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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS);faqs.237





(Part I)
A.  Acquiring Older Dogs.

You may get an older dog (a year or more old) from the humane society,
breed rescue, or other organization.  There is at least one excellent
book to help you out in this situation.  It is

Benjamin, Carol L.  _Second Hand Dog_.

and is highly recommended.

B.  A New Baby.

Introduce the dog to all the new things you get for a new baby: let it
investigate the crib, baby clothes and that sort of thing.  Dogs
generally seem to know that something is up, especially as the woman
gets closer to her time.

After the baby is born, but before you bring it home, see if you can
take something home for the dog to smell, like a blanket or an
undershirt the baby had on.  Let the dog smell it thoroughly.

When the baby comes home, try to hold everything else normal, feeding
time, any morning walks, the like.  When you bring the baby in, put
the dog on a down-stay and introduce the dog to the baby.  Have one of
the parents hold the baby in their lap and let the dog sniff the baby.
Let it lick the baby if you're up to that, but do NOT let the dog
nuzzle (push with its nose) or paw at the baby.  It is important to
introduce the dog to the baby.  This makes it clear to the dog that
the baby is a new member of the pack.  If you exclude the dog from the
baby, it may try to attack this "non-member" to protect its pack.

Include the dog in the daily routine with the baby.  Give it the same,
if not a little more, amount of attention it always got.  You do not
want it to feel like it has been displaced or ignored in favor of the
baby.


C.  Breeding is Not Easy.

This section is here to underscore the seriousness of breeding dogs.
Please do NOT breed your dog "for the money" or "to see the wonders of
birth and life" or some similar nonsense.  Breeding is expensive, and
good breeders rarely make money on their dogs.  The "wonders of birth
and life" can turn tragically if any die; if the bitch has her puppies
at the vet, the kids certainly won't see it.

Responsible breeding is a major undertaking, and seriously requires a
good amount of research to understand what you are getting into.  You
need to be up on genetics, especially for your breed, you need to be
familiar, not only with the breed standard, but its faults and its
likely medical problems.  You need to understand the implications of a
particular pedigree.  You need to be able to detect a variety of
problems that can arise during pregnancy and during the pups first few
weeks.  You should find yourself a mentor, a person who has already
been breeding for a while and who can give you good advice.

Breeding is in no way a profitable activity, unless you completely cut
out all concern for the health of the dam and puppies -- in which case
you certainly are not improving the dogs in any way and are doing your
customers no favor by passing along inferior pups.

1.  Medical problems (genetic)

Eye problems include PRA, which doesn't usually show up until the dog
is 4 years old, cataracts, and retinal dysplasia.  These are
hereditary conditions and in some cases cause blindness.  In the case
of PRA, the pedigree needs to be studied, and if there are any
carriers of the disease on her pedigree, you must choose a stud dog
whose pedigree is free of any problems.  PRA is a recessive gene, so
in order to be affected the puppy needs to get a gene from each
parent.  It's a devastating disease in that it causes total blindness.

Hip problems are more likely.  There is a hip certification process
that breeders adhere to, and have their dogs certified free of the
disease by OFA.  OFA will not certify a dog until that dog is 2 years
old so it's best to wait until that age to certify and then breed if
all is well.  They grade the hips as a passing grade of Excellent,
Good, or Fair, or a non-passing grade (meaning DO NOT BREED this dog)
of Borderline, Mild, Moderate, or Severe hip dysplasia.  Even if your
dog's parents are OFA certified you need to certify its hips as well.
In a breeding of OFA certified parents, you will get a range in the
quality of the dogs' hips.  Even the worst aren't likely to show any
symptoms of hip dysplasia, at least not as young dogs, but if you
breed two borderline dogs together you may get a litter of crippled
dogs.

Classic hip dysplasia starts at 4-6 months when the puppy starts
limping and having trouble getting up and sitting down.  You take the
puppy to the vet and have $100 in tests and xrays done to find out the
dog has hip dysplasia.  You may be referred to specialists to
determine whether there is anything that can be done.  Sometimes they
can do hip replacement surgery at $1500/hip, sometimes they can't and
your only choice is to get the dog put to sleep.  This to stress the
importance of getting the proper health clearances on your dog before
you breed, or you may do the puppies a serious injustice.

Your veterinarian or an experienced breeder can steer you to a good
vet to take hip xrays to submit to OFA, and a veterinary
ophthalmologist who can check your dog's eyes for you.  Never forget
that both the bitch AND the dog must go through all these checks
before breeding.

Other breeds have a tendency toward other specific medical problems
(hip and eye are simply the most common): you need to know what is
prone in your breed and take steps to minimize and eliminate it.

2.  Other medical problems

You must make sure the bitch and the stud both are free from
brucellosis before breeding them.  Brucellosis causes eventual
sterility in both sexes (sometimes non-obviously)and can cause a
litter of puppies to be aborted or die shortly after birth.  In
addition, brucellosis is transmissible to humans via saliva and thus is
a major health problems as it can disrupt human immune system and also
cause sterility.  Between dogs, it is most commonly passed in sexual
intercourse, although an entire kennel can be infected through contact
with secretions.  (See Health Care Issues for more detail.)

3.  Temperament

Never breed any animal that shows temperament problems.  In
particular, this has been the cause of the degeneration of many
breed's general temperament: Doberman Pinschers, Rottweilers, and so
on.  If your animal is untrustworthy around people, overly aggressive
to people, excitable, or is a fear-biter, do not breed it.  If it is
excessively shy or submissive, don't breed it.  Look for happy,
spirited and obedient animals, and consider carefully the particular
temperament requirements for your dog's breed.

4.  Selecting the stud or bitch

You must carefully consider each dog's pedigree for compatibility.
Try to select strengths to offset weaknesses.  Do not allow your bitch
to be bred to an unsuitable dog, and conversely, be picky about the
bitches you allow your dog to breed.  This phase alone requires
considerable research to find a suitable candidate, and you should
definitely work closely with a knowledgeable person, ideally the
breeder of your dog.  Simply because two dogs "look good" or even
*are* good does not mean that they necessarily complement each other:
suppose they are both carriers for the same disease?  Suppose they
both have a tendency to overbites or other disqualifying faults?

Be honest with yourself.  If your dog is not a good representation of
its breed, do not let it reproduce.  It is much easier to improve a
few faults than to try and get excellent pups with a mediocre dog.
Check the breed standard for your dog and ask a knowledgeable person
for their evaluation of your dog.

5.  Overbreeding

Ideally, a bitch should only be bred every other year.  However, even
at maximum, you want to allow at least one unbred season between
breedings.  This allows your bitch to rest and regain her strength.
If you *are* breeding a bitch this frequently or more, why?  There are
too many puppies as it is.  The health of both your bitch and your
puppies are compromised with too many pregnancies.

6.  Care of the pregnant bitch

You should make sure the bitch is up-to-date on all her vaccinations,
medications, and shots before she is bred.

She will require special food to help with the developing fetuses.
In particular, a dam that does not get supplementary food during the
last three weeks or so will have weaker puppies that are more likely
to die shortly thereafter.

She should be under the care of a vet for any related problems.  Dogs
can have miscarriages.  Illnesses, diseases, or infestations that the
bitch picks up during her pregnancy can affect the puppies.
Difficulties during whelping are entirely possible, and the rule for
some breeds.  You must be prepared to get her to the vet quickly in an
emergency.  Puppies also like to be born around oh-dark-thirty.  The
joy of birth can easily turn into tragedy if the bitch or any of the
puppies die -- and this is always a very real possibility.

There are instances of "mummy puppies" where you have a puppy whose
development went awry, but it was not aborted.  Instead, it dries and
shrivels up, and when born, looks like a mummified puppy, blackened
and ready to rot.  Overbreeding and inadequate care are usually the
causes.  It is quite likely that the dam will come down with an
infected uterus after such a puppy.

Other congenital (but not genetic) defects can include: no anus
(surgery required), cleft palates and hare lips (surgery needed).

7.  Caring for the puppies

You will have to make sure that they stay healthy.  They will need
worming.  If the mother dies, you will have to nurse them -- this is a
round-the-clock (every three hours) exhausting effort -- and you must
take even more precautions as the puppies may be deprived of the
immunizing effects of the mother's initial milk.  There are a variety
of problems that can affect puppies: some of which you can head off
with proper preventive care, you need to learn to recognize these.
You must begin initial socialization to help ensure good temperaments.
All in all, puppies are intensive, time consuming little creatures.

You will have to find a place to keep the puppies.  They can destroy a
room or a garage in hours once they start moving around.  Are you
prepared for this?  Do you have a place to keep them safely that still
allows them to be properly socialized?

8.  Placing the puppies

After the puppies are born, if not before, you must consider placing
your puppies.  Time and time again, people breed a litter because
friends and family want one of their dog's puppies -- and then none of
them will take one.

Are you prepared to do some legwork to find GOOD homes for them, not
just hand them off to the first person who comes by?  You are aware
that you won't be able to sell all of your puppies locally, aren't
you?  What assurances do you have that the puppies will not wind up
filling animal shelters, facing death because their parents were
thoughtlessly bred?  Suppose you wind up keeping more of the litter
than you intended to?  Can you keep the extra puppies?

9.  Some statistics to consider.

The following figures were taken from a survey done on 35 breedings,
including one litter of each of the following: 1 Alaskan Malumute, 1
Border Terrier, 1 Borzoi, 1 Boston Terrier, 2 Dachshunds, 1 Doberman
Pinscher, 1 English Springer Spaniel, 3 German Shepards, 1 German
Shorthaired Pointer, 2 Golden Retrievers, 1 Great Dane, 1 Kuvasz, 1
Labrador Retriever, 1 Lhasa Apso, 1 Mastiff, 3 Newfoundlands, 2
Norwegian Elkhounds, 4 Poodles (1 miniature, 3 standrds), 2
Rottweilers, 1 Samoyed, 2 Shetland Sheepdogs, 1 Siberian Husky, and 1
Viszla.

The average number of pups born in these litters was seven, with an
average of two dying before eight weeks of age, leaving an average of
five to sell.  However, the average number of pups sold per litter was
four, with an average of one pup per litter either given away or kept
by the litter owners.  31% of the breeders surveyed had at least one
pup returned to them for a various number of reasons and 8% had legal
complications with puppy buyers.  In 63% of these cases, medical
problems arose which endangered the life of their female and/or one or
more of the pups. Because of either increased danger to their female's
health or a strong possibility of reproducing a serious genetic
abnormality in future pups or simply because of extreme financial
loss, 49% of these females surveyed WILL NOT be bred again.

The AVERAGE EXPENSES incurred to breed a female and raise her pups until
all were sold were as follows:

original cost of female:        $462.29
cost of male, or his stud fee:         772.57
veterinary expense             430.09
extra food while female pregnant/nursing  73.44
food for pups                  174.65
equipment for delivery/housing pups     282.13
salaries lost due to absence from work     247.20
advertising costs to sell pups         177.31
TOTAL EXPENSES TO RAISE ONE LITTER    $2,620.68

The average number of hours spent with the female and her pups until
all were sold was 345 (the equivelent of over 43 eight-hour work days)
and the AVERAGE INCOME from the sale of a litter was $1,345.71.

After reading these staggering figures, certainly you will ask, "If
this is true, why would anyone breed their dog?" The answer to this is
different for each type of breeder.

  * Most people just want to let their female have one litter, because
    they want their children to experience the joy of birth or they
    think it is necessary for the health and well-being of the dog or
    they just simply want to get some of their money back that they
    put into her.  In any case, they are not aware of the time and
    expense involved until it is too late.

  * Mass market or "puppy mills" produce extremely large numbers of
    pups out of each female; breed children and grandchildren back to
    the original stock; buy all supplies in large quantity; offer the
    animals little more than inexpensive food and cages; sell the pups
    too young in wholesale litter lots; and simply destroy sick or
    non-productive dogs rather than deal with the expense of treating
    them.  All of this lends itself to increased profits --
    unfortunately at the dogs' expense.

  * Serious breed fanciers/breeders specialize in one or two breeds
    that they exhibit at dog shows (another large expense) and spend
    years studying genetics and breed characteristics.  Their goal is
    NOT to make money, but to preserve and improve the breed.  Most of
    these breeders agree that it takes ten to fifteen years with a
    breed to consistently produce top quality dogs and even begin to
    break even on expenses.

Therefore, the general consensus among the breeders surveyed (from
very large to very small) is that unless you are willing to devote
many years of hard work and intense study, along with large sums of
money, DO NOT BREED YOUR DOG.  Remember, there are enough unwanted
puppies in this world, YOUR FEMALE DOES NOT NEED TO PRODUCE MORE!

10.  So maybe a stud dog would be easier?

Your male should be in top condition.  He should be certified clear of
hip dysplasia.  His eyes should be checked annually.  He should be
clear of any abnormalities common to his breed.  He should be clear of
brucellosis.  His temperament should be good, and appropriate for his
breed.

Are you prepared to board a bitch?  The common procedure is for the
bitch to be shipped out to stud, so you will need facilities to board
bitches in heat.  These facilities should be adequate for up to a week
of boarding and to prevent any mismating.

Do you know how to assist at mating?  Not all dogs or bitches
understand what to do, especially if it is the first time for one or
the other.  In addition, it can be disastrous if two dogs are left
alone to mate.  You must be ready to intervene.

Can you evaluate the pedigree of the bitch for suitability with your
dog's pedigree?  Any good points or bad points of the litter are
(rightly or not) attributed to the sire, so your dog's reputation is
at stake with each litter he sires.

Do you have a ready market for your stud dog?  This generally involves
showing your dog so that he is well known.  A lot of time and money
must be put into a good stud dog.

If the owner of the bitch is a novice, are you prepared to assist with
advice on whelping and puppy care?  These people will expect you to
have the answers.

If the mating doesn't take, are you prepared to go through the whole
thing again the next time the bitch comes into season?  Typical
contracts call for free repeat breeding in the case no live puppies
occur or the breeding doesn't take.

And, it has happened that an entire litter of puppies was dumped on
the stud dog owner when the bitch's owners could no longer cope with
them because they didn't realize what a responsibility caring for a
litter involved.  Are you ready to take care of and place your dog's
offspring if this should happen to you?

11.  References.

So you want to use your Dog At Stud?  From the Literary Spot, the
newsletter of the Central MD Dalmation Club 12/89 via Retriever
Believer, the newsletter of the Labrador Retriever Club of Southern
California 8/91.

Why are you Breeding?  By Kathy Tucker, printed in various newsletters.

Things to Think about Before Breeding Your Dog.  By Bonnie Wilcox,
DVM, printed in various newsletters.


D.  Crating.

Crating is a controversial topic.  There are those who believe that
crate training is indefensible and others who believe that it is a
panacea.  The reality is likely somewhere in between.

1.  What does the dog think?

First, you must understand what the crate represents to the dog.  Dogs
are by nature den creatures -- and the crate, properly introduced, is
its den.  It is a safe haven where it does not need to worry about
defending territory.  It is its own private bedroom which it
absolutely will not soil if it can help it.  Judicious use of the
crate can alleviate a number of problems, stop others from ever
developing, and aid substantially in housetraining.

Where is the crate?  It should be around other people.  Ideally, set
it up in the bedroom near you.  Have the dog sleep in it at night.
Dogs are social and like to be around their people.  Don't force it
into the crate.  Feed your dog in the crate.

2.  Prices and recommendations

A plastic airline approved (leakproof) crate will run from $10 to $75
depending on the size.  These are the cheapest prices available.  Wal
Mart and their wholesale store, Sams, sell these crates cheaply.  If
flying with a dog, most airlines will sell a crate at near-wholesale
prices.  Vendors at dog shows often have good prices, especially for
slightly imperfect ones.  Pet stores sell them at astronomical prices.

Mail order stores also have competitive prices (watch out for added
shipping costs), and they also sell wire mesh cages.  Wire mesh is
comparable in price to plastic airline crates, but the crates are
sized according to their outside dimensions.  Because of the shape of
plastic crates and the plastic lip that runs around their middle, a
plastic crates' interior bottom surface may be substantially smaller
than the exterior of the crate.  A 36" long Pet Taxi has a floor that
is 30 or 32" long.

Wire cages are not as appealing to dogs that like the safe, enclosed
nature of a crate, but they have better ventilation for use in warm
places (plastic crates have ventilation holes also, but there is a
difference).  You might, for example, have a plastic crate in your
house and a wire one for the car.

The crate should be large enough for the dog to lie down, stand up and
turn around in comfortably, but not large enough for the dog to
relieve itself at one end and sleep at the other.  You may buy a crate
sized for an adult dog and block off part of it with a chew-proof
obstacle until the dog grows into it, or you may buy a succession of
crates as the dog grows.

3.  Proper use of a crate

Crating a puppy or dog often seems unappealing to humans, but it is
not cruel to the dog.  A dog's crate is similar to a child's playpen,
except it has a roof (dogs can jump out of a playpen) and is
chewproof.  Also, a crate is not suitable for activity or exercise,
but rather for rest.  Dogs are carnivores and do not need to be
constantly active during the daytime, like people (as gatherers) do.

If a crate is properly introduced to a dog (or puppy) the dog
will grow to think of the crate as its den and safe haven.  Most dogs
that are frequently crated will often use the open crate as a resting
place.

The major use of a crate is to prevent the dog from doing something
wrong and not getting corrected for it.  It is useless to correct a
dog for something that it has already done; the dog must be "caught in
the act".  If the dog is out of its crate while unsupervised, it may
do something wrong and not be corrected, or worse yet, corrected after
the fact.  If the dog is not corrected, the dog may develop the
problem behavior as a habit (dogs are creatures of habit), or learn
that the it can get away with the behavior when not immediately
supervised.  A dog that rarely gets away with anything will not learn
that if nobody is around it can get away with bad behaviors.

If the dog is corrected after the fact, it will not associate the
correction with the behavior, and will begin to think that corrections
are arbitrary, and that the owner is not to be trusted.  This results
in a poorer relationship and a dog that does not associate
corrections, which are believed arbitrary, with bad behaviors even
when they are applied in time.  This cannot be overemphasized: a dog's
lack of trust in its owner's corrections is one of the major sources
of problems between dogs and their owners.

A secondary advantage of a crate is that it minimizes damage done by a
dog (especially a young one) to the house, furniture, footwear etc.
This reduces costs and aggravation and makes it easier for the dog and
master to get along.  It also protects the dog from harm by its
destruction: ingestion of splinters or toy parts, shock from chewing
through wires, etc.

A young dog should be placed in its crate whenever it cannot
be supervised.  Generally this means when nobody is home.

If a dog is trained in puppyhood with a crate, it will not always
require crating.  Puppies or untrained dogs require extensive crating.
After a year or so of crate training, many dogs will know what to do
and what not to, and will have good habits.  At this time crating
might only be used when the dog needs to be out of the way, or when
traveling.

4.  Introduction to a crate

Puppies are easier to put in crates than older dogs.  Much of what is
printed here may be unnecessary for a puppy.

Before a dog is locked into a crate, the dog must be as comfortable
with it as possible.  If a dog is put into a crate while it is afraid
of the crate, the dog's fear may build while inside and the resulting
trauma may be impossible to overcome.

To make a dog comfortable, the dog must first learn not to
fear it, and then to like it.  To alleviate fear, the following things
can be tried.

  * Put treats or food into the crate for the dog.  Start near the
    mouth of the crate, and then move the treats farther inside each
    time.
  * Leave the door off the crate at first.  The door can swing shut on
    the dog while the dog's head is in the crate, startling the dog
    with the contact and the strange sound.
  * Possibly get the dog used to part of the crate.  For instance,
    take the top half of the crate off and use all these tricks to get
    the dog used to that alone, then repeat the process with the whole
    crate.
  * If the crate is big enough, get in yourself.  (seriously!)
  * Get the dog excited about a toy and throw it in the crate for the
    dog to chase.
  * Think of the crate as a good thing yourself.  Dogs are good at
    reading their master's attitudes.  Never (ever) use the crate as a
    punishment.
  * Once the dog will go into the crate, feed the dog its meals in the
    crate.

Once the dog is unafraid of the crate, put the dog inside and close
the door.  Immediately lavish the dog with praise and food for a short
time, then let the dog out.  Do not, at this time, leave the dog alone
in the crate, or the dog will associate the crate with your leaving.
Also, before the dog is fully acclimated, it may grow panicky if left
in the crate long.

Finally, put the dog inside for progressively longer periods of time,
always praising the dog as it goes in, and perhaps giving treats.

5.  Crating do's and don'ts

  * Do think of the crate as a good thing.  In time, your dog will
    too.
  * Do let the dog out often enough so that it is never forced to soil
    the crate.
  * Do let the dog out if it whines because it needs to eliminate.  If
    you know it doesn't have to eliminate, correct it for whining or
    barking.
  * Don't punish the dog if it soils the crate.  It is miserable
    enough and probably had to.
  * Don't use the crate as a punishment.
  * Don't leave the dog in the crate for a long time after letting it
    eat and drink a lot.  (because the dog will be uncomfortable and
    may have to eliminate in the crate.)
  * Don't leave the dog in the crate too much.  Dogs sleep and rest a
    lot, but not all the time.  They need play time and exercise.
  * Don't check to see if your dog is trustworthy in the house
    (unsupervised, outside of the crate) by letting the dog out of the
    crate for a long time.  Start with very short periods and work
    your way up to longer periods.
  * Don't ever let the dog grow unaccustomed to the crate.  An
    occasional stint even for the best behaved dog will make traveling
    and special situations that require crating easier.
  * Don't put pillows or blankets in the crate without a good reason.
    Most dogs like it cooler than their human companions and prefer to
    stretch out on a hard, cool surface.  Besides providing a place to
    urinate on, some dogs will simply destroy them.  A rubber mat or a
    piece of peg-board cut to the right size might be a good
    compromise.


E.  Docking and Cropping.

Docking is the practice of removing a dog's tail.  Cropping is the
removal of a good portion of its ears so that they stand up.
Typically, these procedures are done when the dog is very young,
several weeks of age.

The practices have their origin hundreds of years ago when dogs were
cropped and docked to prevent injury to those extremities.  Ears can
be vulnerable in fights, tails can be vulnerable to underbrush when
hunting.  For certain breeds, docking and cropping is required by the
breed standard.  The exception is in countries that outlaw the
practice, such as the United Kingdom and Australia.

Today, there is little practical use for docking and cropping a dog.
There are movements to change breed standards to reflect this,
although some people feel very strongly the other way.

There is at least one practical reason to have some hunting dogs'
tails docked.  A hunter once described his experiences with a hunting
dog he decided not to dock -- and was horrified several years later
with the sores that the dog would pick up on hunting trips.  He then
had the tail docked, but of course the procedure is more painful to an
adult dog.  If your dog does not hunt, this is moot.


F.  Dog Food Analyses and Comparisons.

Dog nutrition seems to be almost as much a religion as it is a
science.  Different breeders will feed 1/2 Purina Pro-Plan and 1/2
Pedigree, another will cook homemade food, and yet others use Nutro
Max, Eukanuba, etc. for their puppies.  Thumbing through the
Rottweiler Quarterly yields breeders using Eagle, Purina Pro Plan,
Science Diet, Nature's Recipe, Natural Life, Nutro Max and several
others.  Even if you can find the best food for one dog it may or may
not be the best food for the next one.

The Colorado State University Vet hospital did some studies of the
various food.  This was a few years back.  They tested foods like
Science Diet, generic, Purina, Waynes, and lots of others.  Waynes
came out ahead in nutrition.  You might try contacting the Vet school
for a copy of the research.

The following is from Helen M. Berschneider, DVM, Assistant Professor
of Physiology, who is a "Puppy Food Expert" at NCSU College of
Veterinary Medicine, in an October 8, 1991 written reply:

Part of the confusion over whether or not a puppy should get puppy
food may stem from the definitions of "puppy chow", "growth" food,
"maintenance" food and "all purpose" dog chow.  The definitions of the
terms actually refer to the purposes of the diets.  One of the
requirements on the label of any pet food is a statement of purpose,
so it is possible to determine the type of food it is from the label.
Good quality puppy or growth food are specially formulated and tested
for their effectiveness in supporting proper growth and good health in
growing dogs from weaning to adulthood.  Maintenance foods are
formulated to provide adequate nutrition for the mature dog engaged in
moderate activity, but do not necessarily provide the proper nutrient
balance for growth.  Maintenance foods should not be confused with
"All Purpose" foods. All purpose dog foods are intended to meet or
exceed the nutrient requirements for all stages of the dog's life from
weaning to old age, not just adulthood.  These foods can be identified