should i breed my st bernard?

Question

I have a saint bernard and i have since met alot of families who would really like one of their own.in general because they have smaller children and saint bernards are really wonderful with small children.i know mine is.anyhow.my question is....should i breed her and donate the puppies to these families who would really appreciate the addition.i live on a military base and good things come few and far between.

anyone who has a "wannabe protester" attitude on dog breeding please don't answer this.i won't take ur advice at all and i probably won't even look at it.and u definetly won't get 10 pts.

Answer 1

If you decide to breed your female please ask for a deposit from each family (doesn't have to be alot) and then donate the deposit to your local shelter/rescue. This way your giving to the families and also helping dogs in the shelters/rescues.

Answer 2

We used to breed Old English Sheepdogs. I think that breeding them and giving them away to families is a really nice gesture. Before you do that though...consider these few things.
1) If the families can't afford to pay for a dog, are you sure they will have the money to properly take care of it? I'm only saying this because most animal adoption places charge their fees because they only want to attract serious potential owners.
2) I'm from a military family and grew up around a base, and I know how often people have to move around. Would the dog eventually become a burden and potentially have to be given to someone else if they ever have to move?
3) While the puppies are still with their mother, you will have to pay the cost of shots, dewormings, vet visits, etc. That cost is usually absorbed in the fee that you charge for the puppy, but if you aren't going to charge, you won't get this money back. My Old English Sheepdog had 14 puppies the first litter and 15 the second litter, both of which 13 survived (it's common that some don't survive because the mom doesnt have enough nipples to feed them so it's kind of a "survival of the fittest" situation with the babies). At any rate, sheepdogs are big like st. bernards so there is the potential to have quite a few. If it still sounds like something you would want to do...do you have this many families potentially lined up?
Like i said, i think it would be an extremely sweet gesture to do that for a family, but from someone that has dealt with litters before it can be very costly and you almost need to charge for them just to cover the vet visits.
Good Luck, whatever you decide, I hope it turns out well for you!!

Answer 3

The topic has been pretty well covered, so just to quickly reiterate a few important points to consider.

1. Raising puppies is expensive. Raising a litter of large breed puppies is VERY expensive, even if everything goes perfectly and you do not have extra vet bills or need to buy formula because the mother cannot feed them properly. Shots, food, and care cost mega $$$$$ when multiplied by 10.

2. 9 times out of 10, all those people who are dying to have a puppy from your girl do not want one when the puppies are actually available.

3. According to a recent survey where they asked the original source of dogs turned into shelters, the highest percentage had been originally aquired from friends or aquaintances. More than those bought from pet shops, puppymills, ads in paper, or any other source.

4. St. Bernards are a giant breed and therefore very hard to place in responsible homes that will keep them for life. It is quite possible, even likely, that you will end up with a few that do not go to new homes for a while (yes, I mean weeks or even months). All this time you will be shelling out money for food and shots, as well as having to care for and clean up after them.

5. According to the Saint Bernard club of America http://www.saintbernardclub.org/index.htm :

The following is a list of common hereditary defects found in Saint Bernards for which breeders should screen their dogs. Problems, however, are not limited to this list:

Hip and Elbow Dysplasia

Entropian

Epilepsy

Bad Temperament

Heart Defects

Answer 4

frankly i don't think you should breed the dog, mainly because the whole situation is honestly disgusting, i work at the vet hospital and it is a terribly large amount of work and time and tears if the pups dont make it. if you have the time and this is something you want to do, then get in touch with a good vet and take the experienced breeders advice, and research in the library and online.

all i really had to say was what the heck difference does it make that the above poster is a military wife? i understand the asker lives on a military base but that doesnt mean her information is credible because her husband is in a branch of the military? and in hopes that she reads this, having a litter will in no way alleviate female complications later in life. the only way to avoid pyometras, cancer, etc is to have the dog spayed. having a litter actually can only cause more problems.

Answer 5

If they say that they want a pup get a deposit from them before you breed the dog. If they really do want a pup they will come up with some money for it. If you give the pups away they will not appreciate them as much as if they paid for them. (how many kids trash the car their parents give them?, How many people who get financial windfalls blow it in a few months? Most of them) Keep in mind that St. Bernards often have 10 or more pups, they will not be cheap to raise and it is going to be messy and a lot of work. You will probably also have to pay stud fee. As long as you are sure you can successfully raise and sell the pups, and the parents are good quality, go ahead.

Answer 6

Breeding on a regular basis could be a bad thing, but I will tell you that just the same as a woman having a child then her female body resets itself (for most clinically) the same is true for dogs. My family and I are not one for the "sport of breeding" but if she has not had a litter before, and you wish her to just have one litter, it may help her in preventing the "female" complications as she gets older. I'm a military wife, and have more than my share of experience with it, and all the occupational hazards that come with it. You have good intentions. If you feel your reasons are just then you need to do what ever is best for you. No one else can tell you that if they're not in your shoes. Of course more people should be aware of that considering each one wears a different pair that we all wish someone else could be in for awhile.

Answer 7

So in other words you want everybody to tell you that you are a wonderful person and don't want to hear anything about the 10 million dogs who are being killed each year because everybody has to breed their dog? OK fine you are a wonderful person. Wonderful for adding to the problem. Wonderful for coming right out and telling us all that you don't give a crap. Thank you that you are on a military base defending the freedom of people to be stupid. Thank you for very much for all of that. You can keep your ten points because it's not about points or money. It's about saving lives, lives that to me are worth more than most of the stupid people I see each and everyday.

Answer 8

I think that you should talk to your vet about breeding your dog.

Your vet will likely ask you questions about your dog (age, general health, diet, environment, etc) and provide you with important information about health risks, etc that breeding your dog could result in. Each different breed of dog obviously has different health risks.

If your dog is purebred, you might want to look into getting papers for the puppies (esp if you decide to breed her with another purebred St Bernard).

Also, consider the cost of spaying or neutering the puppies, along with the cost of getting their shots, etc. It may end up costing you alot of money if you simply *give* the puppies away instead of at least being compensated for your costs and efforts.

Just some things to think about!

Cheers :)

Answer 9

I'm not a wannabe protester, altho i don't agree w/ breeding since i work at a shelter, but have you tried directing the people to st. bernard rescues? they rescue st. bernards from puppy mills, hoarders, cruelty, and shelters. it's probably the best place to get a dog, from a rescue, because they live in foster homes and the foster parents can tell you everything about the dog. they also have puppies. so if you don't want to add to the overpopulation problem you can direct your friends to rescues!

Answer 10

You need to consider vet bills and think about what might happen if people change their minds about having a dog. You could be stuck with all the dogs and vet bills. There can also be 'defects' with purebred litters. These dogs can be very expensive and most people would not want one. Just make sure you take everything into account before you do anything.

Answer 11

A friend of mine that I sold one of my pups to asked me a few months back this very question. She wanted to breed her girl just once so that she could have one of her pups and also give the others to friends/family.

She asked me because I have a caluse in my contracts when I sell a pup.. I said yes, now she knew nothing of whelping and raising puppies or even how they breed..lol..

So when her girl (age 2) was ready she brought her over and mated with my male. Only thing I asked was for a pup in return, as the stud fee.. Because I knew she wasn't going to sell her puppies we agreed on me taking pick of the litter..

Well whe the pups came, 4 boys..lol.. She wanted me to pick.. I tol her, that it didn't matter to me and for her to decide what pup she wanted and her friends wanted and I would take the one left, they are all cute..

So, if you do not have a male to breed her with and you need a stud, most breeders will take pick (best one) of the litter. That way you don't have to pay our several hundred bucks on stud fee.

Good luck!!!