You also need to be confident that you can accept responsibility for all puppies born to your dog, even after they have gone to new owners. You may need to provide assistance with issues such as training and socialisation and in some cases, you might need to take back a dog if there are problems.
You should only breed from a female dog who is fit, healthy and shows a good temperament. Before mating, the bitch should have health tests to check if there are any conditions she could pass on to her puppies.
Age should also be taken into account. It is recommended to wait until a bitch is at least one year and has had a full season already before attempting to mate. Once a dog is over the age of around eight, the risks of mating and whelping begin to increase.
If you plan to register the puppies with the Kennel Club, you should check the bitch and the stud are already KC registered and meet the relevant criteria. The Kennel Club is unlikely to register puppies where:. If you intend to breed from your bitch, you should make sure she has optimum nutrition and has had all the vet care she needs prior to mating.
You should also start to keep records of her heat cycles, which will help you to predict the due date of her litter when she gets pregnant.
If you decide that your female dog is unsuitable for breeding, it is advisable to have her spayed to prevent unwanted pregnancies and to protect her from health issues in future. Breeding puppies successfully is time-consuming, potentially costly and requires quite a bit of knowledge. Before you begin, you should be clear that you have the resources to breed properly. You will need to keep an eye out for signs of infection in the mother, keep the whelping box clean and fresh, ensure the family has the vet checks they need and generally ensure a calm, quiet atmosphere while the pups are tiny.
If something goes wrong, for example the dam does not produce enough milk for the pups, the process can be even more time-consuming, as you will need to find a foster mother or use milk replacer products. You will need to be able to cover veterinary costs such as pre-breeding tests, vaccinations and attendance during the birth if whelping is not straightforward. In a worst-case scenario, you may need to deliver the pups by caesarean section, or have the dam treated for issues such as haemorrhage or infection.
The best way to protect yourself and your pets against costly vet bills is to take out multi pet insurance. By combining all your pets on a single policy, you can save money and ensure you have the cover you need. You will need to know how to support your dog through pregnancy and whelping, including understanding the signs that veterinary assistance is required. You should be familiar with all you need to do to keep the bitch and her litter healthy in the early days, and how to socialise the pups when they find their feet.
The stud you choose should have a pedigree that is compatible with your bitch, as well as a clean bill of health. Before breeding, the stud should be checked for inherited diseases which apply to that breed. Of course, you can always choose to create a crossbreed litter. Some mixed breed dogs are immensely popular, mixing the best characteristics of two pedigrees. The size and temperament of crossbreed dogs is hard to predict, and deliveries can also be higher risk, perhaps even requiring a caesarean section.
Watch dogs in action and study the pedigrees of those you like. Ask questions of breeders involved in your breed. Find and attend a local club meeting to meet other breeders. Read, read, read! Your library and bookstore are invaluable sources of information about canine health and breeding. The AKC Gazette and other dog magazines have informative articles about breeding as well. Every dog is the best dog in the world to its owner. The goal of breeding, after all, is to produce a better dog and a quality pet.
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. One of the best ways to get an objective opinion of your dog is to test it against others. Consider attending a dog show to determine how your dog measures up against the best specimens of its breed.
Raising puppies is a full-time job. Puppies are even more work and more fun! The extra feeding, cleanup, grooming, training, and veterinary care adds up to a lot of hours — and not much free time for you. Another factor that you must consider is the financial cost of having a litter of puppies. From the genetic screening and health tests before breeding to the extra food, supplies, and medical care required after the puppies are born, the cost of whelping and raising puppies can be very high, especially if complications arise.
Responsible breeders make sure that their puppy goes to an owner who will provide it with the same love and devotion for life that the breeder has provided.
This means careful screening and evaluation of each person or family interested in getting a puppy. Responsible breeders learn everything they can about their breed and know all the pros and cons of ownership. It is important to share this information — including the negative aspects — with prospective puppy owners. You should be ready to explain why a dog requiring a lot of coat care or training may not be the best match for a workaholic or why a tiny dog may not be appropriate for a family with small, active children.
You should be committed to placing puppies with owners who will provide excellent care. The first thing to consider when choosing a mating pair is to ensure that both the sire dog and dam bitch are AKC registered. When selecting a breeding partner most likely a sire for your dam , there is a simple principle to bear in mind: mate animals that complement one another. This is an area where research and the advice and experience of other breeders are invaluable.
Temperament is a hereditary trait in dogs, although it can be influenced by other external factors. Selection over many generations eventually produced breeds with the correct temperament to pull sleds, follow scent on trails, or retrieve game. The inheritance factors of temperament are complex.
However, you should never consider breeding a dog with a questionable temperament. As far as health goes, you should be aware that dogs are subject to many hereditary defects, some of which are potentially crippling or fatal. If you breed, your goal should be to produce dogs that are not affected by the major known hereditary diseases occurring in your breed.
To be an effective breeder, you should have a basic understanding of the science of genetics. That is why it is essential to study the pedigrees of your mating pair. The more knowledge you have as you make your selection, the more likely you are to produce a litter with the qualities you desire. You should also be well-versed in the genetic problems that affect your breed. Genetic defects can occur in any breed and can affect any system in the body.
Some genetic diseases may occur in many breeds; others occur in only one or a few breeds. The following is a brief explanation of how genetic defects may be inherited and expressed. Diseases that follow a dominant pattern of inheritance need only one abnormal gene.
That is, if only one parent is affected, the condition will show up in each successive generation. Some individuals may be only mildly affected with the condition, making it difficult to detect. In such cases, the condition can mistakenly be thought to skip generations. Diseases that follow a recessive pattern of inheritance occur in homozygous individuals, meaning dogs with two abnormal genes.
Dogs with one mutant and one normal gene are heterozygous, and they are carriers of the condition. They appear normal but can pass the abnormal gene to their offspring. Recessive mutant genes can be passed through many generations before emerging in the offspring of two dogs that carry the same genetic mutation. Polygenic disorders result from the cumulative action of a number of different genes.
The exact number of genes involved and their individual functions are difficult to determine, and the pattern of inheritance tends to vary from family to family. Polygenic inheritance can sometimes mimic either dominant or recessive inheritance, and this feature may lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the type of underlying genetic abnormality. Chromosomal anomalies — defects in chromosome number and structure — can also cause genetic diseases.
Dogs normally have 39 pairs of chromosomes on which genes are located. Major abnormalities in chromosome number and structure can produce serious defects. You have performed all necessary health checks, genetic screenings, and selected the perfect mate for your bitch.
It is an excellent idea to work out a contract with the owner of the stud dog before breeding takes place. The agreement concerning stud fees should be in writing and clearly state all obligations and circumstances. The contract should be signed by all parties to the transaction, and each signer should receive a copy. The mode of payment may differ.
The contract may state that the owner of the sire is not obligated to sign an AKC litter registration application until the stud fee has been paid. Keep in mind that the AKC cannot settle disputes between individuals in regards to contracts and breeding arrangements.
Good puppies start long before breeding ever takes place. Both parents need long-term care — what dog people call conditioning — to produce the best offspring. This means regular veterinary care, screening for genetic problems, pre-breeding tests, and regular exercise and good nutrition.
Bitches should not be overweight and should have good muscle tone before breeding. Additionally, a bitch that is in good mental condition will make a better mother than a bitch that is insecure, snappy, or has an otherwise unstable temperament.
One month before breeding, the bitch should have a thorough pre-breeding physical examination by a veterinarian. Her vaccinations should be current, and she should be tested and treated for parasites. You may also want to have the bitch and male tested for brucellosis, an infectious bacterial disease that can cause sterility or spontaneous abortion in affected dogs. The age at which dogs reach sexual maturity depends to a large extent on their breed.
Small breeds tend to mature faster than large breeds. On average, however, males become fertile after six months of age and reach full sexual maturity by 12 to 15 months. Healthy stud dogs may remain sexually active and fertile to old age. Adult males are able to mate at any time. Bitches have their first estrus also know as season or heat after six months of age, although it can occur as late as 18 months to two years of age. Estrus recurs at intervals of approximately six months until late in life.
During estrus, the female is fertile and will accept a male. The bitch should not be bred during her first season. Keep in mind that AKC Rules do not allow, except with special documentation, the registration of a litter out of a dam less than 8 months or more than 12 years of age at the time of mating, or by a sire less than 7 months or more than 12 years of age at the time of mating. Responsible breeders generally do not breed a bitch at the first heat to avoid imposing the stress of pregnancy and lactation on a young, growing animal.
It is also customary to avoid breeding a bitch on consecutive heats to allow sufficient time for recuperation between pregnancies. Most dogs are first bred between the 10th and 14th day after the onset of proestrus. As long as the bitch will accept the male, mating every other day for a total of two or three matings is generally considered sufficient. However, signs of proestrus are not obvious in some bitches. To catch the peak fertile period, a veterinarian may need to perform hormone tests or examine vaginal smears under a microscope.
Bitches are usually less inhibited by new environments so they are usually taken to the stud. Breedings involving young males proceed more smoothly if they are paired with experienced bitches. Sometimes human handlers must step in with assistance or guidance during breedings. Some breeds are more apt to need assistance than others because of anatomical considerations.
Discussing this process with your own breeder will help you be prepared. During breeding, the male mounts the female from the rear and clasps her midsection with his front legs. Rapid pelvic thrusts follow until penetration and ejaculation take place. After the pelvic thrusts cease, the dog and bitch will not separate for 10 to 30 minutes.
Known as a tie, this results from a swollen section of the penis called the bulbus glandis. Surprisingly, male dogs appear to be more stress sensitive than females during mating. Successful matings are more common when the male dog is in its own environment. For this reason, females are usually taken to the male dog's home for breeding. The time of mating is extremely critical and it is highly recommended that you have tested your female to determine the optimal days for breeding.
For most females, the best time for breeding is between the tenth and fourteenth day of oestrus. However, some females ovulate as early as the third or fourth day or as late as the eighteenth day. Blood tests will assist in determining the best period for your dog. It is normal to arrange for two matings for your dog, often twenty-four or forty-eight hours apart.
Check these details with the owner of the stud when making initial enquiries. Also, inquire as to the procedure if your female dog does not become pregnant as a result of the stud service.
It is common for owners of the male dog to offer a free service next time. The genital anatomy of the male and female is such that during coitus part of the dog's penis the bulbis glandis enlarges and is held firmly by the contracted muscles of the vagina, thus preventing the penis from being withdrawn. This is the "tie" that is considered a desirable feature of a successful mating. It is important to note that pregnancy can occur without a "tie".
Once "tied" the male dog will often step over the female or be turned by handlers into a position so that the animals are back to back. There is little point in trying to separate animals that are locked in this way. Buckets of cold water, water pistols, cap guns, and so forth do little to speed up the process of separation and merely upset the dogs. In fact, forced separation can result in serious injury to the female and should be avoided.
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