First time breeder....?

Question

I am going to be moving to a bigger house in the next 2 years tops, and so I am considering withdrawing my decision to get my 7 month old boston terrier fixed. I have beautiful pup who is brindal with perfect markings, and I know if I get her AKC registered, I can get at least 1K a piece out of her pups (minus expenses). I also think it would be fun to breed puppies. Since it is my daughters dog (she is 6), I thought it would be good to put back whatever money gets made for her. I would like tips on breeding for the 1st time. Also, any idea on how much I will be able to pocket (per pup) after obvious vet and care expenses? Thanks.

Look guys...its a friggin question that I asked so that I could breed my pup in the bast and most ethical way possible. Ofcourse I do not plan to run a breeding mill or some backyard puppy abuse clinic. LAY OFF with the accusations. If I knew what I was doing-I would not be asking. I also have the best interest of my dog and the potential pups in mind, but I have no idea where to start right now. Oh, and BTW, until I actually considered breeding there was no point in having an AKC registered dog. She is a good family pet, not a showdog. I just know that will increase what I can get for the pups because some people care about that crap. OY!

And she has a health certificate.

Ofcourse I will research a lot and consult my vet before even trying to breed. This is just the first step in seeking advice about what exactly goes into breeding.

Answer 1

I would go to your web browser and type in breeding dogs and go from there....good luck

Answer 2

Your question and then your three later comments tells me you really SHOULDN'T be breeding. But let me give you some advice.

If you are serious about breeding and you want people to stop flaming you, the #1 thing you have to know is that while it sounds like breeding pups is a super money maker, the only way to make money is if you are a lowly back yard breeder who doesn't breed the right way.

To breed the RIGHT way, you need to join a breed club or a kennel club. You need to prove your dog is worthy of it's breed by showing it or doing something with it like obedience or whatever your terrier was bred to do. You need to learn ALOT about the hereditary problems of your breed. This is not a "health certification" from the vet. You could feasibily need to spend $500 to $1000 on different tests depending on the problems inherent in your breed. Of course, with small breeds, they often have to have emergency c-sections which could set you back another $2000.

What are you going to do if none of the pups sell? Keep them all? That's what a reputable breeder does. Are you prepared for that?

I would advise you to just spay the girl. If you know nothing about breeding/showing/the sport of dogs, how are you going to feel when your daughter's dog ends up dead because you didn't know the signs of a troubled whelping and now you have puppies you have to hand rear and bottle feed and your daughter is asking "Mommy, why did my doggy die??".

Answer 3

If you spend your whole time breeding just by outside looks you will eventually lose your whole stock. If your dog is not already AKC registered then it cannot be registered. A litter must be registered for the dog to be registered.

People are getting smarter and have already found out that they can get champion line dogs on contract for about $300 so good luck trying to sell your "gorgeous" dogs for 1K.

Breeding isn't just about looks or personality. My mutt has a gorgeous coat and personality too but is getting his balls wacked off in a few months. My purebred aussie (even has a beautiful gait) is now neutered (he was never broken to be fixed).

Bostons have quite the DQs and some problems....which would require surgery (dogs with small snouts tend to not do so well in surgery) and this breed is prone to c-section. Save up that $3000. The cheapest I have seen a c-section done was $2500.

You won't be able to pocket much since you would be considered a BYB and people are tired of people breeding for looks and money. Its sad to see people come in with dogs that have hereditary problems that could have been prevented if the breeder knew something about genes. From an idiot who probably won't take care of your puppy properly (like feeding it ol' roy or chocolate) would buy it for quite a bit of money.

If you want this just get a breeding female from AKC (so you can know the problems that run in the family) and won't have people all over you for selling them defective puppies. Be aware you would be lucky to make $5 out of this. The reason AKC pups are even $300 is to help cover the cost of raising the pups.

Save around $5000. You will need it.

EDIT:
not all backyard breeders are abusive. I mean look at yourself. Never said you were going to abuse the dog.

Answer 4

Though not everyone is saying it in the politest way possible, it is highly likely you will end up selling the puppies at a loss or breaking even and best. Most ethical breeders are not making a lot, if anything off of selling their puppies. Raising a litter of pups is a huge investment of time and money. In addition to the food and vet expenses, the puppies will need toys, exercise, early training and socialization. And just having purebred puppies is no garauntee that you'll be able to sell them. One of the reasons dogs are shown at conformation is to certify them as the very best representatives of the breed standard and good healthy breeding stock. Ideally, considering the current problem of dog overpopulation, only the best of the best would be bred. Before you make your decision, take a look at Petfinder.com and see how many Boston Terriers are looking for homes in your area. This is not intended to guilt trip you; it's just to give you a better idea of how much demand there is or isn't for Boston Terriers where you live.

Get your dog thoroughly checked out by the vet for any potential genetic issues. Research the requirements for breeding dogs and raising puppies. Check out other breeders in your area and get an idea of the average prices for puppies. Keep in mind, responsible breeders will generally take back any dogs they sell if the buyer no longer wants them to prevent them from ending up in shelters. Are you prepared to do that, and everything else that comes with breeding dogs?

Answer 5

The best answer I can give you and trust me this is the first time I ever said this to anyone. Because I feel everyone has a right to breed a dog if they want to but in your case.. My answer and the best one I can give you is DON'T. For one your puppy should have already been AKC registered since you haven't done that by now tells me you didn't get litter papers for your dog. Number two you are out for the money so that shows me you are not going to care about your dog and what all comes with breeding. I never not told anyone not to become a breeder until now. You have red lights popping up all over the place. I do hope this question was put out to get people fired up, I would hate to know there is people that think like you do.

Answer 6

Most serious breeders do not breed for money and that is because it is not really a profitable undertaking if you are doing it correctly. There is a lot of cost to be incurred for the care of your dog, breeding expenses and care of the puppies once they are born. Are you prepared to deal with things if they go wrong? Your family dog could die. The puppies could die or have illnesses. Not only are you talking about financial costs, but also emotional costs to your daughter. Reputable breeders generally breed for show quality dogs and sell to serious owners. The dogs that are not show quality are then sold to responsible families as pets. If you are not qualified, please do not breed your dog. Irresponsible breeding does nothing but compromise the breed and put more dogs out into the world who will not be fixed and will end up homeless or mistreated. Please consider the bigger picture. If you would like to save money for your daughter, figure out what the start up expenses would be to breed your dog (vet costs, supplies, etc) and then take that money and put it into a 529 plan or a high yield CD for her. Do the same thing every year (the frequency at which you would likely breed your dog) and you will probably make more money for her in the long run with less work and headachces for everyone.

Answer 7

Hold on tight, you'll get some pretty ugly answers on this one. If you are doing it for the soul purpose of making money at your dogs expense, you are nothing but a backyard breeder.
Just because dogs are AKC registered doesn't mean they worthy of breeding. You think you'll get 1K per pup huh? Are they Champions, on no that's right one is only 7 months old. Do they come from Champion lines? Are they are do you plan to do health testing before breeding? Are you aware of the complications of whelping Bostons? You could very well lose your female and an entire litter. Give yourself the 2 years to educate yourself and talk to other breeder before jumping in with both feet. It isn't cheap and it is very time consuming!

Answer 8

Unless your dog really meets breed standards & you are connected to the dog show circuit, get the dog fixed. You may viewing it as a money making plan, but so do many folks who have a registered pet. And just because it is registered, doesn't mean it is "breeding quality". Inexperienced breeders often find there is not as much demand as they think for puppies & that they don't get as much money as they think . . . if you don't place them soom, the puppies get older & less adoptable, & then you may be stuck with more dogs than you want, which sometimes results in the dogs being taken to animal shelters. Also, just because someone has money to buy the dog, doesn't mean they will care for it - people often discard pets as they tire of the responsibility of feeding, walking, & cleaning or become angered if the dog chews their things or craps on the carpet. You may be surprised by this startling statistic - It is estimated that at least 25% of shelter dogs are purebreds. My suggestion - spay the dog - a spayed dog is also less likely to develop certain types of cancer.

Answer 9

The first thing you must do is finish your Boston's AKC championship in the conformation ring. The show ring is the proving ground for quality, so a dog that is not finished is not of a quality to be bred. AKC registration alone is not a guarantee of quality.
FYI both of her parents AND THE LITTER must already be registered in order to register her.
The expense of responsible breeding FAR outweighs any monetary gain from selling puppies.
HERE ARE SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE DECIDING TO BREED YOUR DOG:

Have they completed their AKC championships in the ring, thereby proving their quality as breeding stock?

Have you studied their pedigrees to determine possible genetic defects going back decades?

Have you evaluated male and female against the written breed standard to determine why their particular offspring would make a viable contribution to the breed?

Have you done the requisite health tests?

Are you willing to have their eyes and hips certified?

Do you understand the risk to the female in breeding her?

Are you willing to pay for a Caesaran, (quite common in Bostons, about $1,000.00 + postnatal care)

Are you willing to supplement and tube feed puppies for 24 hours a day?

Are you willing to spend 12 weeks hand raising puppies in your home?

Are you willing to go to the expense of 12 weeks of shots and wormings for however many puppies you bring into the world?

Are you willing to interview dozens of potential pet buyers to determine exactly which ones will be the absolute Best homes for your puppies?

Will you have a spay/neuter clause in your pet buyer contract requiring proof of spaying/neutering before each pup is 6 months old?

Will you GUARANTEE that for if ANY reason during the life of the puppies you've bred, their owners can no longer keep them, they must be returned to you?


K

Answer 10

its hard to say how much youll make because you dont know what will go wrong. Boton terriers are prone to c sections cause their heads are so big and that is pretty expensive. If the dogs parents are not registered and you didnt get a paper from the breeder you got the dog from you can not get her AKC registered. You would have to get the pups shots and dewormed befor they go home so there is some more money spent, the mom should be up to date on shots also.

Answer 11

to avoid the ever popular derogatory remarks that you are going to get by coming here to ask this, your best bet is to go to the library and get books on the subject. Reputable breeders will tell you that there is in fact no real profit from breeding. We breed only when there is pre approved buyers. In which case maybe once every 1 to 2 years. Anyone looking at the $'s the expect to make are not reputable breeders therefore are showing no consideration for their dog let alone the breed. There is the cost of genetic and health testing that needs to be considered. The cost of after birth which only adds up. In addition, for every dog out there that someone expects to get $1.0k for, another breeder will have them for $800. I have never been able to "pocket" anything in reality from breeding. It all goes back to the dogs via food, general care and vet costs. Reputable breeders do this to better the breed not to make money.