There are a couple of things we've seen breeders say or do that just don't sit right with us. We think that most responsible breeders know these things and follow them. Now, these aren't hard fast rules that are being broken or anything, just things that for us, personally, don't "feel" right.
Here are 3 big ones we think should be avoided.1. Don't breed your dog "because she's in heat." Of course, you're going to breed your dog when she's in heat, but if that's the ONLY reason you're breeding her at that time, it's not really a good reason. What often happens in this case is that the owner breeds their dog with whatever stud is available whether it's a good match or not. Then they say something like, "Well, she was in heat and that's the only choice I had."
NOT TRUE. If your female goes into heat and you don't have the "Right Male" available for her, the right thing to do is
PASS THE HEAT. That is another choice, breeding her to an unsuitable male is not "the only choice" you have. Do NOT breed her if you don't have a good match for her! Perfect example from our yard: Angel. We would like to have one more litter with her, but since Polu's passing, we had a very difficult time finding the right male for her. Now we have a couple of options, but we passed a number of heats because we weren't about to breed her with just anyone. The Polu and Angel combination is a tough one to top. I'm still not sure we'll ever top it, but I do know that now, we have some solid choices we can utilize to produce a quality litter with her if we decide to do so.
2. Don't do this "for the money." Okay - obviously, when we do a breeding we plan to sell the pups and bring in money. BUT if that is the ONLY driving force behind you breeding dogs, it's not going to work. It's like being an athlete and being driven ONLY by the "Big W" or the WIN. You can experience some success, but I really don't think it will be as much as if you do it for the "right reasons." When we had our first litter, it was really out of the desire to share what we had with others. We loved our dogs. They were such a great part of our family. People always commented on, not only how beautiful they were, but how great THEY were as dogs and as part of our family (temperament/behavior etc all impressed many people). We thoroughly enjoyed our dogs as did other people and we wanted to
GIVE THAT and
SHARE THAT with others. It wasn't just about the money. With this "mission" in mind, we were quite successful. We put out quality dogs and people came back to us again and again to let us know how great their dog is and how happy they were that they had their dog. Then, the ONE TIME, I lost sight of that. The one time I basically looked at a litter for the money and just about counted on having money from the litter it just didn't work out. The breeding didn't take and all the plans that were made with the money that I had hoped to have came to a screeching halt. Obviously, I'm not perfect. Whenever money and success is involved, it's very easy to lose sight of those good intentions and why you got started in the first place. So it's important to check yourself every now and then and take a look at why you do what you do...and if the driving force behind you breeding dogs is just "the money" it's probably not going to work out as well and as smoothly as you thought it would. This concept doesn't only apply to breeding dogs or to sports, it holds true in other areas of life as well. I've seen it in action in my own life and in others, so it's something that I do my best to remember and live by.
3. Don't think breeding dogs will provide you with "easy money." I just want to laugh any time people make remarks like that - that raising dogs is "easy money" or they act like, "Wow, you're so 'lucky' you have lots of money because you just sold puppies." Lucky? What? Hey, I worked HARD to take care of that litter and of the parents (among other things) to EARN that money. It has nothing to do with luck. Of course, most people to make those kinds of remarks have never taken care of a litter. If you have ever been there to take care of a litter 24/7 and had that responsibility solely on your shoulders, you KNOW how much work, time, money, and worry goes into it. Most people who make comments about "easy money" have also never gone through the time and expense to raise litter OR care for the dogs that produce a litter throughout an entire year. Seriously, the money we earn from one litter doesn't even come close to "breaking even" with our dogs if you add up all the expenses and time involved with caring for the dogs on an ongoing basis. We're talking food, bowls, leashes, collars, flea and tick care (on the dogs and in the environment), heartworm prevention, vaccinations, vet exams, grooming supplies, cleaning supplies, etc, etc, etc. There is a LOT that goes into raising dogs. Our dogs, on a daily basis, get a BARE MINIMUM of 3 hours of our undivided attention each day - that's time that we're spending on dogs and only dogs every single day and that's only if we're doing the bare minimum of cleaning them up and feeding them. If you're going to throw in exercise, training, bathing, etc - then it's really more like 5-6 hours per day.
So if you're new to breeding or thinking of breeding - please think about the 3 issues above and
be sure you are...1. doing this for the right reasons
2. ready to work hard
Labels: blue pitbulls, breeders, breeding, dog breeding
