Considering dog breeding

I am also considering investing in some more poodles as pets and maybe breeding them once a year. The nice thing about poodles (toy poodles) is that they aren't in pounds and rescues - I have TRIED to find a Toy poodle to adopt and there aren't ANY! So they won't end up in pounds......

 

Toy Poodles are mouser/rat dogs, and boy would Tyson be good at it! How much do Patterdales sell for?

 

I am thinking of buying two female poodles (which are around $2000 a piece!) And when they are close to breeding age I'll buy a male. Poodle puppies sell for between 900-2000 dollars

Of course to get 900-2000 dollars a puppy I'll have to take really good pictures (which I love to do ) and they will be teacup poodles.

 

Do you want them to be registered? If you don't care if they are as long as they are purebred then check shelters and check into adopting. :idea:

 

I would recomend www.petfinder.com if you are going to search sheltersThey are also much cheaper.

 

Alright, not to open a can of worms or make people mad. Sorry if I offend anyone.

IMHO

If that is how you feel, do not breed dogs.

IMHO- Dogs should only be breed when they help to better the breed. That means working and/or conformation titles, outstanding health tests, and
wonderful personalities.
If my goats turn out better than their parents over all, I castrate them(males) and sell them for meat or pasture ornaments. Most people would be appalled to eat dogs, and even though people say they will neuter them, they do't always.
If you want to breed them, I would strongly suggest reading up on common health issues in Patterdales. Most "breeders" say there aren't any, but patellas(knees), eyes, and hearts are always good things to test.
Also, look around you community for puppy homes. If your area is mainly agricultural/hunting, you should be okay home-wise. But are you willing to keep a whole litter if no homes show up? I suggest getting litter reservations before you breed anything, dogs, cats, goats, cows, etc.
Another thing to look at is the cost of raising a litter HEALTHFULLY. A lot of people breed two dogs together to make money. If you make money breeding dogs, you aren't doing something right(see first and second link).

This site is about Rotties, but makes very good cost list.
http://www.rottie-l.org/b4breeding.html
http://www.itb.it/canaan/icdca/Breeders/facts.htm

This site has a lot of information about being a responsible breeder.
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm

As does this one(off of above site)
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm#breeding

Just google 'breeding dogs' and stuff like that, you'll get loads of info.

Once again, sorry if I made/make anyone mad.

 

I've eaten does, I personally think they taste better.

I prefer to have a waiting list so that I know I'm not adding to the homeless issue. Around here, goats are a surplus. But not for long- we have a booming Hispanic population. Although, the shelter won't adopt out goats to Hispanics...

But yeah, dog breeding is not an impulse thing. SO many people do it thinking they will make money, and if they do, it's because they aren't taking proper care/precautions.

 

A Teacup poodle is from 2 - 4 1/2 pounds, a Tiny Toy (that is what people call them) is 4- 6 pounds (that is what Tyson was sopposed to be, he is now 7 + pounds :roll: ) and a Toy is from 6-10 pounds.

 

I've personally never had a problem with the shelters around here.

 

A really good resource for dog breeding is a book called the ABC's of dog breeding by Claudia Orlandi. It covers alot of genetics, common misconceptions, tons of good information. I got it because I hope to eventually breed Labrador retreivers. It is in a really easy to understand format.

 

Ok, a dog comes into heat for the first time when she is 6 months old and then after that once ever 6 months. I would strongly advise against breeding them the first heat cycle. The second or third (or some same even further down the line) should be fine as long as they are in good health and have grown properly and at the right growth rate. You don't want to breed them before they are physically ready. They stay in heat for 21 days (3 weeks). Most books and sites will tell you that they will only breed the middle week of their heat cycle, but it will also tells you that this can very drastically from dog to dog. When your female is in heat you better have her where no other dogs can get in and she can't get out! Other dogs will try to dig in and she will try to dig out. They can also breed through fences so having her in a chainlink fence will not work. You also want to be sure that your male is safe because he will likely try to fight off any stray males that come into your yard while the females are in heat. I breed for Fall or Spring litters because in the summer you have to deal with the terrible heat (atleast here in the south :roll: ), fleas, ticks, flies, nats, and so forth which all make it a little harder to be sure that everyone stays healthy. Plus if it is hot and you have the dogs and all outside, then the mother will be hesitant about staying in the hot dog house with the pups. The average gestation period is about 64 days, but every dog is different. They have canine whelping calculators on the net where you just put in the date(s) the female was bred and it will tell you the estimated due date(s). I always start my female on Puppy food a couple of weeks before she is due to whelp to help with milk production. Also, something you should be aware of is that every dog, no matter whether you raise it from a pup or not, reacts differently while in labor. She may not mind you being there with her but she could also become very agitated and get snappy. Be VERY cautious when they are having their first litters until you know how they will react. Also, try not to startle her when she is whelping because they can postpone labor for an hour or more if they are stressed or scared. Once she starts having the puppies her natural insticts should kick in and she should do everything needed. She will clean the puppies and she will bite the umbilical cord in two (there will be blood when she does that so don't freak :wink: ). She will eat the afterbirth and all, and I advise letting her (some people will take it away from them) it is high in proteins that she needs. The puppies won't open their eyes and ears for about 3 weeks. I usually do not handle them (except to change the dog house bedding) until their eyes are open and they are crawling around. As long as they are eating good they can be weaned as early as 6 weeks, but I myself wait until they are 8 weeks. If you are planning on raising full blooded pups then at 6 weeks old they need to be taken for their first set of shots, then at about 7.5 weeks old I would start advertising them stating that they have had their first set of shots and leave it to the buyer to get their next set at 8weeks, 10 weeks, and 12 weeks old. Of course, if you haven't sold them by the time they are 8 weeks or so then you will need to take them in for their second set of shots as well. I don't think they can be wormed until they are 8 weeks old, so that will also have to be done if they are not sold by then. I think that pretty well covers everything I can think of. Sorry it got so lengthy :roll: If you can think of any questions or anything I left out please feel free to ask. Hope this helps :wink:

 

It really depends on the males I think. Was your male neutered as soon as he was old enough or was it later on?

 

Okay, so we have 3 mini dashund females-Mother, Daughter, Granddaughter. The youngest is my dog. But, They are mainly only bred once a year. Yes, it is nice selling pups to make a few extra bucks-but the health of the our dogs comes first. For example I know of one person who raises LGD's. Personally I believe she has her female dog bred to often-which often results in smaller litters for her. So, the only thing I have to say is pleassssssssseee give your dogs a good break inbetween litters.