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RE: How to become a breeder

Pitbullpridekennels — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:03:02 GMT

Honestly once you have your first litter of pure bred pups your technically a breeder if you wish to be an ethical breeder i suggest doing these things

Step1
Decide if breeding dogs is right for you.

This is NOT a get rich quick scheme. If you go into this with the thought of simply making money, you will certainly fall flat on your face. I am not like the slew of other breeders out there and I will tell you like it is. It is possible to make a profit by raising dogs PROPERLY but it takes hard work and patience to get there. Raising dogs ethically will take a great deal of research, time, expense and total dedication to taking all the right steps.
Step2
Decide which breed is best for you.

There are many factors to take into consideration. Please do not decided based on which breed you feel is the most physically attractive or sells for the most money. You will surely fail quickly if you do it that way.
You must consider things such as your own personality; what breed will mesh well with you. Make a list and then start researching each one and then eliminating ones who have traits or risks your not willing to deal with.
Step3
Dealing with established breeders.

You not only need to deal with them in order to get your first dogs but you will do well to attempt to convince at least one of them to mentor you. For this reason among many others, the wisest move would be to choose the breeder before you choose the puppy/dog.
Step4
Buying your first dogs.

There are many decisions to be made when you decide you want to start breeding. You need to start out with the best possible dogs/lines that you can. You need to know what your looking for and what questions to ask.
Step5
Feeding your dogs.

If your going to demand performance and production from your dogs they need to be in optimal health. This starts with a well thought out diet. You need to research canine nutrition now, not when you have dogs already ringing their dinner bells.
Step6
Vetting.

You need to choose a good vet... a *breeders vet* and you need to have some inkling of the basic care your chosen breed will require and about how much this will cost you in maintenance. Then factor in that you are going to have costly surprises along the way if you choose to breed dogs. Plan for this ahead of time.
Step7
Grooming.

Whether you wish to show or not, grooming is vital to any responsible dog ownership. Add breeding to that demand and you have more grooming responsibilities and likely more dogs to groom as well. This is not just brushing. This is proper coat and skin care, eye care, ear care, paw care, and everything else from anal gland cleaning to cleaning of the teeth. All directly effect your dog's health, not just their looks.
Step8
Housing your dogs.

There is SO much to learn about housing your dogs whether you are keeping them in your home with you or if you plan to build a nicely run kennel. I'd be writing for a month if I were to explain each area of housing your going to need to research and decide upon. It's wise to get all this done before you attempt to go forward towards your first breeding.
Step9
Showing your dogs.

You will hear it time and time again... "A good breeder shows their dogs". To this I say HOG WASH!! Total bunk! Many good breeders do not show for various reasons. This does not mean they do not have breeding quality animals worthy of being used to improve their breed.

However... showing your dogs is a valuable tool towards your goal (or should be your goal!) of improving first your own line and second, the breed in general. Any breeder who doesn't consider it as a valued tool is a fool.
But there is more than 'beauty shows' to consider as being valuable. If you have hunting dogs, hunt! prove them in that regard!; avid agility breed - compete in agility; carting breed - cart! Etc.. etc..
Step10
Then you need to know basic dog breeding anatomy and calendars. Hope you enjoy science!
Step11
Speak with your mentor, maybe even sit in on a few whelpings or ask the vet to watch c-sections. Then after you think your prepared for what can happen on whelping day... think again! Every single litter will be different. Some will have wonderful surprises but many will have their share of "Oh No!" moments. Try and be prepared ahead of time for such cases.
Step12
Raising the litter until they are old enough to leave your care is tedious, time consuming and can at times feel thankless, and expensive with shots, wormings, extra hungry mouths, etc. One thing that I say is when you have pet dogs, you own dogs. When you breed dogs they own you! Your time is no longer your own. You will need to dedicate 24/7 to their needs. Placing them first at all times. I, myself, spend the first 2 weeks day and night with my litters. Even sleeping on a cot next to them. After my many, many years of raising dogs, I assure you this is not for pure enjoyment of being their slave but because it's what is in the best interest of my dogs and for the litters I ASKED TO COME INTO THIS WORLD.
Step13
It may seem like the last step but now you need to learn how to properly advertise your litter. You won't want your hard earned new fuzzy pups to go to just anyone with an open wallet. Your going to need to know how to question them, field their questions, perhaps ship, and also how to nicely say no when your not comfortable with having one of your pups go live with them. This also means you need to be prepared long before they litter hit the ground that you could be raising each one of these puppies as your own ... for life.. and without resentment.
Step14
And finally, you need to be there for the life of that puppy even after they go live with someone else. After sale support hopefully for the next 10-15 years or so. If you do all these things properly, years later you will find yourself with a higher percentage of repeat puppy buyers than dealing with strangers as I am now blessed.

RE: How to become a breeder

Collie/GSD/Sheltie/Corgi/Russell_luvr — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:08 GMT

I'm currently studying to be a breeder of Collies and Shelties in the future.
Do LOTS and I mean LOTS of studying. Years of it. Then, get a good mentor who has been breeding for at least 10 years. Learn all the ins and outs of breeding, as well as all about dogs and genetics.
I put all my studied-for knowledge on breeding on my own website dedicated to the basic breeder/breeding info, please take a look at it:
cookiemiller.tripod.com

RE: How to become a breeder

hhadley — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:03:41 GMT

and you dont neccesarily have to have a girl

if you are going to breed there needs to be a purpose for you breeding you cant just buy a couple dogs and start breeding even if youve done tons of research.

starting young is good.. go to some dog shows get to know breeders and handlers .. professional handlers should be able to tell just as much as a breeder .. get to know the breed before you go buy one.. i personally love viszlas and have show several but there not for everyone .. you need to have alot of common sense when it comes to breeding it take twice as much work as poeple think

and as long as you have the resources you can start at any age

i am 15 and have been showing dogs for several years and my mom and i breed aussies... and i know as much if not more than my mom ... you need to get together with a well known breeder and have him/her help you out.. most breeders are more than willing to co-own a dog with a young person and help them get started in dogs

RE: How to become a breeder

outcast13 — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:15:05 GMT

Well my advise would be to research as much about the breed as you can. the actual breeding, the breed standards, their temperment, registries, genetic information, health issues, history of the breed, other breeders, laws, reasons for pet overpopulatin. that sort of thing. I'd like to start a pet business someday and I literally research hours a day sometime, and I love to do it! Its always a good idea to start planning years ahead of time

RE: How to become a breeder

annielovesmama — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:46:35 GMT

you need to train a lot and study some books and do many other things! just please dont be a byb..... i really dont like them my opnion thou!

RE: How to become a breeder

rainsmom — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:58:53 GMT

I agree with amy. you have to be careful of what you by expensive doesn't = good! for example in my local paper their is someone selling a rare show quaility blue merle toy sheltie for 2000 dollars. first of all their is no such thing as a toy sheltie they are supposed to be 13-16 inches no smaller no bigger, second blue merle is not a rare color, third I would not buy a show dog from someone like that just do your research read and reread the breed standard picture what you want and stick with it

RE: How to become a breeder

PudelGrl — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:51:28 GMT

lady_pitbull27 (1/29/2008)

Well there is not really a "education" to breeding dogs. My advice would be to have another job make/save plenty of $ then buy an expencive pup of your choice(female) and train it hunting if Visla, or something so you can get more money. Then find an expencive Stud with good bloodlines and pay to breed them. That is a start. But remember Im not saying there is anything wrong with responcible dog breeding but In six years 1 female dog and her offspring can theoretically produce 67,000 dogs! And for every SINGLE puppy born that is at least 10 euthanized in a shelter(book:Shelter Dogs). Between 3-4 million dogs are euthanized DAILY! Really think before you decide to add to the over population problem. Honestly I would leave breeding to people whos families have been doing it for a long period of time!!! Plus, reguardless of the breed it is getting kind of hard to find good homes for dogs! Just think about it and do some reasearch on over population! Maybe you will change your mind!!!

Keep in mind though that price doesn't always mean quality, if you prove yourself to a breeder prior to getting a female you could very well be charged minimally. My breeder usually charges around $2000+ for her show dogs, but she gave me Bo for only $1000 because I was young, didn't have a lot of cash, but she believed that I would be a good owner and show home for him. Now that I've proven him, it really has opened up the door to other breeders being interested in letting me have a dog. There's always deals one can work out, money does help (health testing, vet, show entries etc...), but earning respect is the key.

RE: How to become a breeder

lady_pitbull27 — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:55:06 GMT

RE: How to become a breeder

PudelGrl — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:44:26 GMT

rainsmom (1/29/2008)

go to dog shows or hunting trials and find someone that you feel comfortable with and is willing to talk to you and teach you everything you need to know

That would be my suggestion, the best way to learn about breeding is finding yourself a good mentor who has had years of experience in your breed.

Since you are young, my suggestion would be to see if you can find a dog that a breeder is willing to co-own with you so you can do junior handling. This will help you learn about showing your dogs, your breed standard, and get you connected with lots of other people interested in your breed.

RE: How to become a breeder

rainsmom — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 03:52:58 GMT

go to dog shows or hunting trials and find someone that you feel comfortable with and is willing to talk to you and teach you everything you need to know

RE: How to become a breeder

muttlover17 — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:27:15 GMT

Well,there are books u can read and websites u can check out about dog breeding.

How to become a breeder

roxinator9100 — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:25:28 GMT

I am Brittany and I want become a breeder when I grow up as a hobbie. My career choice is a vet. I would love tips and questions for me as I am very optimistic.I still don't know what breed I want to breed, but I may decide on the Vizsla. They are just great dogs! They are great for the hunter or just as great for an active family! So thank you and please reply soon!

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