Ten reasons to breed your dog

[vinjashira]

it's ok, except for #9
Both parents have proper Dachshund temperament

[Freedom]

Terrific article. Should be required reading before being allowed to breed! (No idea how to enforce that, it was just a thought, he he.)

[cassiesmom]

it's ok, except for #9
Both parents have proper Dachshund temperament

I think in the introduction to the article it says that although the writer focused on Dachshunds, that it was considered applicable to dogs in general.

Somewhere on Pet Talk I read that the goal of breeding an animal is to advance and improve the breed. I had that in mind as I read this article. For myself, I have adopted one pet from a shelter and I would do so again. My cat was already spayed when I adopted her. I would have a neutered or spayed pet in the future - if the procedure hadn't already been done, I would arrange for it. And leave "pet parenting" to experts.

[Catty1]

GS dogs got 'snappy' a few years ago, supposedly due to the purebred factor...Golden Retrievers are prone to cancer...my sister's/Mom's Oriental Shorthairs have a genetic tendency to have their teeth dissolve back into their gums (by age 6, both had just their fangs left!)

The breeds are improved...but they develop so many problems in common with others of the same breed.

And I pity the animal, who didn't ask for these troubles. Of course, for all I know, many breeders ARE doing their best to breed out health problems. But all that seems to matter at the shows is their physical APPEARANCE, which is not the same thing.

JMO

[crow_noir]

That's why so often dog shows annoy the hell out of me... what good are they ACTUALLY doing for the dogs?!

The other Day PBS aired a program about ferrets. I planned on watching it with S.O. Well it wasn't on when he thought it was so i looked it up. Then i read that the program was about ferret breeding and showing. I was like "oh brother!" and almost didn't bother watching. I'm so glad i did though. The tiny look into the ferret world is so refreshing! They are judged pretty much only on health and temperment!!! Whoooo! The only looks that are judged is the part that reflects the health. Markings only place them in a category.

GS dogs got 'snappy' a few years ago, supposedly due to the purebred factor...Golden Retrievers are prone to cancer...my sister's/Mom's Oriental Shorthairs have a genetic tendency to have their teeth dissolve back into their gums (by age 6, both had just their fangs left!)

The breeds are improved...but they develop so many problems in common with others of the same breed.

And I pity the animal, who didn't ask for these troubles. Of course, for all I know, many breeders ARE doing their best to breed out health problems. But all that seems to matter at the shows is their physical APPEARANCE, which is not the same thing.

JMO

[binka_nugget]

Fantastic article! Thanks for sharing!

I only have purebreds but I love mutts too! I volunteer for shelters and rescues and even adopted one of my purebreds. Remember that you can find purebreds in shelters too!

However, I'm also all for responsible breeders too! With Keeva, I went through A LOT of breeders until I found an ACTUAL honest-to-god responsible breeder that I fully approved of. There's a Belgian breeder in Calgary who seems reputable. He shows his dogs, is fairly well known in the Belgian world and has beautiful dogs. He answered everything correctly. He told me he'd take the dog back if I ever decided on rehoming the dog. He told me the parents were free of hip, eye and elbow problems. He told me that his line was free of epilepsy. He fed good food, and didn't have litters very often. He *seemed* like a fantastic breeder, the perfect breeder really. I like to talk to others involved with Belgians and as a result, I found out that one of his pups had epilepsy. He actually took the pup back from the owners and ended up sending the dog to the US to have it become a show dog (who would later be bred and increase the breed's problem with epilepsy).

I intend on breeding Malinois because the breed is far from perfect. People choose to get purebreds because they want a dog with certain traits. I wanted a high-drive, real deal working dog. A dog with high intelligence, herding instinct, a stable temperment and free of any genetic health problems. That should easily apply to all dogs of this breed.. but it didn't. Keeva was a rare find, which is sad cause I was only asking for a healthy Malinois.

Responsible breeders are not the ones who are ruining the breeds, creating health problems and filling shelters with dogs. However, responsible breeders are few and far between.