Dog Breeding For Beginners: What You Should Know
This article about dog breeding for beginners will guide you on your journey into dog breeding. Mind you that the dog breeding business comes with a great deal of responsibility. Dog owners or people trying to breed their dogs must know what they are signing up for. As joyful as it is, it comes with many health risks including serious life and death issues.
To do it right, it is necessary to plan and prepare carefully. You must consult a professional who knows all about breeding dogs. It can be heartbreaking and costly if pups are returned to you due to health issues or because buyers are unhappy with their purchase.
Breeders who are committed to the art of breeding dogs devote a great deal of time and effort to planning a litter. Just before you consult a professional, you must have done your homework on getting knowledgeable on the said subject.
So without further ado let’s learn what are the basics of dog breeding and how you should begin. We will discuss the risk or factors that are involved while you are breeding your canines.
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What Is Dog Breeding? (Dog breeding for beginners)
A dog breeder breeds dogs to produce offspring with certain traits and characteristics by mating them.
The term dog breeding refers to the practice of intentionally breeding dogs by their owners to select them through artificial selection.
A dog breeder is one who intentionally mates dogs with the intent of producing puppies. It’s all about genetics when it comes to breeding, so an experienced breeder will know about canine genetics and health, as well as how the dogs will be used.
What Should You Know Before Breeding?
You should become familiar with the breed before selecting the two dogs that you would like to mate with. Understand the breed’s characteristics, health issues, and genetics.
As a breeder, you are often striving to enhance your breed as a whole. For example, take a look at Westie dogs, these dogs are usually distinguished by their coloring, typical markings, and any other traits that are contrary to their best characteristics. So you should try to find a dog with similar characteristics for breeding purposes.
1. Know The Health Status Of The Dog Species:
You should be familiar with the common health problems, as well as the health status of two dogs that are going to mate. If there are any underlying health issues in both breeds that may affect the offspring make sure they are resolved. Otherwise, it is not the best idea to breed them whilst the health issue persists.
Be certain that you and your family are committed to seeing your dogs through the breeding process, the birth process, and puppyhood. Breeders are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of their puppies. Some puppies may require food and supplements if their mother cannot support their litter.
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2. Choose A Pair For Mating:
Find a mating pair that complements each other. Take a look at a list of dog breeders from the internet or any reliable source you can find in your local area. The dogs in your pair with weaknesses should be paired with another pair that has exemplary traits to create a balanced litter.
The health of your mating pair is also an important consideration. When breeding, the animal should not exhibit symptoms of illness.
A breed’s temperament is inherited from its ancestors. Ensure that both dogs will make excellent pets and have good character. If you intend to breed the pair, consult your veterinarian for information regarding their health history and possibly genetic testing.
3. Learn About The Process Of Mating:
As soon as you have selected and vetted your mating pair, you should begin learning about the mating procedure. There are a couple of things involved when trying to mate dogs for breeding purposes. Such as :
i. Monitoring the Reproductive Cycle of a Female Dog
Female dogs aren’t likely to become pregnant unless they’re in heat. In other words, they have entered the fertile phase of their reproductive cycle.
Female dogs begin bleeding on the first day of their menstrual cycle, which may be hard to discern at first. When a female dog goes into heat, she may exhibit a change in behavior as well as an increase in energy levels.
Females aren’t fertile on the first day of their cycle. In order to mat her with the male dog, you will need to wait approximately ten days after she has been in heat.
ii. Provide Assistance on the Day of Mating to the Dogs
Having a full stomach and being tired makes male dogs less likely to want to mate. During a mating day, you must not feed the male until after he has successfully mated with the female.
Ideally, males and female dogs should get to know each other prior to breeding if they do not live together. It will prepare them for the day when they are to be mated since they will have become accustomed to each other.
For the two dogs to remain calm and get to know each other before mating, place them in a quiet, private and distraction-free area before mating.
iii. The Whelping Process
A dog pregnancy lasts approximately 58-65 days before they give birth. Whelping is the process through which female dogs go through when giving birth to puppies. Same as women go through the process of labor when giving birth.
Vets can detect pregnancy in female dogs after 21 days of mating. Manual inspection of the uterus and testing for hormone relaxation are conducted during this process.
At 28 days of mating age, a stethoscope can be used to detect puppy heartbeats, and an ultrasound scan should reveal the puppies. During pregnancy, your dog should continue to eat nutritious food and exercise regularly during pregnancy.
As soon as the process of whelping begins, a whelping box needs to be built. Ensure that it is big enough to let the female easily come and go, but small enough to contain the puppies. It is advisable to place old blankets or sheets on top of the mattress, so the cover really feels comfortable and durable.
As whelping approaches, the female may pant and urinate frequently. Puppy birth will usually begin within a few hours – however, keep an eye out for signs that a veterinarian may be required.
It is possible to get messy while tying umbilical cords so you will need towels, thread, and scissors.
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Can You Breed Dogs Without A License?
When you breed at least three litters of at least one puppy in a single year, you must have a dog breeding license.
If you are selling puppies as a commercial enterprise, you need a license regardless of the number of litters you breed. Licenses may be necessary if your sales income from puppies exceeds your cost of food, vet care, and stud fees.
Final Thoughts On Dog Breeding
Breeding dogs can be beneficial in many ways. You can start your own business setup through dog breeding. If you know that your dogs are amazing and have amazing traits and temperaments, you may want to breed them. The responsibility of several dogs lies in your hands, so it’s essential that you understand what you’re getting into.
Learn everything you can about breeding your dog or breeding a pair that you own before you make a decision on whether to breed them together or not. Consult with professional breeders or search on the web and get in contact with persons who are already in this business. This will give you enough oversight of what lies ahead.
