Are you thinking of raising puppies?
I'm going to dedicate an entire article to
this question. My sister deserves much credit for
writing most of this article...thank you Toni! (www.crbeagles.com).
Thankfully, I have a fellow hound breeders and mentors that I
can talk to and bounce ideas off of. Do you?
We often hear from people that say they would like to breed dogs for a variety of reasons. Three main reasons seem to be:
- To earn money
- To repay them for their puppy
- Because it would be fun, especially for children
There is a lot of thought that should go into this before you decide that breeding dogs/puppies is a viable option for you. It's so easy to just think of the fun and good aspects of breeding and raising puppies. But the path isn't always filled with happy events. There can be setbacks along the way.
Are you set up and knowledgeable enough to raise healthy puppies?
A Smelly Mess: Having a female dog in your home that is in heat for 3 weeks with a smelly and colored discharge is damaging to your home. Females are in heat twice per year, and during this 6 weeks (3 to 4 weeks each time), your female will have a giant swollen vaginal opening that is not only embarrassing to look at, but that also drips colored discharge that can be "fragrant" and stain your carpet and furniture.
Even worse is the discharge that occurs after she has her puppies. That can last for 2 to 3 months!
You might think, "I'll just house my female outside". However, you risk neighboring dogs jumping your fence to breed her...and therefore, you may end up with puppies of unknown parentage.
If your puppies or their mother roam your property, you can just about guarantee yourself of a litter that comes into contact with coccidia and/or giardia, fleas, ear mites, and a host of other health issues. How will you try to ensure that your puppies leave you healthy, and not infested with bugs, bacteria, and protozoa that will immediately cause its new owners to incur vet bills?
Are you squeamish? First time moms or even tired experienced moms may not take care of their puppies when they are born. Sometimes we have to break the sack so the puppy can take its first breath. Sometimes we have to remove mucus from their noses and mouths. Sometimes we have to clean them completely. Sometimes we have to help the placenta. Sometimes we have to check for puppies in the birth canal. All of these things take a strong stomach and willingness to do them.
How will you protect your adults and puppies from theft? Yes, it does happen.
Even with excellent care and facilities, these things can still be a problem. Just allowing the mother dog to be in the yard for a potty break or to go for a walk creates the opportunity for her to bring germs and protozoa back to her puppies. If you don't have a clean, protected place for your puppies and their mother, you should not breed.
Do you have an excellent
veterinarian close by to assist
with emergencies (and the money to pay him/her)?
Health care for puppies and pregnant/lactating bitches can be costly. If you scrimp on health care, you are opening up a terrible set of potential events...sick puppies, unhappy customers, etc. If you can't dedicate yourself to providing GOOD health care for your puppies, you should not breed.
Some of the health care expenses you should be prepared for if you raise puppies include:
- Dew claw removal for every puppy
- Antibiotics for uterine infections
- Antibiotics (oral, injectable, and topical) for injuries and illnesses
- Disinfecting cleaning products
- Caesarian section surgery (can happen at any time, even if the mother has never had a problem whelping before). Are you in a position to be with the mother when she is having puppies regardless of the time of day?
- Sterile equipment for whelping
- Hernia surgeries
- Medicine to treat/prevent coccidia (60% of all puppies have coccidia)
- Medicine to treat/prevent giardia
- Vaccinations for adult dogs
- Vaccinations for puppies
- Frequent deworming using a rotation of at least 2 different deworming medicines to avoid resistance in the worm population for the adult dogs
- Deworming all puppies every 2 weeks
- Heartworm medicine for adults
- State licensing fees (not health related, but mandatory in most states for breeding)
- Higher-cost puppy food formulations
- Higher-cost adult dog foods for pregnant and lactating bitches
- Milk replacer, bottles, nipples, for puppies who cannot nurse or are abandoned by their mother. Are you in a position to feed abandoned puppies every 3 to 4 hours around the clock?
- Sanitary bedding for the litter that can be cleaned/replaced frequently
- New (not used, to avoid parvo) fencing and weather-ready footing for play areas that is safe
Despite excellent health care, sometimes puppies do not live. In fact, more often than not, at least one puppy from each litter will die within three days. Expect potential loss of puppies at any time due to accidents, congenital defects, etc. Have a plan for what you will do with the puppy's body in these events.
How will you ensure your puppies go to good homes?
It would be devastating to learn that a puppy you sold ended up in a puppy mill, living life in a tiny cage with several other dogs and never being loved or able to get exercise. How will you prevent this? Be aware that people will lie to you, never admitting that they own/operate a puppy mill. One way to avoid this is to charge higher prices for your puppies. But, you can't ask high prices for your puppies unless they are worthy of earning that price. Do you have a solid plan to achieve this?
What will you do if you sell a puppy that develops unforeseen health issues?
A simple fact of raising puppies is that this can happen. It doesn't matter if you know that for 4 generations, no dog in the family has ever had a health issue. A crop out problem can occur, and occasionally will occur. Getting a call from one of your pet owners whose dog has to be put to sleep due to an inherited problem is something you must be prepared for.
If it is determined that the problem is genetic, what will you do with the parents of that puppy? Will you breed them again?
Is the whole family on board?
Is everyone ready for the chores, the extra dog poo, the extra noise? Mother dogs, while nursing, eat several times their normal amount of food. All that extra food equates to a tremendous increase in the amount of dog poo that must be cleaned up and disposed of daily.
Who will stay up all night if the mom-to-be begins whelping at 1 a.m.? Will this affect work/school the next day?
What if whelping occurs during the planned family vacation?
What if the puppies need to be fed around the clock with formula if the mother can't or won't nurse them? This could be a few days to a few weeks. Will someone be home to care for the puppies if that happens?
Children under 5 years of age should not be allowed to handle small puppies. Rules must be followed to keep the puppies safe, from "No running" when puppies are around to "No riding your tricycle."
Be prepared also for phone calls that come at all hours from people that see your advertisement, or from customers that have a puppy you sold and that have questions or emergencies.
Think and Plan Before You Breed
It's so easy to just think of the fun and good aspects of breeding and raising puppies...and there are many. But the truth is the path isn't just filled with happy events. Breeding takes a huge commitment and sacrifice. Be sure that you have a plan in place and that you are mentally, physically, and financially capable of dealing with the good, the bad, and the ugly if you decide to breed.
