Should we let our beautiful lab have puppies?

[SmiledWithTheRisingSun]

I know it would be SUPER hard work. But I really live the idea of letting yer have a litter & the kids are desperate to have pups. Then at the same time the grown up sensible side of me says it would just mean shovelling poo for 12 weeks & no sleep.... can anyone share their experiences of doing this? What are the pros & cons? 🐾

(Sorry for all the typos!! 🙄)

Well you will be slated for even asking this on MN. They aren’t into puppies and certainly not backyard breeders! All dogs should be rescue...

But in the real world there are always people who want a puppy. The hardest bit is finding a decent home that you trust and it’s not a potential puppy farmer. You will have to health test etc.

But why not? If you can find decent homes and have the time and wherewithal - you will manage

Having pups would be for your benefit not your dogs. They don’t pine to have kids. Do not bring more puppies into an already dog saturated world. I’m sure the money you could get for them has nothing to with it huh?

Don't do this. Dogs don't need to have puppies, and there's lots of risks. For starters, labs are at high risk of HD. Do you know what her scores are? What her parents and grandparents scores are?

No, don't do it. Apart from everything else, it's very difficult to find good homes for puppies. They could well go to homes who use them to farm puppies...

If you are going to do it properly.... have her fully health tested (not just checked). Look on the KC website for a list of checks labs need to have, it's definitely elbows and hips. What were her parents scores... were they good?

Be willing to give lifetime back up for all the pups if the situation ever changes for their new owners.

Don't do this. Dogs don't need to have puppies, and there's lots of risks. For starters, labs are at high risk of HD. Do you know what her scores are? What her parents and grandparents scores are?

And can you also be sure of the sire's scores?

You don't 'let' a dog have puppies. And certainly not just to keep your kids entertained for a few weeks. How will they feel when the pups have to leave?

My dad has an old saying that you should never breed from you favourite mare or bitch, and I think it's very wise because there is always a risk that you could lose them, or at least face expensive bills.
You've got to have the funding for proper health checks, including vaccinations, worming, microchips and registrations for the puppies. Vetting potential owners is also vital and not always easy.

Personally I refuse to breed dogs when thousands of them are stuck in shelters and getting euthanised, including pedigrees, this is how one of your puppies could end up if you aren't wholly committed to care of them for life. There are even more dogs at risk due to coronavirus and the impending financial issues created by it. I think you know what the right thing to do is, your children wanting cute puppies isn't a good enough reason.

Only if your bitch and chosen sire are a good example of her breed and KC registered. You do all of the temperament / hipscore / blood test on them both. She is at least 2.5 years old. And you want a pup for yourself. You need to commit to taking back the pups at any point if they don't adapt to their new homes and have a couple of £k spare for any issues during pregnancy and labour. Be very, very fussy about who they are sold to and who comes to view.

No. You clearly have done no research at all into having a litter. 12 weeks? Where does that come from?

Bare minimum health tests are hips, elbows, eyes, EIC, prcd-PRA and CNM. Would you know where to find a stud dog who is a complement to your bitch, who would improve her characteristics?

Do you have any idea how long it takes finding perfect homes for up to twelve puppies? And how long it takes supporting those owners for the life span of their dog? Are you in a position to take back any of the puppies if their owners can no longer keep them? Where would you advertise your puppies? Are you prepared to be a KC registered breeder? Is your bitch registered? Are their endorsements on her registration?

I can give you an idea of the costs of raising a litter - do you have the cash behind you to cover every eventuality? A section for example is in the region of £2k.

Finally, the risk to your bitches life is very, very real. You have to think long and hard about whether you could live with losing her. She will never thank you for ‘letting her’ have puppies.

Yeah so I have done this.

My best friend is a champion show dog breeder. She is an assured KC breeder, as am I.

I have 3 of hers and have had 3 litters over 10 years, the last is currently 5 weeks inside and due July.

Agree with points made above.

Not sure what you mean about shovelling poop for 12 weeks. Generally speaking 8 weeks is when puppies show ready to go to new homes. Mother cleans them up to about four weeks.

It is a huge amount of work in the sense that it's a huge amount of responsibility. Children and puppies don't really mix until puppies are maybe 6 weeks, so 2 weeks of fun. Rejection is a huge risk if people are allowed in to quickly. You need somewhere very quiet and comfy for her to be left in peace. Certainly at the start.

The risk to your bitch is massive, hand rearing puppies is no joke. Your bitch may change significantly. It can trigger guarding, aggression, future phantom pregnancies, to name but a few.

In the years I have done this and watched friend I have never had so many ridiculous enquiries for puppies. This litter is highly sought after and we have people who have been waiting years, but seriously hard work dealing with enquiries just now.

Any litter here is only taken from a healthy, proven bitch with a line of exceptional breeding. For example say woofy had 8 puppies, 4 and 4. From that litter maybe one would be suitable to take a future litter from. Do you have that one? Have you spoken to your dogs breeder? Are there any problems elsewhere in the line you may not be aware of?

What about the dog? What's his record? Where did you find him? We have travelled as far as Ireland to secure the correct dog and friend Holland. That's another cost and consideration.

We do first jags, micro chipping, scanning, worming, puppy packs, breed assured food. Again, another expense. Especially when you could be looking at a large number of puppies.

Would you be happy whelping her? We tend to work together, live close by. Lots of puppies, someone watching bitch, the other the puppies. Do you have the confidence to know if something is wrong or you need help?

I think you need to find out a lot more about breeding first: really read up on it, what normally happens, what can go wrong, how much it is likely to cost.

Then consider if your bitch is a good, solid, example of the breed. What's her conformation like - does she have any weaknesses that could lead to later issues? Does she have an even bite? What is her temperament like. Don't just make this assessment yourself: get someone who knows about dogs to take a look. Take a good look at her pedigree and consider her ancestry. If working, any FTCh or FTW? If show, any winners? Then think about health tests, especially hip scoring.

then consider how you would bring up the puppies. Do you know when to wean them? What to feed them? How to start their socialisation?

Once you've done all that and got good health test results, only then think about a stud, and put him through the same mental mill as your bitch - conformation, temperament, pedigree, health tests. And consider the co-efficient of inbreeding with your bitch.

You can endorse pedigree puppies for export (so they cannot be sold abroad) and breeding (so that their progeny cannot be registered by the KC) but that doesn't stop someone breeding unregistered litters.

I've got nothing against someone breeding their pet, provided that they understand what they're doing, think about health, temperament and inbreeding, and home the puppies very carefully with a clause in the contract that if the new owner can't cope, you have to be the first port of call for at least advice on rehoming, if not actually taking the puppy/ teenaged lout back.

Lots and lots to think about.

No

Personally I wouldn't as the health risks to your pet is huge. Dogs don't need to have puppies to be happy, unfortunately where I am 'letting dogs have a litter' is very common and never done responsibly.

However. If you do your research, get health testing and are safe to go ahead. Please don't do it now. There are already far too many people breeding pets for ridiculous prices, wait a year or two.

I'm not against pets having litters, but all too often the sires aren't health tested and temperaments aren't sound.

Just no.

Firstly, don't ask on this board. Not the kindest or most supportive of places.
Secondly, it's your dog and your choice. If you think you can handle it, and find good homes for the puppies, why not? Do your research into risks etc obviously.
Thirdly - yes, they can and do pine to have puppies. It's an instinct.
And yes, it would be amazing for the kids.

No personal experience though.

No, @icedaisy has said all I was going to say. Leave it to the proper breeders and just enjoy your girl.

Thirdly - yes, they can and do pine to have puppies. It's an instinct - I'd love to know what evidence you have for this

And yes, it would be amazing for the kids - less so if their beloved pet or any of the puppies die in the process.

Ignoring all ethical reasons. It's really hard work. Lots of tests to do on her first. Then find a stud dog who is suitable. Possible risks of needing extra medical help and c section. Costs a fortune as normally in emergency vet hours. Please be aware that your normal insurance policy will probably be void whilst you breed her. Some policies I know of actually will exclude everything if you ever breed from the dog. So you could end up paying for a policy that never pays out.if you go into it well researched then you could end up with some lovely sociable family puppy's. But it's a lot of work

No to breeding from your dog.

Even if you have done all the health tests there are a lot of behavioural training that you have to do from 5 days of age onwards - the learning curve is huge.

@daisydotandgertie brilliant to see you

I certainly wouldn't be doing this, especially with the view that my kids would love to have a bunch of puppies to play with. Apart from that and money what benefit is there to letting your dog have puppies?

No

No

Not the kindest or most supportive of places.
It would be neither kind nor supportive to tell the OP to go for it. Not kind to her, her kids or to the dog. Not kind to the pups if she doesn't know what she's doing. Not kind to future owners if the pups had health problems.

No personal experience though.

So, OP, maybe best listen to icedaisy, who does have personal experience.

Thanks for the replies!
It's not just for my kids 🙄
Apparently it's good for bitches to have a litter - reduces chances of them getting hormone related cancer.

She is KC registered. From a very good breeder. So we have her parents hip/eye scores etc.., And obvs I'm aware of cost implications with vaccinations, hip scores etc... So to be honest it doesn't sound amazingly lucrative!!

I was simply hoping to get some advice from someone who has bred dogs.

If you are against the very idea of dogs having puppies then I don't think you can answer my questions.

Thanks anyway.