To keep or not to keep?

We own a female AKC Labrador Retriever named Elly and we are planning on breeding her with my mom's best friend's AKC Labrador Retriever name King Duke when Elly goes into heat this year. I've got some comments already from other boards saying not the add to the population of shelter dogs. But I want you guys to know that we are responsible and will not be breeding mixed breed or mutt dogs. We aren't sure if we want to keep a puppy from the litter or not...? We live on 3 acres and I play with the dog all the time... almost all day. So... should we keep a puppy or not?

WHY are you planning on breeding her??? :(

I'm keeping a puppy from my dog's first litter. It really depends on if you have the time, energy, and money to have another puppy.

I hope that both dogs have the proper health certifications and both pedigrees have been reaearched. Have you taken into account the risks of pregnancy/whelping? Does your dog participate in any sports?

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Originally Posted by wolfsoul

I hope that both dogs have the proper health certifications and both pedigrees have been reaearched. Have you taken into account the risks of pregnancy/whelping? Does your dog participate in any sports?

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I agree. And do you have enough money for breeding?

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And do you have enough money for breeding?

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Like Maltese_Love said, breeding can be very expensive. Even if there aren't any unforeseen problems (such as the mother needing a caesarean section, which can cost $500 or even more). Some puppies might be still-born or die shortly after birth and the mother is also at risk of dying during birth, as well as from various cancers which can virtually be eliminated by spaying.

With 25 to 30 percent of dogs in shelters being purebred according to the Humane Society of the United States, dogs have to have much more than being purebred to be bred. They have to be perfect specimens of their breed, including being free of genetic, psychological, or physiological defects, and all of that testing costs money. I don't show or breed, however I've read that showing a dog to championship can cost upwards of $1800. There is then a stud fee, and when the pups are born they have to go to the vet many times. They need vaccinations, they need to be de-wormed, and the breeder is responsible for the costs of registering each individual dog with the AKC and for the transfer of ownership papers.

Elly sounds like she has a great home who really cares about her, and there are many dogs who are in need of such a great home, especially Labs. There are over 13,000 Labs for adoption on Petfinder alone, which is MUCH more than any other breed, and many of them purebred, if you might want another pup, would you be interested in adopting one of those cuties instead of making more unwanted puppies (statistics say that less than one in four puppies stay in their first home)?

I hope you consider what we've said with an open mind, since you're looking on boards you really must want what's best for your little girl :).

ETA:

Neutered animals generally live longer, happier lives. Not only do they have less of a tendency to roam, spaying dramatically reduces the risk of contracting uterine infections, mammory tumours, and breast cancer. In fact, the chances of breast cancer in female dogs increases significantly with each successive heat. :(

Thanks everyone for the help, I will be sure to discuss these posts with my parents. Elly doesn't participate in any sports although I may start showing her in AKC Junior Showmanship. She is registered with AKC but not sure about the health certificate :confused: I don't think anybody in my family noticed how much breeding could cost. I will definetly discuss the costs with them, although I think we have enough money and they may have already considered this stuff. We have time and the money for the puppy, though. Is this making a bad reputation for me because I'm feeling it is... :confused: To tell you the truth, luvofallhorses, I really dont know why we are breeding her... :confused: It's my step-dad's dog and he wants to breed her.

The question should be more like: To breed or not to breed.

If you'd like to breed Elly the "proper" way, get her genetically tested and make sure she passes those tests. Labs are VERY prone to hip dysplasia so you'll have to get her OFA'd and/or PennHip'd. You'll also need to check those eyes since Labs are prone to PRA as well, so you'll need to get her CERF'd as well.

Does she have good conformation? The best way to tell is to champion her in the conformation ring. This doesn't mean, "Oh yeah, she's a beautiful dog and her puppies will be, too". This means putting your time and effort into entering her into local AKC-sanctioned shows and earning two majors on her and getting that championship. Who bred Elly? You'll need to get back in touch with Elly's original breeder so they can help you and your pup during this long difficult road.

As well, I'm not sure if your friend's AKC Labrador qualifies as a good stud. What does he have to offer the Labrador breed? As was mentioned before, Labs are the NUMBER 1 most popular breed in the AKC, meaning there are tens of thousands of Labs/mixes languishing in shelters to this day. Is he a champion in the ring? If not, is he skilled or championed in the field? Just because he has good drive or he looks pretty to you doesn't mean much unless he is proven in either the ring/field. Has he been tested for dysplastic hips? What about his thyroid? What about his eyes? What about his patellas? What about his parents' hips, eyes, hearts, and thyroids? What about his grandparents'? This is very important as genetic maladies often skip generations, so you'll need to study the pedigree of both Elly and Duke VERY diligantly.

Lastly, just because you're not breeding mixed breeds doesn't mean that you're not contributing to the overflow of dogs in shelters. A BYB doesn't breed just mixes. There are plenty of BYB's who breed purebred dogs. Breeding purebred Labs does not exempt you from anything. I hope you'll listen to us and the boards before and spay your dog or breed the *right* way. If we're all saying the same things, there is a reason why ;)

Edit to add: If Elly is your step-dad's dog, try to explain to him why NOT to breed. As for health testing, visit these sites:
http://www.offa.org/
http://www.pennhip.org/
http://www.vmdb.org/cerf.html

You *need* to get these tests done on Elly and Duke. Otherwise, consider spaying her and adopting a needy Lab puppy from a nearby shelter :)

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Is this making a bad reputation for me because I'm feeling it is...

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Hey, of course not! There's nothing at all wrong with not knowing, the thing that gets you a good reputation is when you make an effort to become educated (like you are) and take appropriate steps when you find that knowledge. When I got Mocha (my first little pup) we had a family friend that bred and I thought, "Oh, it would be so adorable to have a bunch of little Mocha's running around!", so I looked into it and realized how very wrong I was and got her spayed as soon as she was old enough (which, I now realize is as young as 8 weeks!). I got her from a backyard breeder before I knew better also, and of course he didn't spend the money to spay or neuter the pups - another expense. Since then, I've learned from my mistakes, have rescued my other two dogs, and am very involved with rescue. It's a very rewarding experience!

Sometimes when you're young it's hard to get your parents to listen to you when they have their mind made up, but don't give up! I talked my parents into fostering and sooner or later, it really does work :p!

It definitely sounds like you have given Elly an incredible home and, if you have the time and money and want to hear that little patter of feet around your house, a rescue dog would love your home :D. If your family decides that they do want another dog, I'm sure all of us here would be more than happy to help you find another dog from a reputable source!

Please don't get your spirits down, people aren't born knowing all of this and they only way they find out about everything, including the huge pet overpopulation problem which results with over 5 million homeless dogs being euthanized in the United States alone, is by becoming educated, just like how you're doing!

Please keep us updated! :)

If you do breed I would not keep a pup as the mom would be more dominate and pups don't reach their full potentioal.
We here on this board are a lot of rescue pet owners so we tend to get a bit touchy about small pet breeding. I have 3 rescued dogs now . I drove 4300 miles to get one of them that a pet talker had saved.I would not choose to breed (parents raised and showed springers when i was a kid ) never made any money at it actually lost most of the time.

Good luck with the Breeding,Make sure you consider everything before doing this it is a big responsibility,and some people arnt ready for that at any time!

IMHO, your family doesn't seem to knowledgable on breeding. Please print out, or show them this thread. They really have a lot more to learn about breeding the safe and proper way.

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Originally Posted by Kfamr

IMHO, your family doesn't seem to knowledgable on breeding. Please print out, or show them this thread. They really have a lot more to learn about breeding the safe and proper way.

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I strongly agree with Kay

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Originally Posted by Kfamr

IMHO, your family doesn't seem to knowledgable on breeding. Please print out, or show them this thread. They really have a lot more to learn about breeding the safe and proper way.

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I also agree.

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Originally Posted by Kfamr

IMHO, your family doesn't seem to knowledgable on breeding. Please print out, or show them this thread. They really have a lot more to learn about breeding the safe and proper way.

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i also agree!

i personally don't think you should breed her. even though she is AKC registered doesn't mean you have to breed her. it just means she's purebred. it doesn't mean she's well bred. is she up to the breed standard? you can find a copy of the breed standard on AKC.org. i hope your parents understand the HUGE resposability it is to have a litter of puppies. do your research on all the time and money it takes to breed a litter. honestly in the end you don't make a profit. you end up spending a great deal of money.

also, there are a rediculous amount of labs in shelters. a great deal of them get killed simply because there are no homes available for them. after working at a humane society for some time i have witnessed many PRUEBRED labs being killed for this very reason. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't breed your dog!

I agree w/ everyone above. Just because you want to breed your dog for the heck of it, or you just like puppies around WHY breed? Go get a puppy at a shelter if you want one. PLEASE DON'T BREED!!!