Part of being a responsible owner is knowing also when not to breed your dogs. You don’t want to breed a dog too soon, but you also might need to make the decision not to breed the dog if she had a difficult pregnancy, had a hard litter, or had problems weaning or taking care of the puppies. A responsible breeder will know when to not breed again.
What To Breed For
There are several things that you want to breed for. When you are looking at the dogs that you hope to breed, and when you are making judgments about those dogs and deciding which ones to breed, you should look for several things.
Temperament – how the dog acts around you, around others, and around other animals or children.
Physical state:
- Colors
- Size
- Ear Shape
- Eye Shape, Color
- Coat Thickness
- Gait
Health
- Long life span
- Less of a chance of sicknesses
If your dog has these characteristics as called for in the breed standards, you might want to consider breeding them.
What To Breed Out
There are also several things that you will want to breed out. This means that if you have a dog that exhibits these things, you’ll want to spay or neuter them and place them in a pet quality home.
- Sickness
- Weak Joints or Knees
- Coats that are not sufficient for breed standards
- Improper Gait
- Colors or markings that don’t conform to breed standards
- Wrong shaped ears, eyes, or facial features
- Bad temperament
- Tendency towards shyness
If your dog has these things, you might want to consider not breeding them, so you don’t pass on the traits that you don’t want to pass on.
Please note: This article is part of a collection of dog-related content that we purchased the rights to. Opinions expressed may or may not agree with those espoused by Master Dog Trainer Adam G. Katz. When in doubt, please refer to the advice given in Adam’s dog training book. This article is provided for your enjoyment, only. It’s relevance to real world working dog training may be limited.