By Wendy Herne - Registered Dog Breeder and Pet Talk Radio Associate Producer

Breeding dogs is not easy!
A lot people think breeding dogs is easy, just a matter of putting two dogs together and letting them mate. For a good breeder dog breeding is a science and is taken very seriously.

Breeding facts:
• Female dogs (bitches) come into season or “on heat” on average every 6 to 8 months.
• Around day 10 to 15 they ovulate and are ready to mate
• The gestation period (length of pregnancy) in dogs is 63 days.

Doing it right:
Breeding and doing it right, with the goal of producing healthy, happy puppies is expensive, a lot of hard work and it isn’t all fun. In fact sometimes there can be a lot of heartache. It should never be undertaken lightly, or simply because you want to experience “the miracle of birth”. And anyone who thinks they are going to make a lot of money should think again.
The first thing a registered breeder does is to learn everything they can about their chosen breed. Each breed of dog is different and they all have unique characteristics and temperaments. It is important for a breeder to know what is characteristic of their breed. 

Before a good breeder even has a litter they will have:
• Purchased a show quality female dog (bitch) on the main register of the appropriate state canine council (purebred dog registering body). Main register dogs are show quality and able to be bred. Limited registered dogs are not able to be shown and their puppies cannot be registered. Prices for main register dogs range from $500 up to several thousand depending on breed.
• Fed and cared for the bitch until she is old enough to breed (usually about 2 years old).
• Vaccinated the bitch and treated her regularly for heartworms, intestinal worms etc.
• Undertaken all the appropriate health tests for the breed e.g. DNA testing for genetic (hereditary) diseases, hip and elbow scoring, eye examinations etc. These can cost hundreds of dollars.
• Picked out the best show quality male dog (also on the main register) for her to mate with and ensured he has also had all the appropriate health tests.
• Paid a stud fee to the owner of the stud dog – usually equal to the cost of one puppy, or a puppy from the litter.

A good breeder will select the best bitch they can, ensuring that she meets the breed standard as closely as possible. 
They will research pedigrees and look at registered stud dogs ensuring that the two lines will complement each other. The goal is to use two dogs that as closely meet the breed standard as possible and to ensure that the faults in one parent are not replicated in the other, so as to produce puppies that are even better and closer to the standard than either of the parents. 

If they were to just use any two dogs, without looking at their weaknesses and trying to compensate for them, eventually the breed standard would be so diluted that the puppies produced would no longer look or act like the breed they are supposed to. As a breeder of cocker spaniels I want my dogs to be the best cockers they can be. So that in 50 years’ time, they will still be cocker spaniels and still be ‘true to type’.

Most breeds suffer from some form of genetic (inherited) disease e.g. in cocker spaniels and some other breeds there is Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) which causes blindness and Familial Nephropathy (FN) – a fatal kidney disease. Other breeds can have conditions such as Von Willebrands disease (haemophilia) or heart problems. A good breeder will have undertaken the DNA tests appropriate for their breed in an attempt to ensure that they do not pass on these sorts of conditions. These tests cost around $400 to $500 on average, depending on the breed. There are also x-rays for conditions such as hip dysplasia and luxating patellas. 

Most female dogs whether mated or not, exhibit some signs of pregnancy after a season due to the hormones produced by their body. The problem of false or phantom pregnancy is when these symptoms continue. If they have bred their bitch the owner starts to believe that their dog may actually be having a litter. This sometimes occurs with a bitch that is particularly sensitive to the hormones that are circulating in her body. She develops symptoms such as mammary gland enlargement and milk production, swollen abdomen, and behaviour such as nesting, and mothering toys and other inanimate objects. It is a distressing time for the dog as she becomes increasingly troubled that she cannot find the puppies she believes she should be nursing, and it is disappointing for her owner when there are no puppies and distressing to see their dog so upset.

Sadly, even when a bitch is confirmed to be pregnant, there are many things that can still go wrong. Some bitches will reabsorb their litter, and a bitch that has been confirmed ‘in whelp’ will suddenly not be pregnant. There can be problems with delivery which result in the death of the puppies and sometimes tragically, the loss of the mother.

It is a fantastic feeling when your dog delivers a healthy litter, but the job for the owner of a breeding bitch doesn’t end with the birth of the litter. In fact the care of the nursing bitch and her litter can be quite overwhelming; it is time consuming and mentally draining.

Once the litter is old enough to leave the mother, the owner is faced with the prospect of choosing appropriate homes for the puppies. 

This is a task which responsible breeders take very seriously. They work hard to ensure that their puppies go to “forever” homes, but are always prepared to take one of their dogs back should the need arise or if a home doesn’t work out. 

I am proud to say that I am a registered breeder. It is a privilege not a right, to be able to breed these precious creatures, and as custodians of the breed we have the responsibility to do everything we can to ensure that healthy, purebred, registered dogs are available for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.


Website:
Cockers Forever

Video:
Watch Visla Puppy Playtime - video courtesy of Dr Katrina Gregory

Photos:
Top left & right - (c) Wendy Herne
Lower left- From video 'Visla Puppy Playtime - (c) Dr Katrina Gregory