Top 5 lessons you wished you knew when you first started breeding
Common sense disclaimer: As with everything that I write, it’s critical to seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian, preferably one that is board certified in theriogenology (reproductive science) for reproductive matters. This article and its contents are NOT designed nor intended to replace the need for a qualified veterinarian, but instead to help educate people to to work optimally with their veterinarians. All recommendations should be reviewed with qualified professionals, such as a board certified reproductive veterinarian, prior to implementation in a breeding program. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian.
I run several breeder groups on social media for every skill level, with members just thinking about breeding to breeders who run large national programs and have been breeding for decades. The hardest group for me to work with is the newer breeders simply because it’s so hard at that point in the breeder’s journey to understand just how much there is to learn. When you are starting you are excited and hopeful and ready to be the absolute best breeder in the world. But there are truths you need to know, and some are harder than others to swallow. Here are the five top lessons I wish I knew (even if I wasn’t ready to hear them), and know that I’m presenting them to you not wanting to discourage you, but wanting you to know what you are getting yourself into. You will be bringing little lives into this world you are responsible for, so this is as much for them as for you.
1. Learn what good breeding stock is
You probably don’t want to hear this but your awesome, once-in-a-lifetime companion dog may likely not be the best selection for breeding. There’s nothing that compares to having the cutest, sweetest dog in the world, but that alone is not even close to what qualifies a dog as “breeding quality.” If you don’t understand this idea, then you aren’t ready to breed.
When you are looking for your initial foundation stock don’t be in a rush. It can take a year or longer to find the right dog(s). If you find three perfect breeding dogs this month I would strongly suggest you consider whether you really have three breeding quality dogs.
In most cases, you can expect it to take a year or even longer to find the right dog(s). If you want a great program then you’ll want to wait for the best. When you build anything, the foundation is a make-or-break proposition. Starting with the best foundation sets you up for success from the beginning. I know of very few breeders who, given the opportunity, wouldn’t choose different foundation dogs even if it meant delaying the start of their program a year or longer.
Foundation dogs can be expensive. Be prepared for this and don’t try to cut corners. Your breeding program is worth what you invest in it.
The best thing you can do for your program is to slow down. Take the time to develop breeding goals so you know what you are trying to achieve. Once you know, don’t cut corners, you're your time and do things the right way. Your first decisions in breeding—finding good foundation dogs—are your most important and will determine the quality of your program. Choose wisely.
2. At this point in your journey you cannot fathom how much you need to learn
Breeding happens on the intersection of developmental biology, microbiology, behavioral science, reproductive science, business, and marketing.
There’s enough material in each specialty that you can get a PhD in each one. Instead of getting a degree to breed, I think of it as one of those few remaining areas you can still apprentice in instead of having to spend a decade and six figures for a formal education.
Take the education you need seriously. It seems simple looking in from the outside, but it’s a very complex endeavor to do it right.
There are two important tools you need to begin your apprenticeship.
1. Find reliable information to learn from. Read and take courses in fertility and timing of breedings, the basics of whelping and raising puppies, parasite management, cleaning and disinfecting, puppy and breeding dog nutrition, weaning puppies, caring for your dams through pregnancy and nursing, the business and legal aspects of breeding (even if you are a hobby breeder), and marketing (again, even if you are a hobby breeder—marketing is critical for finding the best homes possible for your puppies).
2. Find a mentor. Despite the vast information you can find about breeding, you’ll want another human walking this path with you. Someone you can call in the middle of the night if you aren’t sure you have a stuck puppy. Someone who can help you evaluate potential breeding dogs. Someone who will tell you the hard truths you need to hear one day and the next be there to hold your hand when you have a failed breeding or lose a puppy. Often the best mentors are in the same breed, but not always. Most commonly, mentors are the breeder you purchased a breeding dog from. Those are the people who will (should) want to mentor you and will have an interest in seeing you succeed, since they are now associated with you through the breeding prospect they sold you. It’s not easy to find a mentor. Mentoring takes time and emotional energy. Don’t expect experienced breeders to hand-feed their knowledge to you. Be appreciative when they do and give credit when credit is due.
And even when you do all the studying you can and have the best mentor available, realize you still will not come close to knowing everything with your first litter. Each litter will teach you something new. I’ve been doing this for decades and still learn something new from each litter.
3. Breeding is a lifestyle choice
If you do it right, breeding for most breeds is all-encompassing and impacts ALL of the relationships in your life. It will affect you mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Much of the time your family will not understand. They won’t understand why you can’t come to Cousin Angie’s birthday or why you can’t come over and babysit for their newborn. Spouses or significant others might not understand why you can’t take a vacation or even just get away for the weekend. Or why the house smells like puppy poop (even if you clean constantly). If you have family on board with your breeding plans, consider yourself very blessed.
4. Be prepared for the emotional and financial losses
Whether you run your program as a business or a hobby, you still need to understand the financial implications and approach it with good financial management.
Any business has the potential for disappointments and losses, both personal and financial. In a breeding business, the losses can be bigger than you might expect. You can invest many thousands and thousands of dollars in a single dog over the course of two or three years and have that dog turn out not to be breedable. Or worse, you can breed her a lose her and the puppies.
A single loss like this can devastate your business financially and you and your family emotionally. From the day you get your breeding prospect until the day of her retirement be prepared to worry. To worry about her health. To worry about her puppies. To worry about some of the costs or financial losses.
Be prepared to have to remove dogs you adore from your program because they don’t end up being breeding quality or have fertility issues. Be prepared to lose and spend lots of money. There’s a myth out there that breeders rake in cash, even responsible and ethical breeders. Some do, but that’s after 10 years of investing massive amounts of time and money into their programs. Like any other business or hobby, it takes years of hard work and financial investment to succeed. People looking in from the outside always seem to miss that part when counting the dollars they think someone else is making the easy way.
5. There's a dark side to breeding not many talk about
When most people think of breeding they think of the excitement of new life, of cute puppies, and of placing those puppies into the hands of loving families. And those are definitely some of the best parts of breeding.
But there’s also a serious and sad side to breeding. If you breed, you need to be prepared for these. I apologize for this being gruesome, but it’s important you understand the realities you will face, and if you breed long enough you WILL face these. They include:
Stillborn puppies
Puppies born with deformities
Failed attempts at reviving unresponsive puppies
Having to deal with parasites or diseases run through a litter
Having to tell a family that the puppy they have already fallen in love with has died or has a serious health problem
Having to have a dead puppy necropsied (autopsied)
Losing a dam to a complication of whelping
These are often unseen personal costs to breeding. If you are not prepared for handling these losses, you shouldn’t be breeding. And if you are breeding at home and have children, they also need to be able to handle these events and losses.
Bonus—It’s the best job ever!
If you go into this with your eyes open and are willing and able to accept the risks and difficulties of being a breeder, I can tell you from personal experience that it's the best job ever!
You can spend your time nurturing beautiful little companions and enriching the lives of families through your puppies. Since many breeders are amazing people,this means you get to make friends with them and find some incredible life-long friends.
