Dog Breeding – The Art of Breeding Dogs

Dog breeding is an art – Rather a scientific art

Wondering if your female dog should or shouldn’t be bred? Remember, if you are dream of a good healthy litter, you need to do it perfectly and it involves a huge deal expenses and you need to master the art of studying bloodlines (Pedigree Research). Dog breeding is an art… rather a scientific art!

Most people just want to make some money. Well, they are novice and just cannot understand the fact that they will be lucky if they could meet the breakeven point. If you are an aspiring breeder you need to know that dog breeding involves a huge volume of expenses, starting from bringing in a female pup, maintain her and make her fit to be bred when time comes. You need to wait until she attains the age of at least 2 years, but the story doesn’t end here! Then comes the phase when you need to look for the right dog for her. Remember, all good dogs cannot be the right mate for any good bitches. Someone said it perfectly right that the best female of the litter can produce the worst puppies! Yes, this is very common… many good females have produced substandard quality of puppies. Remember good female doesn’t mean good producer. It’s not always the females’ fault either. It’s the breeder who does not study the bloodlines to pick the right dog for his female.

Health issues associated with wrong dog breeding program

There are certain things that a breeder should check prior to breed his female. Every breed has it’s own unique inherent disorders. While some dog breeds to susceptible to ailments like Degenerative Myelopathy, Collie eye anomaly, Ectropion etc, others may be prone to Hemophilia type of problems, for instance, von Willebrand's disease Musculoskeletal Disorders like Chondrodysplasia (dwarfism), hip dysplasia, Elbow dysplasia. There are loads of hereditary problems associated to wrong and unplanned dogs breeding. If you are planning to breed your female make sure that the dog and the bitch (the female you are planning to breed) are free from all medical conditions and hereditary disorders. Make sure that your female and the stud dog are both free from problems like brucellosis. Brucellosis causes eventual sterility in both genders, which causes the puppies to be aborted prematurely and usually die shortly after birth. Bad news is that many disorders are not apparently visible, while many are unknowingly overlooked!

Temperament check before breeding dogs

Well, now I would like to move a step ahead. Aspiring breeders… please be noted that only the structural soundness and sound health condition are not the end of the story! Genetics play an immense role in building up the dog's character. Temperament is another vital factor that has to be kept in mind. Breeding over-aggressive or shy specimens will result in progenitors with unbalanced temperament. Temperament depends on the breed. You should know your breed to the fullest extent if you want to breed dogs. A related study could be found in the article - Role of Gene in The Dog's Character.