Not everyone has an interest to breed dogs. To some, it may be a calling of some sort. For others, it serves as a pastime and to increases their pets at home. Your goal here is to improve a certain breed of dog, and if you have a different reason, you should think twice about it.
True enough, there are lots of books and dog breeding sites out there that claim they can help you in breeding dogs. Well, here’s the sad part- it’s quite different when you’re doing the actual stuff.
If you own a pet, you probably won’t know if your dog has a genetic problem unless an expert tells you so. You don’t have any idea about dams getting lost, struggling bitches, or breech births. The only things you know are how to groom your pet, give them exercise, and feed them. Being a breeder is much more complicated because you need to attend to a lot of things.
If you want to become a successful dog breeder, here are helpful tips for you:
• Find a reputable vet in your area. Has your female dog been examined to ensure that she is in perfect condition and at the peak of health? You should also request the vet to assist you in getting a certification that your dog is free from inherited diseases or genetic problems.
• Since you own a female dog, you need to prepare your place to house puppies soon. You can designate a room in your house for the whelping, or you can build another room near the garage; that is if you still have extra space in your yard.
• Get a certificate from the kennel club or the AKC. Crossbreeds don’t get good standards but if you have a purebred, much better.
• Find a reputable stud owner. If you can’t find one locally, you might want to look somewhere else. You should also check for the past performance of the stud. You can also try the new studs as they command lower fees, but you may be at risk. It’s a good idea to stick with reputable and experienced stud owners because they can assist during the whelping stage and in caring for your pups.
• Don’t forget to check for the certificate of the stud. The dog should also be free from any genetic faults and conditions like brucellosis, eye problems, etc. Even dogs have sexually transmitted diseases, so always be on guard.
• Exercise your female dog but be careful because, at this stage, the dog is very sensitive.
• Mating should be done at the place of the stud and not yours. Prepare your female to go to the place of the stud.
• For best results, mating should be initiated on the 9-13th day when the female is in heat.
• The female is often uncomfortable during mating, but you need to ensure that the ‘tie’ lasts for about 10 minutes for the best results.
• Pregnancy can be confirmed 3 weeks after the mating. Check with your vet.
If your dog is pregnant, you now have to prepare for whelping and caring for the pups. You will also do a lot of paperwork for the registration and selling of the pups. Good luck.
