Breeding Considerations
Allowing your female pet to have puppies can have more influence on your pet’s health and well being than just about anything else that your pet can experience. The consequences to the puppies and the problems that they may encounter, or add to, can be many. The decision to breed a pet often arises form our own personal desires, such as “it will be educational for our child”, “we need to keep the family line going”, or “she will never make a good pet until she has had one or two litters”. The decision to breed rather than spay your pet should be responsibly made, and all pertinent questions should be asked ahead of time. The following are just a few of the questions and concerns that should be addressed.
Is My Pet or Animal Suitable for Breeding?
In general only purebred animals should be bred, and they should possess the physical characteristics desirable for that breed. Puppies from mixed bred parents are hard to find homes for, much less sell. Mixed breed puppies often go to whoever will have them, and so many times go on to produces offspring of their own. Gaston County alone puts to sleep over 10,000 animals a year with most of these coming from animals that were allowed to reproduce for the wrong reasons.
Is My Pet Physically in Condition to Be Bred?
Prior to breeding, your pet should receive a thorough physical exam. The veterinarian will determine if the body characteristics for that breed are suitable, if there are health concerns that can be genetic and overall condition and general health of the animal for breeding. So many problems encountered in pets should not have occurred if only careful attention had been paid to the selection of the parents. Also, a good exam can alert owners and breeders to situations that can lead to problems during pregnancy and birth, and can possibly avoid undue risk to the animals as well as expense in the long run.
Does My Pet Have the Personality Type Which is Suitable to Breed?
The Personality of your pet is the result of genetics, environment and training. In general, personality traits tend to be passed on to the offspring. Traits such as aggressiveness or a tendency to be hyper are not desirable. In addition, hyper animals do not generally make good mothers; having an aggressive animal with offspring could result in aggressive behavior towards owners and handlers and possibly to their own offspring.
What About the Male My Pet is Being Bred to?
The male as well as the female should be selected for those characteristics that are desirable and screened for undesirable characteristics.
How Much Work Will I Be Doing if
I Breed My Pet?
Leaving a male and female animal together and letting Mother Nature and instinct do the rest is a sure recipe for problems. Careful planning and education can probably prevent the vast majority of problems seen by veterinarians related to pregnancy, birth and care of puppies. Some areas that have to be considered when breeding are diet, veterinary care, housing requirements, neonatal care, birthing assistance, and probably most important: when do I need to seek help?
Breeding pets can be a very rewarding experience for owner. Responsible breeding requires a lot of preparation, work, and dedication. Our objective is not to discourage people from breeding their pet, but rather to share with you some of our concerns. We believe very strongly in the statement, “unless a person is willing to commit to education themselves as to what is involved in breeding, and see that commitment through, they would undoubtedly be much happier in the long run to have their pet spayed”.
