When someone asks about breeding a dog......?

I don't think being a "champion" is the one and only requirement to breeding a dog. It's actually pretty far down on my list. HOWEVER, breeding a dog is a HUGE committment, and is not to be entered into lightly. I think most people go straight for the champion argument, because if you have champion dogs, you understand the structure and health of the dog.

All breeds of dogs have health issues that are hereditary, and these should be tested for in both parents before breeding begins. Some of these conditions, like hip dysplasia, can not even be tested for accurately until the dog is 2 years old.

There are other things to understand about dogs, like in shelties, you don't breed a blue merle to a blue merle, or you will likely end up with a litter of deaf puppies. In some breeds, too much white on the dog can also be linked to deafness.

Also, with the large number of dogs in a shelter or in rescue (mixed breed AND full bred), it's important to make sure you also have homes for all of your puppies- preferrably before the dog is even bred. What do you do if you end up with 8 puppies, and can't even GIVE them away? 8 Lab puppies, or Shepherd puppies sucking down dog food, etc., can be a huge committment.

Do you know anything about weaning the pups? Taking care of the pups? Can you afford a C-section if it comes to that? If you have a breed of dog that traditionally has docked tails or cropped ears, are you going to do it? Most people who want these breeds expect this to be done. Will you do it yourself? Can you afford to have the vet do it? Do you know HOW to do it?

It's a huge responsibility to breed, and I think people want to drive the point home.

You ask a very good question. How did anyone become breeders. They all had to start somewhere. I am not into breeding, and don't think people should just breed to try to get money. Any breeder will tell you there is no money in it. But they breed for more reason than just getting a maybe show quality pup in a litter. We are talking about maybe just one pup, so then the others go for pet quality. I mean why breed then for just one pup? I know alot of show dog people that might have one to two litters a year.. for one maybe show dog. Then you have to have the dog fixed which you should, but then people want a pup then it grows up to be an adult dog, and they get sick of it, and send it to a shelter or rescue. There are to many dogs already in this world looking for a home. So all breeders are not doing anyone a favor by selling us pet quality dogs. Just stop breeding and be happy with what you have. And if you have to breed do it once and stop there. Look up dog rescues on pet finder.com, and you will see all kinds of reg dogs, that were bred and now trying to find a home, and I know breeders are going to say, it came from puppy mills which some will be, but not all. Just think about it. And if they want great bred dogs then breed champion to champion, and then some of these dogs are champions due to the handler knowing the judges, and it gets political in the show ring.

I guess it happens all over. I used to own a very small sheltie-she was the runt of her litter and a very poor representation of her breed. She was a puppy mill dog. One day when I was out walking her, I had a woman come up to me and ask me if I wanted to breed her because her size was so desirable. I immediately pointed out all of her faults, told her I would never dream of breeding a puppy mill dog, and that she had already been spayed at 6 months old. I got a strange look, as if what I had done was the incorrect decision. I think there are all kinds of nut in the world. My Peanut lived her life a happy dog with no puppies. RIP I would not worry about offending people like this. Anyone who just walks up to a stranger to ask about breeding is a moron.

Most people here dont want anyone to breed their dogs at all. Others think that they should all be champions.. I to find it amazing as one of my dogs is getting her championship, is in the show ring and is a wonderful example of the breed. I kept her out of a litter of puppies when it was moms last litter. Mom and dad are not champions.

dont believe I will breed her either.

Others will say responsible breeders ie testing genetics, showing, ect. All fine. I agree.

Dont agree with BYB, irresponsible Hobby breeders, nor the puppy mills.

You can have champions from dogs that are not championed. It really is not a requirement more of a strong suggestion to make sure that your animal is up to the breed standard.

Ok. other than that, not sure what you want anyone here to say. Your puppy is better off fixed. they live longer and are healthier. Plus you wont bring in unwanted puppies into the world I think that is the main point to the not breeding.

It is also a mess. and alot of work. alot of work.

If they aren't Champions but are bred anyway by good breeders, they are most likely show quality and just have not been shown for one reason or another or compliment the dog they are being bred to in a way that another dog could not, but in either case the breeder has the knowledge to determine if the dog is breeding quality. To non-dog people that don't have a clue if the dog is really quality or not the best way to determine that is to recommmend they show the dog.

The point is to breed dogs that will add something to the breed not just to breed dogs because they have the necessary equipment. 99% of people have no idea how to tell the difference between a dog of breeding quality and a dog that should be spayed/neutered. Asking about Championship is a good way to determine if a)the dog is of decent quality and b)if the person has any kind of clue what they are doing.

It really depends on the breed...some breeds are extremely difficult to get championships on because of the competitiveness of that breed. My parents bred one of our weimaraners twice and she was a champion to another champion dog twice and out of nine dogs no champions so far (2 are still showing). Then they bred our English Bulldog who is not a champion to I think a champion male and got 4 beautiful puppies who we hope will be champions. It all really does depend on the breed.

For more information about an existing dogs' precise pedigree, you'd need to contact the owner of that dog. Good breeders will often breed a dog they know is show quality from champion lines, even if they never show her. Some show-quality dogs who herald from superb lines have injuries which prevent them from showing or working, but have no impact on their ability to breed and pass on that excellent lineage and conformation. The practice is not comparable in any way with people who breed pet-quality dogs with no notable pedigree whatsoever, whom they bought from pet shops.

Every breed out there came from 'non-champion' ancestors originally. The KC (British) is the oldest and one of the most respected kennel clubs in the world - it was formed in 1873. Common sense tells you that there were therefore no titled champions in existence before 1873.

People who need to ask about breeding on Yahoo Answers have no idea of any aspects of it whatsoever. As Shanna says, asking about a title is a good way to determine and drive home that they're irresponsibly breeding pet-quality animals. We are over-run with pet dogs; shelters are full of them. Nowadays, unless someone is breeding to improve a breed, which involfes dogs who are both champions and completely health certified, there is no justification for churning out puppies.

http://www.alambre.biz/chevy.html

http://www.alambre.biz/mutz.html

both my stud dogs have all titled dogs in at least the first 3 generations...and my GSD you can probably trace his all the way back and his ancestry is all titled...

and on this pedigree the sire is not titled because he was a titled import and the dogs behind him are also titled...

most breed worthy dogs have many or all titled dogs in their pedigree... sure you can get a conformationally correct dog as a fluke...but when I breed my puppies are not flukes..they are consistant and what I expect..and the fluke is 1 or 2 pet puppies

http://www.alambre.biz/tess.html

some amazing dogs are not titled due to injuries...or lack of involvement from the owner.... but if you research their pedigree they are usually impressive

the key is researching and knowing what is behind your dogs...know the conformation of the dogs in the pedigree...flaws..strong points.... health issues and breed to improve on any issues you discover... which means you have to research the pedigree of the potential mate

It depends. There is a particular line of dogs i am looking into. The dams are worked, but not titled. It's not a reflection of the breeder, it's genetics.

The breeder knows their dogs, and knows that even if a dog hasn;t been titled, they are consistently producing CH pups.

Also, a breeder might take a dog as a pup-specifically to raise it as a stud dog or a dam. So, no they don't show it. But all it's brothers and sisters and parents are CH dogs.

We say this to discourage byb, and to make people stop and really think about the quality of dog they are wanting to breed.

Because at the time of the current champions' ancestors, the problem of overpopulation (although it still existed at the time) was not nearly as devastating as it is today. Unless you are breeding champions for more champions, for the betterment of the breed, then there is NO reason to breed at all.