliminate this chronic skin disease in their dogs. Using this research as a base, GDF is now working on the disease in Akitas.
Dr. Jean Dodds has done much research in thyroid diseases, including a potential connection with the bleeding disorder von Willebrand's Disease and the influence of multivalent vaccinations on the incidence of thyroid problems.
It is possible that the incidence of autoimmune diseases follows particular lines of dogs but does not always manifest as the same disease. For example, one puppy in a litter may develop polyarthritis, while another may develop pemphigus or lupus or VKH and others may show no disease at all.
Although great strides in genetic research have been made in the past few years, researchers are barely in the doorway of full understanding of canine inheritance. Researchers at several universities are working on the canine genome project, a massive undertaking to identify the hundreds of thousands of genes situated on the 39 pairs of chromosomes that make the dog a dog. (Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes.) They will examine blood samples from thousands of dogs and compare the results to determine the chromosomal location of traits and abnormalities. The American Kennel Club has established a genetics foundation to pursue such research, and the University of California Davis has spawned the Institute for Genetic Disease Control to provide open registries for genetic problems.
Before breeding, some points to consider...
Many of you are interested in breeding from your dog. Before you do, please read this post.
So you have bred from your dog and end up with a litter of, say, 5 puppies. You only want to keep one so you decide to sell the other 4 to offset the expense of the births.
You let it be known that you have 4 puppies for sale at RMxxxx. You get responses from various people - some you know, some you don't but they are recommended by someone you know. You meet them, see them interacting with your puppies and seem to be getting along well. You ask them a few questions and they seem like decent people. They chose the one they like and take the puppy home after the exchange of cash.
A couple of weeks later, you go and visit the puppy at it's new home. You find the puppy has matted fur, sores on it's skin and generally, you are not happy about the condition it's in.
In a situation like that, you obviously have to take action. Can you afford to take the puppy back and refund the money the person paid for the puppy? Can you afford the vet fees to restore the puppy's health? Can you afford to keep the puppy yourself if you can't rehome it? You were careful to screen the potential owners but they are obviously not the decent people you led to believe they were. Can you take the risk that the next home will be better? What if more than one of the new homes doesn't work out for whatever reason. Could you afford the expense of keeping more than one of the puppies indefinitely?
If the answer to any of those questions is, "No!" then you should reconsider breeding from your dog. You have a responsibility to the litter of puppies beyond just finding them homes.
If you think the possibility of discovering your puppies in an unsatisfactory state in their new home is unlikely, don't fool yourself. I know of a lady who was careful about screening potential owners, even setting high prices for her puppies on the basis that no one would mistreat their pet knowing how costly it was to obtain. Two weeks after she sold a puppy, she went to it's new home to drop off it's MKA certificate. Imagine her horror when she found the puppy's fur matted and crusted in dirt. It had a skin infection, it's ears, red, sore and weepy. She immediately returned the money for the puppy and took it home. The following day, she took the dog to the vet who discovered that the puppy had been de-barked. For those of you who don't know what "de-barking" is, it is the surgical severing of the dog's vocal chords to prevent it from barking. The dog also had skin mites that took several weeks to treat. All of her other dogs had to have preventative treatment against the mites. It was months before the puppy returned to good health.
Pls think carefully before you breed from your dog.
Many of you are interested in breeding from your dog. Before you do, please read this post.
So you have bred from your dog and end up with a litter of, say, 5 puppies. You only want to keep one so you decide to sell the other 4 to offset the expense of the births.
You let it be known that you have 4 puppies for sale at RMxxxx. You get responses from various people - some you know, some you don't but they are recommended by someone you know. You meet them, see them interacting with your puppies and seem to be getting along well. You ask them a few questions and they seem like decent people. They chose the one they like and take the puppy home after the exchange of cash.
A couple of weeks later, you go and visit the puppy at it's new home. You find the puppy has matted fur, sores on it's skin and generally, you are not happy about the condition it's in.
In a situation like that, you obviously have to take action. Can you afford to take the puppy back and refund the money the person paid for the puppy? Can you afford the vet fees to restore the puppy's health? Can you afford to keep the puppy yourself if you can't rehome it? You were careful to screen the potential owners but they are obviously not the decent people you led to believe they were. Can you take the risk that the next home will be better? What if more than one of the new homes doesn't work out for whatever reason. Could you afford the expense of keeping more than one of the puppies indefinitely?
If the answer to any of those questions is, "No!" then you should reconsider breeding from your dog. You have a responsibility to the litter of puppies beyond just finding them homes.
If you think the possibility of discovering your puppies in an unsatisfactory state in their new home is unlikely, don't fool yourself. I know of a lady who was careful about screening potential owners, even setting high prices for her puppies on the basis that no one would mistreat their pet knowing how costly it was to obtain. Two weeks after she sold a puppy, she went to it's new home to drop off it's MKA certificate. Imagine her horror when she found the puppy's fur matted and crusted in dirt. It had a skin infection, it's ears, red, sore and weepy. She immediately returned the money for the puppy and took it home. The following day, she took the dog to the vet who discovered that the puppy had been de-barked. For those of you who don't know what "de-barking" is, it is the surgical severing of the dog's vocal chords to prevent it from barking. The dog also had skin mites that took several weeks to treat. All of her other dogs had to have preventative treatment against the mites. It was months before the puppy returned to good health.
Pls think carefully before you breed from your dog.
Should I let my dog have puppies ? There's more involved than you might think. . .
So you want to have a litter of puppies for furkid's sake or the kids’ education or the vacation or holiday fund? Don’t – unless you:
* consider all the potential pitfalls to breeding,
* are willing to guarantee the health of the puppies,
* are prepared for the daily care and socialization of puppies,
* can deal with the emotional impact of problems and of parting with the puppies,
* will carefully screen potential puppy buyers,
* can withstand the financial expenses that occur if Sassy has trouble whelping or a pup gets sick or a buyer can’t keep the pup he bought.
In other words, unless you are prepared to do the same things a responsible breeder would do, don’t bother.
Getting the litter on the ground is only half the battle. Although many litters are born without trouble and puppies trot off to new homes with nary a glance backward, responsible breeders do everything they can to make sure the pup not only gets a good start in life, but has a lifetime commitment to keep it healthy and safe. Although the best plans can go awry, they do not leave the fate of their pups to chance.
Backyard breeders have a different perspective. Whether they are producing pups for money or to give Sassy or the kids the experience of birth, they usually approach puppy production with a carefree attitude. If a pup dies, it’s too bad, but that’s life. If it has worms or fleas or mange, that’s life, too. And if that last pup or two doesn’t sell by three months, well, it’s off to the shelter.
Responsible breeders consider every aspect of puppy production to be important. After taking care to whelp healthy puppies to be sold as pets or show dogs, they treat each litter with care and concern for their physical and mental development, provide initial socialization and housetraining, and carefully screen prospective owners. Health
Responsible breeders are those who carefully select a mate for Puffin or Princess; make sure she’s hale and hardy before breeding; and get her checked for hip dysplasia, eye diseases, deafness, or any other breed-related genetic abnormality. And they make sure the male selected to father the litter is just as healthy.
Most experts recommend that a female dog reach at least two years of age before breeding. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals will certify hips as well-formed or dysplastic at two years, and that watershed age assures that most bitches will have developed the physical and behavioral characteristics that determine whether they should be allowed to contribute puppies to the breed’s gene pool. In addition, two-year old bitches are generally mature enough to carry and nourish a litter.
Some large or giant breeds are still growing at two years and breeders may prefer to wait even longer before producing a litter.
All breeds – mixes included – suffer from genetic abnormalities. Some of these abnormalities can be detected by x-rays or through blood tests or DNA screens. Skeletal malformations such as hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and loose kneecaps (luxating patellas) can be detected by x-ray. These joint deformities can cause painful arthritis in later years, can be passed on to offspring, and may lead to expensive surgeries and the emotion trauma of euthanizing a young dog that is afflicted beyond repair.
Since the idea of purebred dog breeding is to produce puppies that will grow up to look like a particular breed, dogs with a disqualifying breed fault should not be bred. At times, this may mean foregoing a litter with a bitch for faults that seem to be minor but can lead to diffusion of breed character. For example, a too-tall American Eskimo Dog might produce pups that look more like Samoyeds; an Akita bitch without the characteristic curled tail might produce pups with equally unacceptable tails; a white Boxer is likely to be deaf or to produce deaf puppies; etc.
Dogs with minor faults should only be bred to mates that can correct those faults. For example, if Sassy’s teeth alignment is off, she should only be paired with a male with perfect teeth. Or if she’s a bit small or large for the breed standard, she should be bred to a dog that is the correct size. Temperament
Since temperament is also inherited , even if Puffin is a perfect physical example of the breed, she must have the typical breed temperament in order to be a good candidate for breeding. A Cocker Spaniel should be happy-go-lucky, sweet, good with children, and relatively responsive to training. A German Shepherd is allowed to be aloof with strangers and protective of the family and territory, but should be responsive to training, good with children, and never exhibit viciousness. An Alaskan Malamute can be aggressive to other animals and domineering to other dogs, but she can never be aggressive to people and should be responsive to training.
Dogs that are very shy or fearful, dogs that are domineering, and dogs that have an atypical energy level for the breed can pass these characteristics along to their pups. Thus familiarity with and attention to the breed standard is critical in deciding if Princess should be bred. Finding a stud dog
Easiest place to find a stud dog is in the neighborhood, but easiest is rarely best, especially since you want the stud dog to be as healthy as your bitch, to have a good temperament, and to be a good example of the breed.
Best place to find a stud dog is through the local dog fancy. Your veterinarian can likely provide a telephone number of a breeder or a kennel club contact, and you can begin the search. If there is no suitable male locally, you can contact the breed’s regional or national club for help.
Be prepared to travel a bit if your breed is not well-represented in your region. Heat cycle
Most bitches cycle every six-nine months, depending on breed, health, and other factors. The search for a mate should begin months before the cycle is expected so you’re not scrambling at the last minute.
The heat or estrus cycle begins with a swelling of the external opening to the reproductive tract and lasts about 21 days. There is a bloody discharge for the first week or so, although you may not notice if Puffin cleans herself well. When the discharge becomes clear, the fertile period is imminent – usually from day 10-day 14. After the fertile period, the heat winds down until the discharge and swelling have disappeared.
A bitch may be cranky as her heat cycle approaches. She will not accept a male until the days when she is fertile; until then she may fight him if he tries to breed.
Some breeders take advantage of advanced reproductive technology to pinpoint the exact days when conception is likely to occur and have their bitches tested for hormone levels and reproductive system cell structure. Pregnancy – or not
Once the breeding is done, there’s nothing to do but wait. Pregnancy lasts 61-64 days; puppies can be detected by x-ray or ultrasound about halfway through. There are some telltale signs – increased appetite, weight gain, nipple enlargement – but they could apply to a false pregnancy as well as the real thing.
Although the number of accidental breedings and the proliferation of strays in some cities suggests that canine reproduction is a snap, producing a litter can actually be a hit or miss proposition. If it’s too hot, if the stud dog is under stress, if either dog has low thyroid or a systemic infection or is poorly nourished, the attempt may fail.
Some bitches will undergo a false pregnancy after an unsuccessful breeding and will go to great lengths to make it seem as if they are proceeding through a pregnancy. Some false pregnancies resolve without medical attention; others need veterinary assistance.
Both pregnant and non-pregnant bitches can also contract pyometra, an infection of the uterus. A telltale sign of pyometra is a foul discharge from the vulva four to eight weeks after the fertile period of the heat cycle. However, if the bitch’s cervix (the connection between the uterus and the vagina) is closed, no discharge escapes and the bitch can be deathly ill before the disease is suspected and diagnosed.
Treatment often involves surgery to remove the uterus, but in some cases, the disease can be cured without this drastic step. Early intervention is best; if a bitch becomes lethargic and loses her appetite in the weeks after her heat cycle, a veterinary exam is in order. Costs before whelping
It obviously isn’t cheap to produce a litter of healthy puppies!
So far, costs include
* hip, elbow, and knee x-rays as appropriate for the breed;
* blood and DNA tests for various diseases as appropriate for the breed;
* obedience classes to make sure Princess is well-socialized and is trainable;
* a stud fee or promise of a puppy to the stud owner;
* travel costs if the stud is some distance away;
* fertility tests if desired;
* x-ray or sonogram to see if the breeding was successful.
Beyond the financial costs are the emotional and ethical issues involved. Puppies are not craft projects or widgets, they are living creatures. Therefore, the decision to breed is a serious one involving not only proper care of the bitch but also puppy care and socialization; responsibility for placing each puppy in a good home; and help for puppy buyers who run into problems with health or training of their new family member. Breeders must also be prepared to take back any puppy that doesn’t work out, and to keep it or find it another home. Whelping
Birth is a natural process, so many dogs are left on their own to bring puppies into the world under the bed, in the closet, or in a cardboard box. There’s no heat lamp to warm the puppies and no watchful midwife to monitor the progression of labor, make sure Sassy will clean the pups, and determine that the pups are breathing and nursing.
Responsible breeders mark the due date on the calendar and prepare a whelping area or box several days ahead of time. The whelping area should be large enough that Sassy can stretch out to nurse puppies, and not so large that the blind and deaf puppies will be unable to get to the milk bar.
The bitch’s temperature drops below 100 degrees within 24 hours of whelping, so breeders check temperature frequently as the due date nears. They also watch for dripping nipples, a sign that milk is filling the breasts.
Each puppy has its own placenta, which the bitch removes by licking that also stimulates the pup to breathe. Inexperienced bitches may need help to cut the umbilical cord, clean the pups, get them breathing, and make sure they begin to nurse, so breeders stand by with towels for cleaning and rubbing puppies and place them at a nipple to get started.
Puppies are usually born head first, but can be turned around in the birth canal. Breech puppies are harder to push out and bitches may tire while trying. Some breeders keep a uterine stimulant on hand to help with labor; others make a trip to the veterinary clinic for assistance. A normal whelping can go quickly with puppies arriving at half-hour intervals or can take several hours with as long as three or four hours between puppies.
Some time after all the puppies are born, the bitch will pass the afterbirth. If she does not get expel this tissue, she can become infected, leaving her litter to be tube fed until she is healthy. The first weeks
Puppies cannot hear, see, regulate their own body temperature, or defecate on their own when they are born. They need to be kept warm and clean and to be handled daily to get accustomed to human scent and attention. Heat lamps are often necessary for adequate warmth. Mom will stimulate them to defecate and urinate by licking their bellies, and, in the manner of wolves, she will clean up the mess. As a result, she may have diarrhea for several days following whelping.
Pups are little more than squirmy, blind, deaf parasites for two weeks. They may squeak and whimper as they sleep or crawl about, but they cry only if they are cold, hungry, or in pain. They need daily handling if only to move them from one spot in the whelping box to another while clean papers are put down. Eyes open at about two weeks and ears at about three weeks. Pups can generally stand at 15-16 days but cannot do more than stumble about. Ability to control waste elimination develops at about three weeks and regulation of body temperature follows.
By four weeks, a miracle has occurred: pups may be eating gruel at this point and moving around with increasing coordination. They pay attention to toys, attempt to play, and have increasing periods of activity.
By five weeks, they may be weaned or almost so and be ready for rudimentary housetraining and socialization. In good weather, housetraining is made easy by putting the puppies in an exercise pen outside after meals and keeping the whelping area clean. Puppies should be handled purposefully every day, with attention to ears, toes, coat, and teeth. They can be brushed with a soft brush or rubbed with a soft cloth to stimulate skin and prepare for a lifetime of grooming and handling.
By six weeks, puppies are climbing out of the whelping box, playing vigorously with littermates, enjoying toys, and seeking human attention. This is the time to introduce new surfaces to walk on and new areas to explore, and to put tunnels, boxes, and lots of different toys in the exercise area.
Six weeks is also time for the first visit to the veterinarian for worming (roundworms can be passed from Mom to puppies) and initial vaccination.
Although puppies can leave Mom by six weeks, it is best that they stay together for another 10-14 days to learn how to get along with other dogs and to translate that awareness to a developing relationship with humans. Puppies removed from the litter too early often develop a range of behavior problems from extreme shyness to aggression, depending on the underlying genetic code.
By seven weeks, a breeder knows which puppies are most dominant and submissive, which are most attentive to people, which are most curious or adventurous, and which have the best potential as future breeding stock, etc. and can match them with a family. For example, the responsible breeder of a guardian breed would choose a mild-mannered puppy for the first-time owner of the breed, an attentive puppy for a future in the obedience ring, or a dominant puppy for an experienced owner who can handle a challenge.
Puppies enter a fear period at eight weeks of age, and most experts suggest that they go to new home between the seventh and eighth weeks or wait until 12 weeks when the fear period has passed. Choosing new owners
Responsible breeders interview potential puppy buyers whether the pups are an accidental mixed breed litter being sold for next to nothing or purebred show dogs of champion stock. A minimal interview includes such questions as
* Are you aware of and do you intend to abide by the dog laws and regulations in your community?
* Do you have a fenced yard?
* Are there children in the family? How old are they?
* Are there other pets?
* Do you plan to take the pet to at least two sets of obedience classes for good manners?
* Do you intend to get involved in obedience, tracking, therapy work or other dog jobs?
These questions are not intended to pry or embarrass, they are meant to help place the best possible puppy in each home.
Responsible breeders ask for references, check with apartment managers, spend time with the whole family, observe the kids around the puppies, and require that pet-quality puppies be spayed or neutered. They have contracts that protect the dog, the buyer and themselves and offer to take the puppy back if the buyer can no longer keep it – no matter the age. Many responsible breeders also microchip or tattoo their puppies for permanent identification and withhold the registration papers until the pup has been spayed or neutered. Time, costs add up
Costs in time and money continue to add up. Initial cost of a whelping box (plans are available for building your own) and heat lamp are amortized over several litters – if you can stand the emotional and physical drain of breeding, whelping, and placing multiple litters).
Other costs are
* Veterinary attention – and a possible Caesarian delivery – if whelping goes wrong;
* Vet visits for vaccinations and worming
* A portable exercise pen to keep puppies safe outside the whelping area
* Microchip or tattoo
Time also adds up, time to clean the whelping box several times a day, socialize the puppies, talk to potential buyers and contact their references, and visit the vet clinic for initial vaccinations or emergency trips with Mom or pups. And it doesn’t end when the pups go to new homes, for buyers frequently need help with housetraining, obedience training, and understanding and coping with normal puppy behavior.
Raising puppies is not as simple as one-two-three. Things can go wrong at any step of the way, so contingencies must be planned and money and time must be available to give the pups the best start at building a bond with a human family, a bond that can last a lifetime.
So you want to have a litter of puppies for furkid's sake or the kids’ education or the vacation or holiday fund? Don’t – unless you:
* consider all the potential pitfalls to breeding,
* are willing to guarantee the health of the puppies,
* are prepared for the daily care and socialization of puppies,
* can deal with the emotional impact of problems and of parting with the puppies,
* will carefully screen potential puppy buyers,
* can withstand the financial expenses that occur if Sassy has trouble whelping or a pup gets sick or a buyer can’t keep the pup he bought.
In other words, unless you are prepared to do the same things a responsible breeder would do, don’t bother.
Getting the litter on the ground is only half the battle. Although many litters are born without trouble and puppies trot off to new homes with nary a glance backward, responsible breeders do everything they can to make sure the pup not only gets a good start in life, but has a lifetime commitment to keep it healthy and safe. Although the best plans can go awry, they do not leave the fate of their pups to chance.
Backyard breeders have a different perspective. Whether they are producing pups for money or to give Sassy or the kids the experience of birth, they usually approach puppy production with a carefree attitude. If a pup dies, it’s too bad, but that’s life. If it has worms or fleas or mange, that’s life, too. And if that last pup or two doesn’t sell by three months, well, it’s off to the shelter.
Responsible breeders consider every aspect of puppy production to be important. After taking care to whelp healthy puppies to be sold as pets or show dogs, they treat each litter with care and concern for their physical and mental development, provide initial socialization and housetraining, and carefully screen prospective owners. Health
Responsible breeders are those who carefully select a mate for Puffin or Princess; make sure she’s hale and hardy before breeding; and get her checked for hip dysplasia, eye diseases, deafness, or any other breed-related genetic abnormality. And they make sure the male selected to father the litter is just as healthy.
Most experts recommend that a female dog reach at least two years of age before breeding. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals will certify hips as well-formed or dysplastic at two years, and that watershed age assures that most bitches will have developed the physical and behavioral characteristics that determine whether they should be allowed to contribute puppies to the breed’s gene pool. In addition, two-year old bitches are generally mature enough to carry and nourish a litter.
Some large or giant breeds are still growing at two years and breeders may prefer to wait even longer before producing a litter.
All breeds – mixes included – suffer from genetic abnormalities. Some of these abnormalities can be detected by x-rays or through blood tests or DNA screens. Skeletal malformations such as hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and loose kneecaps (luxating patellas) can be detected by x-ray. These joint deformities can cause painful arthritis in later years, can be passed on to offspring, and may lead to expensive surgeries and the emotion trauma of euthanizing a young dog that is afflicted beyond repair.
Since the idea of purebred dog breeding is to produce puppies that will grow up to look like a particular breed, dogs with a disqualifying breed fault should not be bred. At times, this may mean foregoing a litter with a bitch for faults that seem to be minor but can lead to diffusion of breed character. For example, a too-tall American Eskimo Dog might produce pups that look more like Samoyeds; an Akita bitch without the characteristic curled tail might produce pups with equally unacceptable tails; a white Boxer is likely to be deaf or to produce deaf puppies; etc.
Dogs with minor faults should only be bred to mates that can correct those faults. For example, if Sassy’s teeth alignment is off, she should only be paired with a male with perfect teeth. Or if she’s a bit small or large for the breed standard, she should be bred to a dog that is the correct size. Temperament
Since temperament is also inherited , even if Puffin is a perfect physical example of the breed, she must have the typical breed temperament in order to be a good candidate for breeding. A Cocker Spaniel should be happy-go-lucky, sweet, good with children, and relatively responsive to training. A German Shepherd is allowed to be aloof with strangers and protective of the family and territory, but should be responsive to training, good with children, and never exhibit viciousness. An Alaskan Malamute can be aggressive to other animals and domineering to other dogs, but she can never be aggressive to people and should be responsive to training.
Dogs that are very shy or fearful, dogs that are domineering, and dogs that have an atypical energy level for the breed can pass these characteristics along to their pups. Thus familiarity with and attention to the breed standard is critical in deciding if Princess should be bred. Finding a stud dog
Easiest place to find a stud dog is in the neighborhood, but easiest is rarely best, especially since you want the stud dog to be as healthy as your bitch, to have a good temperament, and to be a good example of the breed.
Best place to find a stud dog is through the local dog fancy. Your veterinarian can likely provide a telephone number of a breeder or a kennel club contact, and you can begin the search. If there is no suitable male locally, you can contact the breed’s regional or national club for help.
Be prepared to travel a bit if your breed is not well-represented in your region. Heat cycle
Most bitches cycle every six-nine months, depending on breed, health, and other factors. The search for a mate should begin months before the cycle is expected so you’re not scrambling at the last minute.
The heat or estrus cycle begins with a swelling of the external opening to the reproductive tract and lasts about 21 days. There is a bloody discharge for the first week or so, although you may not notice if Puffin cleans herself well. When the discharge becomes clear, the fertile period is imminent – usually from day 10-day 14. After the fertile period, the heat winds down until the discharge and swelling have disappeared.
A bitch may be cranky as her heat cycle approaches. She will not accept a male until the days when she is fertile; until then she may fight him if he tries to breed.
Some breeders take advantage of advanced reproductive technology to pinpoint the exact days when conception is likely to occur and have their bitches tested for hormone levels and reproductive system cell structure. Pregnancy – or not
Once the breeding is done, there’s nothing to do but wait. Pregnancy lasts 61-64 days; puppies can be detected by x-ray or ultrasound about halfway through. There are some telltale signs – increased appetite, weight gain, nipple enlargement – but they could apply to a false pregnancy as well as the real thing.
Although the number of accidental breedings and the proliferation of strays in some cities suggests that canine reproduction is a snap, producing a litter can actually be a hit or miss proposition. If it’s too hot, if the stud dog is under stress, if either dog has low thyroid or a systemic infection or is poorly nourished, the attempt may fail.
Some bitches will undergo a false pregnancy after an unsuccessful breeding and will go to great lengths to make it seem as if they are proceeding through a pregnancy. Some false pregnancies resolve without medical attention; others need veterinary assistance.
Both pregnant and non-pregnant bitches can also contract pyometra, an infection of the uterus. A telltale sign of pyometra is a foul discharge from the vulva four to eight weeks after the fertile period of the heat cycle. However, if the bitch’s cervix (the connection between the uterus and the vagina) is closed, no discharge escapes and the bitch can be deathly ill before the disease is suspected and diagnosed.
Treatment often involves surgery to remove the uterus, but in some cases, the disease can be cured without this drastic step. Early intervention is best; if a bitch becomes lethargic and loses her appetite in the weeks after her heat cycle, a veterinary exam is in order. Costs before whelping
It obviously isn’t cheap to produce a litter of healthy puppies!
So far, costs include
* hip, elbow, and knee x-rays as appropriate for the breed;
* blood and DNA tests for various diseases as appropriate for the breed;
* obedience classes to make sure Princess is well-socialized and is trainable;
* a stud fee or promise of a puppy to the stud owner;
* travel costs if the stud is some distance away;
* fertility tests if desired;
* x-ray or sonogram to see if the breeding was successful.
Beyond the financial costs are the emotional and ethical issues involved. Puppies are not craft projects or widgets, they are living creatures. Therefore, the decision to breed is a serious one involving not only proper care of the bitch but also puppy care and socialization; responsibility for placing each puppy in a good home; and help for puppy buyers who run into problems with health or training of their new family member. Breeders must also be prepared to take back any puppy that doesn’t work out, and to keep it or find it another home. Whelping
Birth is a natural process, so many dogs are left on their own to bring puppies into the world under the bed, in the closet, or in a cardboard box. There’s no heat lamp to warm the puppies and no watchful midwife to monitor the progression of labor, make sure Sassy will clean the pups, and determine that the pups are breathing and nursing.
Responsible breeders mark the due date on the calendar and prepare a whelping area or box several days ahead of time. The whelping area should be large enough that Sassy can stretch out to nurse puppies, and not so large that the blind and deaf puppies will be unable to get to the milk bar.
The bitch’s temperature drops below 100 degrees within 24 hours of whelping, so breeders check temperature frequently as the due date nears. They also watch for dripping nipples, a sign that milk is filling the breasts.
Each puppy has its own placenta, which the bitch removes by licking that also stimulates the pup to breathe. Inexperienced bitches may need help to cut the umbilical cord, clean the pups, get them breathing, and make sure they begin to nurse, so breeders stand by with towels for cleaning and rubbing puppies and place them at a nipple to get started.
Puppies are usually born head first, but can be turned around in the birth canal. Breech puppies are harder to push out and bitches may tire while trying. Some breeders keep a uterine stimulant on hand to help with labor; others make a trip to the veterinary clinic for assistance. A normal whelping can go quickly with puppies arriving at half-hour intervals or can take several hours with as long as three or four hours between puppies.
Some time after all the puppies are born, the bitch will pass the afterbirth. If she does not get expel this tissue, she can become infected, leaving her litter to be tube fed until she is healthy. The first weeks
Puppies cannot hear, see, regulate their own body temperature, or defecate on their own when they are born. They need to be kept warm and clean and to be handled daily to get accustomed to human scent and attention. Heat lamps are often necessary for adequate warmth. Mom will stimulate them to defecate and urinate by licking their bellies, and, in the manner of wolves, she will clean up the mess. As a result, she may have diarrhea for several days following whelping.
Pups are little more than squirmy, blind, deaf parasites for two weeks. They may squeak and whimper as they sleep or crawl about, but they cry only if they are cold, hungry, or in pain. They need daily handling if only to move them from one spot in the whelping box to another while clean papers are put down. Eyes open at about two weeks and ears at about three weeks. Pups can generally stand at 15-16 days but cannot do more than stumble about. Ability to control waste elimination develops at about three weeks and regulation of body temperature follows.
By four weeks, a miracle has occurred: pups may be eating gruel at this point and moving around with increasing coordination. They pay attention to toys, attempt to play, and have increasing periods of activity.
By five weeks, they may be weaned or almost so and be ready for rudimentary housetraining and socialization. In good weather, housetraining is made easy by putting the puppies in an exercise pen outside after meals and keeping the whelping area clean. Puppies should be handled purposefully every day, with attention to ears, toes, coat, and teeth. They can be brushed with a soft brush or rubbed with a soft cloth to stimulate skin and prepare for a lifetime of grooming and handling.
By six weeks, puppies are climbing out of the whelping box, playing vigorously with littermates, enjoying toys, and seeking human attention. This is the time to introduce new surfaces to walk on and new areas to explore, and to put tunnels, boxes, and lots of different toys in the exercise area.
Six weeks is also time for the first visit to the veterinarian for worming (roundworms can be passed from Mom to puppies) and initial vaccination.
Although puppies can leave Mom by six weeks, it is best that they stay together for another 10-14 days to learn how to get along with other dogs and to translate that awareness to a developing relationship with humans. Puppies removed from the litter too early often develop a range of behavior problems from extreme shyness to aggression, depending on the underlying genetic code.
By seven weeks, a breeder knows which puppies are most dominant and submissive, which are most attentive to people, which are most curious or adventurous, and which have the best potential as future breeding stock, etc. and can match them with a family. For example, the responsible breeder of a guardian breed would choose a mild-mannered puppy for the first-time owner of the breed, an attentive puppy for a future in the obedience ring, or a dominant puppy for an experienced owner who can handle a challenge.
Puppies enter a fear period at eight weeks of age, and most experts suggest that they go to new home between the seventh and eighth weeks or wait until 12 weeks when the fear period has passed. Choosing new owners
Responsible breeders interview potential puppy buyers whether the pups are an accidental mixed breed litter being sold for next to nothing or purebred show dogs of champion stock. A minimal interview includes such questions as
* Are you aware of and do you intend to abide by the dog laws and regulations in your community?
* Do you have a fenced yard?
* Are there children in the family? How old are they?
* Are there other pets?
* Do you plan to take the pet to at least two sets of obedience classes for good manners?
* Do you intend to get involved in obedience, tracking, therapy work or other dog jobs?
These questions are not intended to pry or embarrass, they are meant to help place the best possible puppy in each home.
Responsible breeders ask for references, check with apartment managers, spend time with the whole family, observe the kids around the puppies, and require that pet-quality puppies be spayed or neutered. They have contracts that protect the dog, the buyer and themselves and offer to take the puppy back if the buyer can no longer keep it – no matter the age. Many responsible breeders also microchip or tattoo their puppies for permanent identification and withhold the registration papers until the pup has been spayed or neutered. Time, costs add up
Costs in time and money continue to add up. Initial cost of a whelping box (plans are available for building your own) and heat lamp are amortized over several litters – if you can stand the emotional and physical drain of breeding, whelping, and placing multiple litters).
Other costs are
* Veterinary attention – and a possible Caesarian delivery – if whelping goes wrong;
* Vet visits for vaccinations and worming
* A portable exercise pen to keep puppies safe outside the whelping area
* Microchip or tattoo
Time also adds up, time to clean the whelping box several times a day, socialize the puppies, talk to potential buyers and contact their references, and visit the vet clinic for initial vaccinations or emergency trips with Mom or pups. And it doesn’t end when the pups go to new homes, for buyers frequently need help with housetraining, obedience training, and understanding and coping with normal puppy behavior.
Raising puppies is not as simple as one-two-three. Things can go wrong at any step of the way, so contingencies must be planned and money and time must be available to give the pups the best start at building a bond with a human family, a bond that can last a lifetime.
But too bad some one from this post said it was wrong to compare other countries with Malaysia.
So I guess you'll be flamed too. T_T . Do you live in Penang by any chance??
Edit: You can actually post links instead of copy and paste. I'm sorry, I can't argue with you, since I'm not gonna read all these long winded article..
So I guess you'll be flamed too. T_T . Do you live in Penang by any chance??
Edit: You can actually post links instead of copy and paste. I'm sorry, I can't argue with you, since I'm not gonna read all these long winded article..
Last edited:
satchnik said:
I'm sorry, I won't simply write next time, I'll copy and paste some long articles that nobody's gonna read instead. Thanks for your advise. (Hey, I copy and paste the last sentance, :D)
P/S: if it wasn't SLK850, I wouldn't even notice this post, hehehe.
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NOSkill said:
Wow, I wonder who is stuck in time. :D
The ability to speak foreign languages is not to show off that one is well travelled or has lived overseas or even to show off their rank. It is merely a matter of preference and appreciation. Is that offensive to you?
A language is never weird except to him who is too shallow to appreciate that different people speak different languages. Hmmm does that make speaking in japanese daily to my folks a show off act then by your standard since we are in Malaysia whereby most people speak in English and/or BM and/or some Chinese dialect and/or Tamil. If no, why then pick that I choose to quote in another language? As mentioned, other members do use phrases in other languages too. So what does that make them? Remember what is not foreign to you may be foreign to another afterall.
missy said:
This one is easy.
You're right, but I bet you spoke the weird language to me. I wouldn't appreciate your language because I don't understand it. It means you wasted your breath to speak something totally unrelated to no audiance.
Can't change the habit of talking to a pet heh?? :D Try to go out more, it's really not too hard to hang around with PEOPLE.
If weirdo like MJ can have friends, I don't see how hard it is for you. :D
Logic Fact by Ms. Missy:
It's ok to mad at a Malay when the Malay doesn't understand your mandarin at all.
P/S: Who the fuck understand Missy language?? I asked Carlos and Fabrina, they had no clue at all. :D Too bad Fluffy is not online.
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NOSkill said:
Ah...how sure are you the Latin phrases were for you? And please, many people pick up their 3rd or 4th language at the university, and I have made my choice to pick up Latin. Is that a problem? Is that deem a show off or some old fashion idea?
And talking to my pet in Japanese, its not a habit. We speak at Japanese at home simply because japanese is the 2nd language for us at home.
Sigh...how shallow and narrow minded some folks can really be. And there is a pepatah melayu to this "Katak di bawah tempurung".
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