How many of you have ever bred a dog or are considering breeding one??

 I will, in the future, if circumstances are right.  My breed of choice really needs all the help it can get here. 

 Never bred a dog, and have no plans to.  I don't object to responsible breeding, but I feel that I don't have nearly enough knowledge to enter that sphere.  I have great respect for those breeders who take such care in learning about genetics, whelping, puppy development, socialization, nutrition, etc.  The really responsible breeder needs a huge body of knowledge that extends far beyond normal pet ownership, and it's too bad that there are so many non-responsible people breeding dogs without that knowledge just to make a few bucks off the unsuspecting public.  I can't tell you how many owners I see now who get puppies from all those wonderfully crafted web sites and later find that it was a backyard operation or puppy mill just the same.  One of them has a Papillon with hip dysplasia that she was hoping would be an agility dog... not.
 

The only litter we have ever had was a stray who came to me pregnant.  I have never owned a dog that I felt was such a great representative of the breed that it should be bred.  I see so much "kennel blindness" among breeders that I have become quite adamant that most dogs should not be bred.  Unless a person has  a dog that can IMPROVE the bloodlines without adding any known faults you should not breed IMO.

In Labradors there are so many genetic problems that just keep getting worse due to poor breeding.  I know so many Lab people who just keep breeding their dogs even though they know they are passing on orthopedic problems and temperment problems and they justify it in a million ridiculous ways.  And don't get me started on the Show Labs that can't/won't do the job they were bred to do.  Or the Field bred Labs that have horrible temperment problems that are cropping up so much now.  I love the breed but will probably never own another one.  I have a mixed Lab I adopted a few months ago and I can have just as much fun with her as any purebred other than AKC events.

As others have stated so eloquently breeding is a huge obligation and should never be taken on by someone who hasn't the knowledge to deal with the myriad issues involved.  Anyone condsidering breeding should find a mentor and learn, learn, learn.

BCMixs

Never have, never will.  It's shelter dogs for me for the rest of my life! 

Same here!

Does it count if my parents did it? We adopted a pregnant dog from the local pound in 2000, she was a momma within four days. So I guess that's just cleaning up somebody else's mess, we kept her(rip congestive heart failure in 2003) and two pups. Last year my parents decided to breed their miniature pinschers - BIG mistake, I did everything short of calling a cab and having the mom Doodle spayed to abort the pregnancy to stop it from happening, after seeing that I'll never ever breed any dog unless I really truely have an outstanding specimen in every way and then only responsibly but that'll be a long long time from now.

About 20 years ago we had a champian Alaskan Malamute bitch that we bred twice to the same stud.  It was a wonderful experience and we thoroughly enjoyed the birthing process and the pups. We sold all of them on a S/N contract except one that was sold on a show contract. We ended up getting two of the pups back, one for financial reasons, one because of divorce.  We found a home for the one and then kept the other. 

We are considering breeding our Standard Poodles but it's way too soon to make that decision.  They are too young and need to have all their testing done yet.  I also want to see how my male does in the show ring - I'm excited about him.  My females are in training right now as well, and that's been a lot of fun.  So who knows.  Perhaps none of them will be suitable, in which case I will have them 'fixed' and just enjoy them as pets.  I do hope to have at least one litter though.

No thank you!  I am far too much of a baby!  I could never see my little girl go through that!  Besides, I would rather leave that to the pros. 

Never have, never will.

 When I was in highschool our vet recommended breeding our dog to calm her down.  Technically she belonged to my sister, but Pint was always MY dog.  We bred her to a big yellow lab with dominance issues...she had 5 adorable pups and everything went fine.  I never knew how lucky we were about that.  We kept one and found the others homes, 2 went to one home, the little black male went to another and the last yellow went to my brother.  The only one that lived to old age was the male...but I did keep tabs on them, and cried when I heard of the death of each.  My little Ariel, the one we kept, was run over by my sister in the driveway. 

Our reasoning was oldschool, from an oldschool vet who has since changed his way of thinking.  I will never do it again.  I had considered building my own dogsled team, but now I think I'll just buy my dogs if I want to compete.  Otherwise I'll adopt.  Likely the latter.

I have an interest in showing/breeding shelties, but it won't be for a few years, if at all. I have too much going on right now with the human kids, plus I don't have the money to do it right at this time. I am interested in a show quality sheltie for my next dog in 3-5 years though, and I'll work with a mentor and see if I enjoy showing. My current dogs are all pet quality and neutered.

Bonita of Bwana

  OFAs alone run 750.00 with the registration fees but I have a very generous vet.

  Are you kidding? I can get my dogs OFA'd at multiple places within an hour's drive for $200 or under. This is the highest I have ever heard for OFAs!

 I have bred four litters in the past four years, after having been involved with dogs for about 16 years. The first two were super easy, no problems at all. The second two were not as easy - the third got parvo and the fourth had two puppies die in the first 24 hours. You have to be prepared for problems because they will happen if you are breeding. I would suggest a lot of research into your breed and lines before making a choice to breed and talk to as many people in your breed as possible.

Four times....two with dogs, once with rabbits, and once with a horse.

The first time was with my first dog, a Chocolate Lab...she welped 8 pups a week before she was due(and before we were ready)....4 pups died. The other 4 got loving homes, 2 are working bird dogs.

The second was bunnies....my rabbit had 6 babies, all 6 died, eaten by fair ants...they are a menice in NC.

The third were my 2 BC's, completely by accident, but 9 healthy puppie! 5 boys and 4 girls! All were lovely smooth and rough coat black/whites and black/white tri's. All of them also found loving homes, one pup went to the same home as her mother, and 2 other puppies also share a home.

The forth was my first horse, who was bred to a great stud. Sadly she was sold before she foaled. I found out after she foaled that the colt(it was a boy) was still born.

As you can see, I don't have the best luck with breeding...so, from now on, I go to the shelter or breeder.

 One day, I might.  I'm talking 10 or 15years in the future.  And then only RARELY and with the utmost care, all the testing done, both parents proven, a take back contract possibly with an s/n clause for dogs that are not breeding quality... 

No way could I do it now.  I do not have the resources, or near enough knowledge.  But one day I would like to. 

I think the breeding world will suffer if it is drowned by ignorant and greedy people and puppy mills.  It seems these days that MOST caring and responsible folks WONT breed, leaving the ones who DONT care as much complete control of the "market".