dog breeding?

Question

why do people breed dogs...is there any justification for this.
bearing in mind how many abandoned ill treated dogs there are.

can anyone justify this practise or is it all for the glory of the owner and greedy financial gain...

thanks all so far...i owned two pedigree dogs rottweillers called tinkerbell and barney rubble.both were rehomed to me....it may sound a biased question but am looking for some good answers which i am receiving thanks all and yes i do agree that the puppy farm types are a disgrace and yes you could apply this question to most animals...kepp it coming lol

Answer 1

I run sled dog teams, show my dogs, and have devoted more than half my life to my breed. I am a student of the sled dog, and enjoy both the art and the science that goes into creating a well-bred purebred dog.

This is why I breed dogs.

I breed for myself first, when I plan to keep one or more puppies in a litter, and I am highly selective of those I place the remaining puppies with. Those puppies go on a spay and neuter contract, and may be returned to me at any time in their lives.

I'm also active in rescue work and genetic health studies for my breed. I do not apologize for the dedication, money, and obsessive detail I put into living daily with my dogs or stewarding my breed.

Now, that's me. I'm in the minority. The majority?
"I make sure they get gud (sic) homes";
"Fluffy is such a good dog! I just want one one litter out of her!";
"What's wrong with making a little bit of money -- I paid $600 for that dog!";
"People need pets, and I need money."

That will be the rationale you'll get. Justification? Hmm.

ADDED: Wait wait wait! From above:
" breeding a female once in her lifetime is good for her," -- there's another one! What a crock! My question is, "Why do uneducated people breed dogs?"

ADDED: LRolly
You bring up an interesting point -- however, speaking as someone with 3-4 generations at a time in my kennel, I have to say that breeding a dog does not guarantee that you will end up with another "just like her" -- especially in terms of personality/trainability, etc. I have a female who is dominant, very confident in her supremacy, mellow, and responsive. Her daughter is higher-energy, also dominant, but not confident and a bit attention-deficit. Her grandson (from the daughter) is a different dog altogether.

Just like with people, you can't duplicate dogs.

Answer 2

If we had a true overpopulation problem, there would be far more puppies in shelters then there are. Most dogs are sub-adult or adult dogs. What that means is we have a owner retention issue, not overpopulation. These animals had a home, but were given up for whatever reason. What's needed there is education, not more laws and legislation.

Plus, the numbers that you see the 4-6 million pets euthanized every year is a farce. The number isn't broken down into real numbers. That's the overall number of pets euthanized every year. This includes, owner requested euths, animals that are too sick to adopt out, animals that have behavior issues and can not be trusted as well as animals that are just too old. Groups such as HSUS, PETA and others will not tell you this information because inflating the numbers keeps them rolling in the money as well as keeps them moving towards their goal of no pets.

I have nothing to gain by this answer. I do not breed dogs, cats or anything (unless you count my 5 children that my wife and I have), but I say this to show there is another side to this myth portrayed by the animal rights movement.

Most breeders make no financial gain and actually lose money on litters. Also, most aren't after glory, they are in it for the love of the breed. Go to a real breeder and you will see what I mean.

Answer 3

Serious, knowledgeable dog breeders breed in order to improve their breed and to maintain the breed standards.

Most of these people do not make enough money out of dog breeding to live on although, they can of course, ask for and get top prices for their puppies. I have never met a reputable breeder who has been able to buy a house, car, raise the children etc. on money from dog breeding.

Breeders who sell puppies just for the money use their stock as puppy machines and keep their animals in appalling conditions. They could be dealing in scrap metal for all they care as long as they make enough money.

Pet dog breeders, who I think are the real back yard breeders, breed to make some easy money out of the family pet or they adore their own dog so much they think it would be 'nice' to have a pup. Both these types usually have no idea what they are doing, have never studied a pedigree and never done anything to educate themselves about dog breeding.

I've been in the situation a few times when I have thought that I would like a pup from one of my dogs but each time I have gone back to the original (good) breeder and put my name on their waiting list.

Good breeders have waiting lists because they usually have such a good reputation for producing good quality dogs that are sound in temperament as well as in looks.

I have also adopted dogs from dogs homes where the by-products of indiscriminate over-breeding are held. Many of these dogs will be fortunate enough to be re-homed with caring owners where, hopefully, they will remain for the rest of their lives.

Many more will be humanely killed because they are not suitable for re-homing either due to their temperament or because they just don't look appealing enough.

Anyone considering breeding a litter of pups should give some thought about the future of all their puppies (and their pups!).

Every dog that has ever ended up in an animal shelter was someone's puppy once.

Answer 4

In my adventure, the canines breeds that are the least in all probability to augment human aggression subject matters are the Pug, Beagle, English Bulldog, and Boston Terrier. i have not fairly seen an get mutually of any of those breeds that i'd say had a extreme aggression issue, besides the undeniable fact that I actually have met more beneficial than some anxious Beagles. properly-bred Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Pit Bulls, and Greyhounds will be actual up there to boot. on the different hand are the breeds that are maximum in all probability to be aggressive. I actually have not in any respect had a delightful adventure with a Yorkie. in reality, of the 50 or so Yorkies that I actually have encountered, i'd say all 50 had some type of aggression issue. Chow Chows, Akitas, and Chihuahuas are actual up there to boot. yet, i'd say that the most aggressive canines breeds are different breeds of Terrier from Scotland, the Scottish Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, and Skye Terrier. Scotties and Westies especially are very bitey canines.

Answer 5

Breeders who breed for the right reasons in other words to improve the breed don't make any money on the puppies they breed. A good breeder proves their dogs before they breed them. A dog should be a champion of some sort whether it be Conformation, Obedience, or agilty. That being Said many people breed for other reasons as well money included. Pure Breed dogs have standards that a breeder is trying to obtain whether it be the Akc or UKC. Those standard decided on by the breed clubs set out how each pure breed dog should look and act. Those dogs often go for a good amount of money but you can expect that between proving the dog and the care they give the puppies before they sell they have most likely exceeded what they are charging people for the puppies if they manage or even plan to sell the whole litter. I make all pet buyer sign a spay.nueter contract unless they intend to show or prove a pup that i sell them . I also do my best when asked what kind of dog to get if you don't care whether you get a pure bred or mutt to go to a shelter and pick out an animal. You are right there are many animals out there in need of good homes.

Answer 6

This is an interesting question and I hope you get some well-though out answers. Even though there are abandoned and mistreated dogs in the world this does not mean that only bad people breed dogs.
One reason people breed dogs is to do a job. Not just any dog from the pound is useful for sheep herding or being a seeing eye dog. They need special skills and a good temperament.
Another reason people breed dogs is to continue a certain breed. If no one bred dogs there would only be mixed breed dogs and no more schnauzers, german shepherds, or yorkies.
The worst kind of dog breeder breeds for money or without considering the consequences of their actions. They don't realize that their puppies will need good homes and will require a commitment beyond weaning them at 6 weeks old. Anyone considering breeding needs to carefully decide whether they are breeding for a good reason or just because they "want to".

Answer 7

Yes, there is some justification, under the right circumstances. The right circumstances are with the reputable breeder who carefully selects sire and dam to ensure a good match and one that will improve the breed. They do proper health/genetic testing. They conformation show their dogs to prove they are worthy of breeding. Any dog having any kind of faults are not bred, period.

As for the backyard breeders, there's no excuse I deem acceptable to be breeding. That crap about a female should have a litter is just that, crap and an excuse. NOT ACCEPTABLE. Sadly, it is these types of people who are causing our overpopulation issue we have already. They don't care who the puppy goes to, nor do they care what happens after that. Once gone, it's not their problem any more.

So there are the right reasons to breed, responsibly, but sadly, there are lots of idiots who do it because they simply can and think having AKC registration is a good reason to breed. They'll never learn and will be the reason dogs die every day.

Answer 8

There are 3 classes of people that breed:

Experienced dog breeders - those that know what they're doing and don't stupid questions here on YA. They've had all of the necessary health, eye and hip certifications done on their dogs and they know when it's time to breed their dog, know where to find a mate, know what to expect from the whelping process and have been breeding and showing dogs for years.

Backyard breeders - They breed "Because my dog is cute and sweet" - Those are the ones you see here asking "My dog is in heat, where do I find a stud?", "When can I breed my dog?" and "I want to breed my girl dog, where do I find a boy dog?". They also post panicked questions about their newborn litter because they have NO idea how to handle pups.

Puppy-Mills - Just out for a quick buck - They turnover litters at alarming rates and don't care about the health and well-being of the dogs they're breeding or the dogs they're selling, as long as they get their money, they keep going. They're the main reason why you NEVER buy a puppy from a pet store and always work with a reputable breeder!

Answer 9

An experienced breeder breeds dogs to improve the bloodline and the breed as a whole. This means that they have done a lot of research and have a lot of experience on dog genetics as well as know the standards for their breed of choice. Both these things are complicated. Dog genetics are often much more comlicated than human genetics (when figuring out combinations) because some abnormalities or defects are only displayed with certain combinations of traits, dogs, etc. And don't always follow a dominant/recessive pattern. Standards can be difficult to understand and are sometimes subjective. Standards are beyond physical characteristics and include temperment, physical ability, etc.
These breeders are aiming to reduce health defects and genetic abnormalities and produce healthy, quality dogs. They get genetic screenings as well as health screenings. They prove quality by showing the dog as much as possible. To some people this might be seen as a way to 'brag,' but to a dedicated breeder it serves a very important purpose: to have the dog evaluated by a number of (theoretically)knowledgeable judges who can point out strengths and weaknesses. The more a dog is evaluated, the better idea the breeder can have on improvements that can be made in the next generation.
Dogs produced by quality breeders are expensive because their lineage is proven, and they have taken a lot of work and time to produce. Also, all the health screenings all the dogs and puppies go through are expensive. They aren't making tons of profit, they just want to better the line. Also, by purchasing a dog like this, vet costs are usually a lot lower.

Other types of breeders often don't understand the amount of science and work that goes into breeding quality dogs. They have not done the proper research, screenings, shows, etc. They will breed their dogs without knowing what to expect and how to better the bloodline, then post on this forum in a state of panic because they think their dog is going to start whelping and they don't know what to do.
These people either bred intentionally or never bothered to have their dog spayed. Its either a mistake, or they usually are looking for a way to make quick money (or are interested in just having puppies around because they are cute). Some of these breeders love their dogs, but don't realize that unless their dogs are proven to be the right quality, they are not helping anyone. Backyard bred dogs often carry many of the health defects people seek to eliminate because it is the wrong -combinantion- of dogs (or their dogs don't probably conform to standards). Breeding is more complicated than good dog + good dog = good puppies.
Sometimes this breeder is looking to get into breeding quality dogs and is looking for a place to start (but its a bad way to go about it).

Answer 10

Well someone has to breed dogs... Obviously, or else there wouldn't be any. I breed Cavapoos, and I do so because I enjoy it as a hobby. It is rewarding to me to raise a dog from birth, and to give the families that adopt them the most wonderful gift they could imagine. I don't make much money (would make more working at McDonald's) by the way.

There is an overpopulation of many breeds of dogs, and unfortunately many are euthanized because they can't find homes. Most of these dogs are pit bulls, labs, shepherds, and chihuahuas (and the mixes of those breeds). I find it a bit unethical to breed these types of dogs since they can easily be found in a shelter.

Different people have different requirements for a dog (size, non shedding, quiet, etc), and some can't find a suitable dog at a shelter. The dogs I breed are rare or non existent in shelters, so I don't think it is adding to overpopulation by breeding them. My dogs are carefully bred for health and temperament.