What breed would you breed

 If I were to breed dogs, they'd be Chinese Cresteds, but I wouldn't make money. It costs too much to finish a dog, get obedience titles, health testing, etc etc. If I bred one of mine, today, and got 4 puppies, and sold them for $2k apeice, I'd still be out money.

Breeding responsibly isn't about the money. It's about the breed.

Anyone who gets into breeding "to make money" is not someone I would consider a good nor responsible breeder.  My Klee Kai breeder friends say they generally lose money on almost every litter.  It's a labor of love.

Erm, to make money?  None, I'd get a job.

Top German show line dogs sell for tens of thousands and good breeders still lose money on every litter.  It costs so much to show, train, and title the dogs (travel is insane and these are dogs that are double handled and owner-handled for their protection tests and off lead gait so you can just ship the dog off to a pro handler), plus all the normal care, the cost of the pregnancy, the costs of doing breed surveys, OFAs, SV hip and elbow scores...it's insane.  If Nikon turns out I could offer him at stud for $800+ a pop but even if he bred a dozen times that wouldn't come close to the cost of purchasing him and then raising and titling him for years.

At present I have zero interest in breeding, just training, trialing, and showing dogs.  I'm not even a puppy person and prefer obtaining young adult "green" dogs.

The best breeders breed for themselves and their bree, period.  Not to make money or satisfy a demand.  They breed because they believe they can maintain or better the gene pool of the breed.  They have spent decades with the breed and are qualified to make these decisions.  They want to keep pups for themselves.  A big red flag to me is a breeder that is selling every single dog from every single litter.  If the dogs are not good enough for them to hold back, then why do they keep breeding them?

 I would, and likely will, breed Maremma Sheepdogs but as everyone else said, there's no way it would turn a profit.  I'd do it because I love the breed, I want them in my life forever and because I'd like to do what I can to preserve the breed that has touched my heart in a way no other breed ever has. 

As for being able to find the puppies good homes and being able to let them go to those homes...yes, I am fairly certain I will be able to do that.  I have a much harder time imagining the inner strength I will need on those occasions when things go wrong.  My Maremma's breeder has been breeding dogs for over 2 decades and it was still difficult for her when 2 puppies in Lumos' litter didn't make it.  I won't breed at all unless I know I am in a place where having that happen won't crush me, and I don't think anybody should breed unless they're prepared for that eventuality.  

I'd only consider breeding Maremmas. I love the breed, know what makes a good 'un, and I'd love to have the time and space to raise a litter every year. No way would I make a dime - it would be a heckofa expensive past time, considering I'd have to maintain a sheep farm with several hundred head to truly test the breedworthiness of each youngster and an extensive "homestead" that allowed the dogs in training access to the house while also freely roaming to perform their job. 

"Raising a litter" to me would mean keeping back about half of each litter and training them myself, and selling them as started youngsters. I've done this on a limited basis in the past and it was absolutely delightful. My "clients" were all over the moon so I know I'd do a good job and make people happy with my babies. Still, to make such dogs accessible to the ones who needed them, I couldn't charge what they were really worth until I created more of a demand for them. So still no living to be made there. Just lots of fun!

I know a couple of people who actually make livings from dogs - I mean, the sale of dogs, not training or handling. They sell dogs that cost tens of thousands of dollars and maintain $100,000 contracts with airports and other commercial concerns. They have dozens of employees and lawyers on retainers. I don't want it. I'm not sure I see that they actually like the dogs anymore.

Dogs are companion animals, and working partners, and neither one of those roles leaves much room for mass production and marketing in a responsible way.  

I like this question - mostly because it could become a reality for us (say in 20 years!). FH likes breeding animals. We breed finches and rainbow fish right now - just on a very small scale, the birds are for showing and the fish are for enjoying. He has talked of getting into dogs. We would have a TON to learn though. Neither of us grew up with dogs. I don't know if I could handle it though, the emotional part - if something were to go wrong with bitch. A puppy not making it, as heartbreaking as that would be, well its not the same as the adult dog you've raised.

Anyways as for breed choice - we'd pick Rottweilers. They are so incredible. So intelligent. They are so versatile. The only other breed I have a suspicion I'd want to maybe breed would be a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. 

 Mine would be the Aussie, but nobody makes a dime breeding them.

We're spending roughly $2k on ten different health tests just to find out Luna's full health profile to see if she is a candidate to contribute to the genepool via her breeder's program. We won't see any of that $2k back, and I wouldn't dream of doing things any other way.

My rough cost estimate for Luna's first litter is about $8 - 12k just to get a healthy litter on the ground. First litters can be small, so three puppies sold for $800 each doesn't even make a dent in the cost of producing the litter.

The breeders I know demand hips and elbows being done on a bitch before they will even look at her to see if she is a match for their stud. Then $1,500 for the stud fee.

Also, the demand for dogs has fallen dramatically as a result of the economy, so finding homes is even more difficult.

Best way to make money is a job.
 

As of today, I would think about breeding Whippets, because I have a friend who would be a great mentor in the breeding, showing, and working of Whippets.  Plus the breed has a better overall health than many others that I would consider.  I don't want to breed unhealthy dogs, so starting with a base that has relatively fewer issues seems to be a plus in my mind.

 I'm with everyone else says, breeding for money just doesn't happen if you want to go about it responsibly and produce healthy quality animals that you place in great home.  Another consideration of breeding, especially if you are trying to turn a profit, is can you take all the animals you've produced back?  If you can't or won't you shouldn't be breeding.

 With that said :)  It looks like I will be breeding weimaraners... produced for health, temperament, field, performance and show.  Right now I'm looking for a stud dog.... and man, there is a lot to consider, least of which is the stud fee (which ranges from $500 - $2500 not to mention all that goes with that, transportation to breed the bitch, 'smears', prenatal and whelping, hopefully she doesn't need surgery, dewclaws/docking...) I'm lucky I have such great mentors. And to add, I doubt I will make any money from the litters... I'll be lucky not to go too far into the hole.

Sera_J

I'm with everyone else says, breeding for money just doesn't happen if you want to go about it responsibly and produce healthy quality animals that you place in great home.

And I would breed Alaskan Klee Kai.  I love this breed, and am lucky to have a great friend and mentor in Honor and Eli's breeder, as well as having good contacts throughout the breed.  I know that I would have many experienced and conscientious breeders to turn to for advice and aid.  It would be a dream to be able to breed AKK, one that I take very seriously, and will continue to learn and experience all that I can in order to do the breed justice someday if I am lucky enough to breed.

 I definitely would never make money breeding if I were to breed.  First off, my dogs would not be purebred.  I'd breed Alaskans and they would be for racing and/or recreational dogsledding.  I'd keep most of the pups and only home the "rejects"...the ones that didn't fit my teams.  But that is a far off dream best saved for when I'm loaded, single and finished raising my kids.  So check back around 2045 or so....

I've never been really interested in conformation showing so I can't say I'd ever breed purebred dogs.  I'd much rather breed working dogs...if I ever got into sheep instead of dogsledding, maybe I'd think about an LGD or a herder, but they would be bred only after proven, and again, I'd likely keep the majority.  I have a really hard time believing that anyone would take care of a dog the way I'd want it taken care of so the only people that would be allowed to take on my pups would be the people here on this forum....and well, most of us are at our quotas I think.  

I have thought of breeding Betta fish though....

none....I'll leave breeding up to people who know what they are doing and live for that kind of responsibility.

But I'd love to be involved in GSD rescue but I don't have the room or time. But breeding - nope.

 I'm in the same boat. I want to get into conformation and breeding. But I don't want to own a female so I'd probably just get a stud dog to start out with and go from there.

As for breeds.. I have NO idea as of yet.  But I'm thinking of the Australian Kelpie. I need a breed who can perform in sports as well as the show ring. Performance is much more important to me then looks.  But I wouldn't be breeding for money. I'd probably go in the hole just titling my boy.

No one makes any money from breeding, and if they do then they're not doing it right.