Breeding the female
Breeding your dog takes time, research and LOTS of money, all of which you
are lucky to break even after all the pups are sold. Most breeders never
recoup what they spend to breed their dogs. We do it because we love the
breed and want to provide a well bred, stable family pet that will bring joy
into other's lives.
Cost of breeding a litter of puppies: Doubles or triples if you have more
than one female that you have bred.
Necessary for the health of the mother and her litter A trip to the
veterinarian for the following:
Health check., worming, and fresh shots for mom , brucellosis
test....................$200.00
Stud service fee........(give or take depending on breeder ) I factor in
these costs due to the fact that my stud has to be health checked by my vet,
begins different supplements, and time and energy to breed him to my
females. $1000 to $1500 ...unless you have your own stud, which means you
need to contain him when you don't want to breed your female (and this is
always fun, try keeping a male dog away from a female in heat, he becomes
the most pathetic creature on earth, won't eat, won't sleep, whines and
cries constantly, your sweet boy becomes a total basket case! Believe me I
know this Toby is my resident stud muffin! )
Top quality food .................................................$48.00
Top quality
supplements.................................................$60.00
After breeding:
Top quality food .................................................$48.00
Top quality
supplements.................................................$60.00
Whelping pen ......................................................$125
At birth:
Vet check and cleanout shot .................................$65.00
Tails and dew claws............................................... $160.00
Puppy playpen ......................................................$250.00
As puppies grow:
Misc. expenses (trash bags, extra heat, papers, paper towels heating pads,
puppy pads, cleaning supplies, and more)..........$250..00
Vet visits for health heart checks : $200.00
Shots and worming: 350.00
Advertising for min 4 weeks (1 week per pup )...$500.00
Top Quality Puppy food ....................................................$
48.00
Top Quality
Supplements......................................................$100.00
Exercise
Pen...................................................................$
200.00
Toys.................................................................................$
50.00
Litter registration...................................................$
50.00
Micro chip or Tattoo now required ID on all my litter records 200.00
Cost for 6 (cocker, chin or shishi ) pups without
problems......(estimate)$6000.00, that means it costs 900.00 per puppy! My
pups only sell for $700.00 to $1000.00 I make NO profit from the sale!
HIDDEN COSTS, PROBLEMS AND SLOW TO SELL:
You have to be present when your female is in labor and you are out one or
two days worth of wages. Include your lost wages in the price of your
puppies.
If you are going to sell your puppies check with your homeowners insurance
to see if you are covered if a person is injured or heaven forbid bitten
while looking at you puppies, Most homeowners will not pay the claim as you
are conducting a commercial activity. Add fee for additional commercial
insurance to the puppy's selling price.
Your puppies don't sell in four ads. You must continue advertising at $84
per week (cheap ads do not work just eat up valuable selling time) Puppies
are going to need additional shots at about $50 each per set. What if they
don't ever sell. You must license the puppies at 4 months. If you have more
than three dogs you are in violation of most city dog limit laws. Are you
now going to turn them into the pound, give them away , put them to sleep ,
or keep them and hope you have understanding neighbors when you have extra
dogs.
MEDICAL PROBLEMS
C-Section................................................. $600 - $1400+
Mastitis eclampsia pymetria................ $150 - $500
Supplement for puppies if mother dies or cannot nurse..............$5.00per
day and up
All pups get
Parvo................................................................................$1200
up
Veterinarian fees are an average after calling several Vets in different
areas. The above does not include time off work to deliver pups, care for
orphan or weak pups, cost of your time (about 8 hours a day , includes
caring for, socializing , merchandizing ) This also reflects the 1st litter
additional litters will not need a new whelping box and exercise pen . This
also represents top quality breeders with great concern for their puppies
breeding legally ethically and morally.
Oh one more expense often overlooked the IRS WILL WANT PART OF YOUR SELLING
PRICE.
What it all boils down to, do not breed unless you are totally committed to
the care and well being of your dog and her puppies. You should have at
least $10,000 in you bank account and should have a backup plan if the
puppies do not sell, which if you have a good size litter or professional
competition the odds are that they won't all sell.
If you are breeding to show your children the miracle of life they will
probably see death also. Many pups are born stillborn, some are deformed,
and most litters will have at least one fading puppy. The mother may also
die.
If you are breeding to get a companion for your dog. I am sure she would
much rather have you just buy one for her. Once she is bred she will have a
40% chance of breast cancer before she is 10 yrs of age. She is also at risk
for pymetria, and uterine and cervical cancer
If you are breeding to get your money back from the purchase of your dog I
would suggest that you take the $6000 and go to Vegas and play the slot
machines. Your odds are probably just as good and you would have much more
fun.
So you still want to breed your female. You know what to expect if
everything goes right. Your little girl will present you with tiny bundles
of joy. She will lovingly nurse them and care for them until they are old
enough to be weaned.
You and your family will find great joy in watching and playing with these
little dolls, and then when the time is right they will all (or maybe you
keep just one) go off to special homes to live out their lives as cherished
companions. But have you given consideration to what if something goes
wrong? I have listed here a few of the problems that I myself have personal
knowledge of. Everything listed has happened either to me or someone I know.
These are not isolated incidents. I'm sure other breeders could add miles to
my list. Learn by others mistakes!. Let the breeding up to those who know
what they are doing, have the experience, know what to expect.
WHAT IF DURING THE BREEDING
The stud dog you have chosen is carrying a venereal disease and gives it to
your female. She not only doesn't conceive but you have to pay the vet bills
to get her infection cleared up and she is now sterile.
The stud dog you decided to breed your darling to is not experienced. Once
the two dogs are joined tightly in a tie, he decides to chase the neighbors
cat out of his yard. He bolts for the cat ripping his penis loose and
causing your bitch to hemorrhage from within.
Your modest girl decides she doesn't want the attentions of this gigolo mutt
chosen for her without her consent. She snaps at him catching her tooth on
his loose cheek and rips it open sending blood flying everywhere. He
retaliates by sinking his teeth into her left eye.
You leave your dog with the stud owner because the breeding is not going
very swiftly. In fact , it's been three hours and nothing is happening. The
stud owners leave the two dogs alone in the back yard. The dogs get out
through a tiny hole in the fence and a truck hits your female.
You pay the $250-$1000 stud fee up front figuring you will make that and
more back when the pups sell. The breeder guarantees the stud service to
work or you can come back again. After 2 months you discover it didn't work
and now must wait another 4 months to try again. Of course it doesn't work
again, so in another 4 months you take your dog to another male and risk
loosing another stud fee.
You get her bred. Bring her home. She bothers you so you let her out she is
still in heat and still receptive to males. You hear a commotion outside
there is your girl tied up with the neighborhood dog. When she whelps there
will need to be DNA tests done on the pups.
You get her bred. Bring her home and let her out. (She is still in heat and
receptive to other males) but you do not see the neighborhood male gigolo
dog breed with her. The pups are born but look odd. You call the stud owner
he suggests DNA testing (At your expense). You have a litter of who knows
what! What do you do about the ones you have already sold?
Or knowing she tied with the neighborhood dog you decide to terminate the
pregnancy and try again being more careful next time. But a few weeks later
your female is very sick because you had her given a miss-mate shot creating
a hormonal imbalance causing a uterine infection and now she has Pyometra
and needs a complete hysterectomy. All plans of getting a litter is gone and
your female's life is now in danger if she does not have the operation.
WHAT IF DURING THE BIRTH
The puppies are too large for the female. She never goes into labor, the
puppies die and she becomes infected by the decaying bodies.
The puppies are coming breech and they drown in their own sacks before they
can be born.
The first puppy is large and breech. When it starts coming your female
starts screaming, and before you can stop her she reaches around, grabs the
puppy in her teeth and yanks it out killing it instantly.
A puppy gets stuck. Neither your female nor you can get it out. You have to
race her to the emergency vet. The vet can't get it out either. She has to
have an emergency caesarian section at the cost of $1000.00 plus boarding
fees, of course it is 3:00 am Christmas day.
A puppy is coming out breech and dry (the water sack that protects them has
burst). It gets stuck. Mom tries to help it out by clamping her teeth over
one of the back legs. The head and shoulders are firmly caught. Mom pulls on
the leg, hard, peeling the flesh from the leg and leaving a wiggling stump
of bone.
A dead puppy gets stuck in the birth canal, but your female is well into
hard labor. She contracts so hard trying to give birth that her uterus
ruptures and she bleeds to death on the way to the vet.
WHAT IF DIRECTLY AFTER THE BIRTH
The mother has no idea what to do with a puppy and she drops them out and
walks away, leaving them in the sack to drown.
The mother takes one look at the puppies, decides they are disgusting
droppings and tries to smother them in anything she can find to bury them
in.
The mother gets too enthusiastic in her removal of the placenta and
umbilical cord, and rips the cord out leaving a gushing hole pulsing blood
all over you as you try in vain to stop the bleeding.
Or, she pulls on the cords so hard she disembowels the puppies as they are
born and you have a box full of tiny, kicking babies with a tangle of guts
the size of a walnut hanging from their stomachs. Of course all the babies
must be put to sleep.
What if because of some Hormone deficiency she turns vicious allowing no one
near her or the babies, who she refuses to nurse, or you have to interfere
with.
You notice something protruding from her vagina when you let her out to pee.
You take her to the vet to discover a prolapsed uterus, which needs to be
removed.
WHAT IF WHEN YOU THINK YOU'RE IN THE CLEAR
One or more of the puppies inhaled fluid during birth, pneumonia develops
and death occurs within 36 hours.
What if the mother's milk goes bad. You lose three of your four puppies
before you discover what is wrong. You end up bottle feeding the remaining
pup every two hours, day and night. After three days the puppy fades from
infection and dies.
The puppies develop fading puppy syndrome you lose two. You bottle-feeding
or tube feeding the last remaining baby. It begins to choke and despite your
efforts to clear the airway, the pup stiffens and dies in your hands.
Your female develops mastitis and her breast ruptures.
Your female develops a uterine infection from a retained placenta. Her
temperature soars to 105. You race her to the vet, he determines she must be
spayed. He does the spay in an attempt to save her life, you pay the
hundreds of dollars bill. The infection has gone into her blood stream. The
infected milk kills all the puppies and the bitch succumbs a day later.
All the puppies are fine but following the birth the female develops a
hormone imbalance. She becomes a fear biter and anytime anyone tries to
touch her she viciously attacks them.
Mom and pups seem fine, the puppies are four weeks old and are at their
cutest. However, one day one of the puppies disappears. You search
everywhere but you can't find it. A few days later another puppy is gone.
And another. You can't figure how on earth the puppies are getting out of
their safe 4' x 4' puppy pen. Finally there is only one puppy left. The next
morning you find the mother chomping contentedly on what is left of the last
murdered puppy.
WHAT IF THE NEW HOMES AREN'T SO HAPPY
You give a puppy to a friend. Their fence blows down so they tie the puppy
outside while they go to work. A roving dog comes along and kills the puppy.
Your friend calls you up to tell you about the poor little puppy and asks
when you are having more puppies.
You sell a puppy to an acquaintance. The next time you see them you ask how
the puppy is doing. They tell you that it soiled their new carpet so they
took it to the pound
You sell a puppy to a friend (you give them a good price and payments). They
make a couple of tiny payments. Six months later they move to an apartment.
They ask you to take it back. You take it back and of course the payments
stop. The dog they returned is so shy, and ill mannered from lack of
socialization and training it takes you a year of work providing socializing
and training to be able to give it away.
You sell a puppy to a wonderful home. They love her like one of the family.
At a vet check done by their vet it is determined that the puppy has a heart
murmur. (Your vet found nothing when he checked the puppy before it was
sold.) They love their puppy and want the best for her. They have an
expensive surgery done. The puppy is fine. They sue you for the medical
costs. They win, because you did not have a contract stipulating conditions
of guarantee and so as breeder you are responsible for the puppy's genetic
health.
You give a puppy to your mother. She is thrilled. Two years later the puppy
starts developing problems. It begins to develop odd symptoms and is
suffering. Hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of tests later it is
finally discovered that the dog is suffering from a terminal condition that
was inherited. possibly from your female since you know nothing about her
family lines and since you didn't research her pedigree or that of the stud
dog.
One loving home decides your puppy is untrainable, destructive and wants to
return the pup and get a full refund, which you have spent on your vet
bills. Once again, no contract so you have to give a full refund and take
the dog back, no questions asked.
One loving couple calls you and is very upset because their pup has a skin
disease and wants to know what you are going to do about it. You have spayed
your female so a replacement is out of the question, looks like another
refund since you have no contract regarding the health of the puppy.
THE SALE
You put your ad in the local paper for your pups at the usual price and get
only 2 responses and no sales. You cut the pup's price in half and broaden
your advertising to 3 other newspapers in which the advertising totals
$200.00 a week.
You get a few more puppy inquiries from people who ask all about pedigrees
and health issues and the research you did before breeding and if the pups
are registered. You tell them your dogs are healthy and it was enough and
that you might be able to get papers on them. The callers politely thank you
and hang up.
The pups are now 4 months old and getting bigger , eating allot and their
barking is really beginning to annoy the neighbors who call the police who
inform you of the $150.00 noise by-law.
Your neighbors also call the humane society who comes out to inspect the
care of your dogs. You pass inspection but end up feeling stressed and
harassed.
You finally decide to give the rest of the litter away but still have the
total advertising bill and the thousands in vet bills to pay.
Thinking of cutting corners not already mentioned above. Think again! There
is no way you are going to produce happy, healthy puppies by skimping on
what it takes to breed a litter of good dogs.
So you gotta ask yourself: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, "breeder" ?