Breeding from your Bitch
The decision to breed a litter should not be taken lightly & needs careful thought about all the responsibilities involved.
Breeding a litter and caring for Mum and her puppies is expensive and very time consuming.
Please bear in mind the cost of stud fee, health testing, vet fees (especially if a caesarean section is needed), quality food for Mum and pups once weaned. equipment (eg whelping box, bedding, heating, puppy pen). Breeding puppies is not an easy way to make money and sometimes if things go wrong you may find yourself out of pocket.
DDBs can sometimes be difficult to get in whelp, so pre-mating tests should be done. You must also remember that the stud fee is payable for the “service” and is not a guarantee of puppies. A reputable stud dog owner with a proven sire will allow you a “second “ mating at no further charge at a later date, but again this is no guarantee that your bitch will conceive .
Sometimes, it may be necessary to keep puppies for longer than 8 weeks if the right homes are not found, so you need to be prepared for this and for the extra costs involved in feeding & vaccinating older pups.
Looking after a Mum with a newborn litter requires round the clock attention. It is not something you can do if you work full time. Once puppies are weaned, the hard work really begins. It takes countless hours in feeding and cleaning! The breeder must also make the effort to socialise puppies by introducing them to common household noises & letting them meet all different kinds of people, including children, all under careful supervision. Time also needs to be spent on vetting potential owners, making sure that your puppies only go the most suitable homes - this can be one of the most difficult aspects of breeding a litter as enquirers are not always what they seem when they first make contact with a breeder. Sadly not all enquirers can offer a good home environment for a large breed puppy.
Remember there are also occasions when things can and do go disastrously wrong. Sometimes a caesarean section is required to deliver puppies, rarely; a breeder can lose both the bitch and all her puppies. Other problems that could arise include failure of the bitch to produce milk, meaning her puppies have to be hand-reared, requiring bottle feeding every 2 hours round the clock.
Ask yourself if you are able provide advice to new puppy owners should they need it. This means having good knowledge on subjects like puppy training & common health issues. A responsible breeder also has a lifetime responsibility to the puppies they produce. This means being prepared to take back one of their puppies (however old he/she might be) for rehoming should the need arise. Responsible breeders do not "pass the buck" to Rescue or to general Rescue Societies. A breeder must also bear the moral responsibility if any of their puppies develops a hereditary defect. It is your responsibility to have your bitch screened for known hereditary problems such as Hip Dysplasia. (Before you breed) Sometimes the courts will make breeders legally responsible for such defects - buyers are now much more aware of their consumer rights & puppies are treated like any other "goods" under current consumer legislation.
A good book to read is “The Book of the Bitch” by White and Evans which covers all aspects of breeding and rearing a litter. This book is often referred to as the “Breeders Bible” This can be obtained from most book stores or is available on line from Dog World, Our Dogs and Amazon.
