Page 3 | Have you ever breed your dog?

GreenTreeLeaves · 2021-05-28T05:25:00+00:00

I'm considering dipping my toe in considering it. What are important considerations? How did your dog cope? How many times does your dog meet the stud? Do they meet before you hope she'll stand? I adore my dog, she and I have a great bond, I almost feel like I'm betraying her just thinking about it.

Hovverry · 29/05/2021 09:26

Breeds become rare because we no longer need dozens of hunting dogs or a terrier for every region. Almost all dogs in Britain are pets and their breed popularity comes and goes rapidly. It’s actually hard to find homes for rare breed puppies which nobody’s heard of. You could get left with several unsold adolescents.

OldTinHat · 29/05/2021 09:27

I'm shamelessly here because I adore dogs - I'd never heard of Bavarian before. Just googled them and wow! How gorgeous, such a stunning dog! But don't breed from her, let's get all the abandoned dogs rehomed first.

lljkk · 29/05/2021 12:19

2018 stud fees were £200.

Plausible costs
£500 stud fee (or less)
£500 vet care for mum
£1k registration, puppy care, extras, advertising

Plausible worst case costs
£4k c-section & aftercare
£1.5k as above stud & puppy etc

likely 6 puppies, £2k each

Likely profit £10k to £6k
Of course it's a very attractive business plan

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 29/05/2021 16:10

Plus consider as a breeder you are morally (though not legally or ethically) obliged to take back any of your pups at any stage in their lifetime

So you could breed and home 5 puppies and six months down the line get two coming back to you !

joystir59 · 29/05/2021 16:12

Bred

braid · 29/05/2021 16:44

I breed my bitch several years ago. I haven't done it since. I found people very wary of you and didn't like being viewed as some sort of scoundrel. Loads of work and worry. I don't like the whole show thing and breed from a nice family pet of a fairly rare breed. Pups were raised in the home and I had no trouble finding homes. One came back and I wasn't surprised as I had a few concerns when she left. I have always felt responsible for those pups. Two went to friends and the rest local. I didn't do it again as I really don't think there are that many people with room and skills for dogs in their lives. It also gave me more stress than my own babies. I have one of the pups and we spayed her. It is definitely not a way to make money if you do it right. We did have a lot of fun with the pups but we had loads of space. I would recommend the Book of the Bitch for anyone considering this.

joystir59 · 29/05/2021 16:56

Breed present tense, bred past tense.

cupsofcoffee · 29/05/2021 17:00

@lljkk

2018 stud fees were £200.

Plausible costs
£500 stud fee (or less)
£500 vet care for mum
£1k registration, puppy care, extras, advertising

Plausible worst case costs
£4k c-section & aftercare
£1.5k as above stud & puppy etc

likely 6 puppies, £2k each

Likely profit £10k to £6k
Of course it's a very attractive business plan

Except you risk losing your dog in the process.

My dogs life is worth way more than 10k "profit".

Myusername33 · 29/05/2021 17:06

I used to work as a veterinary nurse and I would never breed my dog. Why risk putting your beloved dog though a c section or any other complication just so you can have some puppies. Believe me a c section for a dog is a horrible, painful, terrifying experience. Your dog doesn’t care if she never has puppies, you are doing it for you and that’s incredibly selfish of you ask me.

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 29/05/2021 18:08

If nobody ever breeds their dog, there will be very soon to be no dogs other than random bred ones who are either feral or owned by the irresponsible.

cupsofcoffee · 29/05/2021 18:13

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman

If nobody ever breeds their dog, there will be very soon to be no dogs other than random bred ones who are either feral or owned by the irresponsible.

We'll never be in a situation where nobody breeds their dogs.

But that doesn't mean every random Tom, Dick and Harry with no knowledge of what they're doing should give it a go

Myusername33 · 29/05/2021 18:47

I’m sure there will always be plenty of people willing to breed. But I would never do it to my dog anymore than I would put my children in a potentially dangerous and traumatic situation for money or my own entertainment. I know plenty of people disagree with that, but from my own experiences of seeing the outcomes of dog breeding when it goes wrong I couldn’t do it.

WineAcademy · 29/05/2021 18:52

I knew someone who wanted to breed her dog for spurious reasons. I'll say the same thing to you as I said to her: it's a stupid idea. She got angry and ended our friendship over my stance, but honestly I think breeding dogs is a terrible idea 99.9% of the time, and this woman was a terrible dog owner in the first place. I don't know anything about you, of course, apart from what you've shared here, and even so I think it's a terrible idea.

giraffelonglegs · 30/05/2021 09:08

I've read the whole thread and sounds like you've realised this isn't the right thing to do OP.

I just wanted to drop in my thoughts. I've had 3 dogs all rescues. All of a breed that shows at Crufts and would be considered premium if sold as puppies. We also foster dogs and just yesterday let one go to her forever family, I'm still crying.....please please don't breed - the world doesn't need more puppies. The world needs people who have a rescue dog shaped hole in their life, who can change the life of an unwanted dog in a shelter.

I hope you find a different way to promote the breed and find the financial boost you need

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 31/05/2021 17:45

It was more the attitude of so many on the thread that Breeding is Bad. Always. They'd never ever breed their own dog. Etc.

Breeding can be bad. But it can also be done well, and I'd rather buy a puppy from someone who has thoughtfully and carefully bred a pet who is a good example of a breed than any dog at all from a puppy farm or a large commercial facility.

Ginmakesitallok · 31/05/2021 18:23

We've already had folk asking if we're going to 'let" our pup have pups of her own When we tell them no, and that because she's a white boxer we couldn't anyway they look at us as if we're mad...

Anotherhill · 31/05/2021 18:26

Funny how so many people are thinking about from breeding from their’ perfect dog’ since the price of pups has gone up

cupsofcoffee · 31/05/2021 18:33

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman

It was more the attitude of so many on the thread that Breeding is Bad. Always. They'd never ever breed their own dog. Etc.

Breeding can be bad. But it can also be done well, and I'd rather buy a puppy from someone who has thoughtfully and carefully bred a pet who is a good example of a breed than any dog at all from a puppy farm or a large commercial facility.

It can be done well, I agree. I got my dog from a breeder so I'm certainly not against it, but if you have to come and ask on an internet forum about whether you should breed your pet, you probably shouldn't

Merchymor · 31/05/2021 18:45

My neighbour has just bred her pet dog and it seems to have gone well though a lot of hard work.

I lost all respect for her though, it just seemed like a cruel way to make money out of inflated lockdown puppies by putting her pet through it.

lljkk · 31/05/2021 20:05

honestly I don't know answer to this Q

I would only want a non-designer mix breed preferably rescue, certainly not stupidly expensive dog

Meanwhile, I perceive that people who would be willing to pay £2k/puppy are never going to consider an adult rescue dog with issues & history as a pet. Telling them to not get an expensive puppy will mean zero chance of them getting a rescue instead.

Do I have unfair prejudice?

Leonberger · 31/05/2021 20:26

@ikizukuri I have both a rescue ‘mongrel’ and expensive pedigrees.

Just because you have one does not mean you won’t consider the other.

Unfortunately though the vast majority of people are not experienced enough for rescue dogs. I feel like telling everyone on every thread to go get a rescue dog probably not suitable for them is not the way to solve the current rescue dog situation. If everyone got the dog that fit their lifestyle and were realistic about their abilities, time, experience and what they can offer the dog then maybe less of them would be surrendered in the first place.
Lots of people do say it’s how you bring them up but that’s a load of crap, genetics shapes the dog more than anything in my experience!

cupsofcoffee · 31/05/2021 20:33

@lljkk

honestly I don't know answer to this Q

I would only want a non-designer mix breed preferably rescue, certainly not stupidly expensive dog

Meanwhile, I perceive that people who would be willing to pay £2k/puppy are never going to consider an adult rescue dog with issues & history as a pet. Telling them to not get an expensive puppy will mean zero chance of them getting a rescue instead.

Do I have unfair prejudice?

Nobody is entitled to a dog, though.

I just wish people would think about what they're doing when they decide to breed their "beloved pet". The consequences can last for generations.

cupsofcoffee · 31/05/2021 20:40

Unfortunately though the vast majority of people are not experienced enough for rescue dogs. I feel like telling everyone on every thread to go get a rescue dog probably not suitable for them is not the way to solve the current rescue dog situation. If everyone got the dog that fit their lifestyle and were realistic about their abilities, time, experience and what they can offer the dog then maybe less of them would be surrendered in the first place.

I agree with this 100%.

Many homes are not suitable for rescues, but that doesn't mean they're not suitable for well-bred, healthy puppies from good breeders.

I know my lifestyle isn't set up for me to take on a rescue - I have other animals whose needs have to be considered. Any dog I take in would need to be able to come to work with me - which means they'd need to be excellent with other dogs, car travel and new people.

So, I wouldn't be able to take on a dog that was dog-aggressive or dog-reactive. I also couldn't take on a dog that was reactive to strangers or that was car-sick. They'd also not be able to have separation anxiety as I'm out of the house for too long and not all dogs are suited to daycare.

My current lifestyle is set up, to a large extent, because of my current dogs' needs. I wouldn't be able to adapt it again to suit another dog with totally different needs.

CommunistLegoBloc · 31/05/2021 21:09

I've got a rescue dog, who was categorically not an easy re-home. I've also got a pedigree puppy. The two are not mutually exclusive 🤷

When my old rescue dies, I'll assess whether a puppy or a rescue would fit in best with the life I have at that time.

Tylila · 31/05/2021 21:31

I breed a certain type of small animal and am in the middle of the breeding season.

So far in six weeks I’ve paid out £40 for a vet check for an eye infection in one of the babies, £350 for emergency lifesaving treatment for one mother and I’m currently hand rearing her litter of 11 (feeds every couple of hours) one of whom is also unwell and requires extra attention and injecting with subcutaneous fluids (additional vet visit cost of £40 for that baby and we still may lose her) That’s before we look at the costs of worming medications (£10) and vet checks (£40-£80) before the litters go to their new homes.

Food bill has increased by an extra half of what it is usually.

That’s before we get to the constant demands on my time for feeding, cleaning, training and playing.

Regardless of the animal, the commitments are huge.

Have you ever breed your dog?

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