Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Pets Is Your Dog in Good Shape for Breeding?

Many factors go into determining if your dog is in shape for breeding. Age, health, stress, and your ability to care for her and the puppies are just a few of the things that you should consider before breeding your dog.

If, however, she takes things into her own hands, your choices are limited to providing her with the best care possible and seeing the pregnancy to term, or having the puppies aborted. If you elect for an abortion, it would also be a good time to have the dog spayed in order to prevent future, unwanted pregnancies.

Although a female dog can become pregnant during its very first heat cycle, usually around the age of six months, don't breed her until she is full-grown. For most dogs, this will mean waiting until she is at least two years old.

• As a dog ages, their bodies are less able to handle a pregnancy. Consequently, most dogs should not be bred after the age of seven due to the increased risk of complications.
• After the initial breeding, only breed her every other year so that her body has time to fully recover.

Before attempting to breed your dog, have her seen by a veterinarian to ensure that she is strong, and healthy enough to handle being bred.

• If your dog is on medication, check with your veterinarian before your breed her. Some medications, even topically applied ones, may cause birth defects.

• Never breed an ill dog. Pregnancy may make her illness worse, and may result in the puppies being malformed, or in the pregnancy terminating early.

• All her vaccinations should be up to date.

• The dog should be wormed before breeding.

• Is the dog deformed, or does it suffer from a genetically transmitted ailment such as hip dysplasia? If so, she should not be bred as there is a risk that she will pass these genetic problems on to her offspring.
• Check and make sure that the dog is free of external parasites, such as fleas and ticks. Not only are these annoying, but they transmit worms and their bites may cause the dog to become anemic.
• If the dog is malnourished or overly thin, breeding her can actually weaken her to the point of death.
• Make sure that her mate is just as healthy as she is.

Stress is never good, especially when it comes to breeding a dog. It can affect hormone levels within the system, which may actually make the dog temporarily sterile.

• Providing her with a quiet place where she can 'get away from it all'. This will help keep her stress levels down, both before and after she becomes pregnant.
• Stress can be induced by moving, travel, being in a kennel, or having a new member added to the family, such as a baby. The dog will breed more readily and have a calmer pregnancy if you wait to breed her until after the cause of the stress has ceased or until she has become use to the new situation.

Is your wallet in shape for breeding? There is the cost of fertility testing or treatments, the stud fee, medical care for the mother during and after the pregnancy, medical fees for the puppies including worming and shots, and of course, the cost of all the food they will eat.

Not only is breeding your dog time consuming, but it can also be a bit of a nuisance. Litters can range from anywhere from one to twenty puppies. Are you up to handling the yelping and crying of, say ten puppies? What about if the mother refuses to nurse them, will you be able to bottle-feed them? Or what if they all escaped from their 'area', will you be able to laugh off a half dozen chewed shoes and puppy droppings all over the house?

• Don't forget that you will have to care for the puppies until they are at least eight weeks old. Then, you will have to go through the process of trying to find homes for them all.

If you don't think that you'll be able to hack it, don't breed your dog. You're not doing her or yourself any favors by breeding a dog you cannot, or do not want, to care for.