Can someone give me facts on dog breeding, so I could convince my hubby to get our dog fixed and not breed?

Question

We have a full bred Boxer female, she is AKC an all. My husband wants to breed her when she is old enough. She is only 7 months old now and I am trying to convince him that this is a bad decission for us to try and breed her. I look at her as my baby and I just cant imagine her being a puppy making machine. I cant imagine having to see all the little pups and then having to sell them off wondering what type of homes they are going to. He seems to be convinced since we bought a full bred papered dog we should breed her. I just wanted a Boxer, I guess he had other plans. Can anyone please give me info on a website that gives facts about dog breeding and how much it will cost in the long run for me to convince him otherwise.

Answer 1

Good for you!!!!

Ok here is the link for all of the health related tests that should be done on your dog PRIOR to breeding.

http://americanboxerclub.org/health-screening.html

On top of that, here is the Codes of Ethics from the American Boxer Club:

ARTICLE I
Breeding

1. Breed only with the intention of improving the breed.
Breeders should encourage the certifying of hips, blood testing for thyroid function, and screening for heart defects and other abnormalities that would affect the health of their dogs or the offspring of same, in conjunction with the current Health & Research Committee recommendations.
2. Breed healthy, sound, typey dogs that display sound temperament and qualities and are free of severe faults.
Dogs offered at stud should be in good health. They should be free from Canine Brucellosis and other communicable diseases as well as disqualifying genetic faults. A written Stud Contract is essential. Monorchids are not considered breeding stock.
3. Bitches accepted for stud service should be at least eighteen months of age, in good health, free from communicable diseases and disqualifying genetic faults. A ***** must be accompanied by a current veterinarian's certificate stating that she is free of Canine Brucellosis. It is the responsibility of the stud dog owner to properly provide for all visiting bitches' safety and security. Each ***** must be bred only to the stud dog specified by her owner. A change of stud dog is only permitted with the express consent of the owner of the ***** and should be included as an amendment to the Stud Contract.
4. Bitches should be bred only between the ages of eighteen months and six years and should not whelp more than twice in any three consecutive estrus cycles.
5. Breeders will keep accurate breeding records, registration papers, pedigrees and contracts.

I doubt that your husband will want to spend that kind of money (testing isn't cheap) and spend that kind of time. However, if he still does, e-mail me. I will list to you everything that can possibly go wrong during the pregnancy, whelping, and rearing of puppies. I breed Shih Tzu Pups, and I can tell you, this is not a money making deal. I usually loose about $1000 per litter. And that is even without a c-section!

Good luck!

Answer 2

Perhaps I can top some of these wonderful answers off.
I bred Golden for over 20 years. It is not an easy job to be a breeder nor it is a money making situations either. To get your dam ready to be bred is costly and is also very time consuming. Here's what I had to do before I bred my Golden dam's.
1. OFA hip certification-x-rays at 2 years old. cost 500 dollars. Sending into OFA for certification another 100 dollars. This does not include vet care during x-rays. slap another 100 on top of that
Thyroid testing- 100 dollars 2 times@50 dollars each time
elbow rating-150dollars for x-rays- another 75 for rating and then another 100 for vet care.
Heart- 200-300dollars. Blood work sometimes is not enough. Sonograms may be needed.
Eyes-200dollars because you have to bring the dog to a eye specialist.
Brucellosis testing- this is the cheapest 75 dollars
Now a stud fee is another time to be considered in your case too. This can run from 2 to 3 hundred dollars if he stud is also of top quality as your dam. The higher end if the stud is titled.
The stud too has to have cleared of all the above mentioned things and have certifications for your to see. A contract to both of your liking must be in hand.

Then only can breeding even continue.
Breeding is a hit or miss situation. Not every mating will result in puppies. You can be right there and withness a mating and see the tie and guess what no pups. Why not? who knows! Not he exact right time in her heat, Poor sperm, no eggs released durring this heat. Or just no reason at all. Just didn't work.

Care for the dam after breeding and once a preganancy is confirmed is not kind to the wallet either. There are many vet visits, sonsograms, or x-rays maybe both. Much better food for the damn because what your feed her is also going to the pups. Hopwfully everything will go well durring whelping but if it doesn't than you have to have at least 3 grand set aside for a c-section.
This is all to produce maybe six 6-9 pups who are healthy.
So you see breeding is not for everyone and it's not for those who want just one litter either. It can set you back finacially as well as break your heart if there's something wrong with mom after or the pups.

Tell your husband to have the dog fixed. Thsi way you will never have to hand raise pups because mom didn't make it though whelping and this way your will have your girl with your for many years happy and healthy being puppy free.

Answer 3

I don't know about a specific website, but I can give you some info.

Number 1, is she a SHOW DOG? If not, don't breed. There is no reason to ... because NO, you won't make money breeding dogs. You'll probably lose money. First of all you have the stud fee, because of course you would never breed to a dog unless he was an excellent specimen of the breed, right? That can cost you anywhere from $500 to $1500 or more, depending on the dog's pedigree and CH status. A reputable stud owner will require brucella testing. That's another $100 easily. Figure in extra food costs for a pregnant female, and the additional food costs for the puppies being weaned. There will be vet bills .. tails need to be docked, dew claws removed, vaccinations administered. Of course we haven't considered if a puppy is sick or injured and needs additional vet care. What if your female has delivery problems? Be prepared for a c-section. Not cheap. What if she delivers while you are both at work and has complications and dies??

Let's assume all has gone well so far ... you have a litter of pets you need to place in homes. Ads are expensive. You must screen callers to ensure you only consider the best potential owners for your puppies. You WILL get a lot of fruitcakes calling you. Do you want to deal with that?? Of course as a responsible breeder you will sell your puppies on a contract stating you will replace the puppy or refund the purchase price if it should ever become unsuitable as a pet. Wow ... that means you are committed to that ONE litter for the next 12 years or so. What if a genetic issue pops up that was missed and those buyers come back for refunds years down the road?

OK, so that's the icing on the cake .. there are a lot of other reasons we haven't mentioned, like over crowded shelters, and the fact that you might not sell those puppies and have 4 or 5 boxer puppies still at your home when they are 6 months old.

If your husband STILL wants to breed after that, make the vet appointment to have her spayed on your own. You are making a wise decision not to breed.

An added bonus to spaying your female ... reduced chance of some cancers, and the complete removal of any chance of pyometria (sp?) ... where the uterus becomes infected. It can sneak up on your dog FAST and she can die if the uterus ruptures and that infection spills out into her system. I've seen it in a friend's dog .. she barely got her to the vet in time to be saved.

Oh, and remind your husband AKC papers mean nothing if the dogs in the pedigree are not outstanding boxers themselves. Too many unscrupulous breeders out there can be blamed for that!

Good for you for researching this!!

Answer 4

She was gotten as a pet not a money making machine. It costs money (or one of the babies) to breed to another AKC in order to have the pups papered. If you just breed for pups then you will have problems selling them as half breeds. Take him to the local animal shelter and let him look at all of the unwanted puppies that are looking for a loving home and ask him if he wants to see that happen to the pups that your pet produces. Please do whatever it takes to have her fixed. Unless you are a professional breeder and show-er of boxers, you may not be able to breed pure bred. Good luck. Love and keep her as a pet. By the way my sister just rescued 2 abandoned boxer pups after seeing them run loose for almost a wk. We are now trying to find a home for them.

Answer 5

Thank you for being a smart person! Here's one item you can show him. If that one doesn't convince him, I have more! Just e-mail me and ask. Breeding responsibly is extremely expensive.

I assume you are asking how to be a responsible breeder. :-)

1. Contact a breed club for your breed. Ask for a mentor.
2. STUDY the breed standard. Learn about dog anatomy and ask your mentor to
clarify anything you don't understand.
3. Learn what genetic faults and diseases run in your breed and test for any
that can be tested for.
4. Show your dog in conformation events to see if it is of the proper
quality for breeding. Winning doesn't always mean a dog is breeding quality,
but being around so many others that know your breed and will talk to you
will do wonders for your self-education efforts!
5. Study the past history of great dogs in your breed. You will see how your
breed has improved and progressed since the beginning of the breed.
6. Study the breed standard some more! ;-)
7. Join any Yahoo groups about your breed.
8. Live, dream and study your breed.
9. Get a good book on canine reproduction, and educate yourself about the
pitfalls, problems, and proud moments of breeding. Learn about the
physiology of reproduction, such as heat cycles and venereal diseases in
dogs, potential for problems specific to your breed, and what you need to
expect at whelping.
10. Remember that whelping (giving birth) can kill your female. Being used
as a stud dog can encourage bad behaviors common in intact males such as
territorial marking, aggression, and desire to roam from home.
11. Prepare to be broke. Breeding properly is EXPENSIVE.
12. Line up potential homes for any puppies you produce and write up a
contract. Remember to include that you will be willing to take back your
puppies at any time in their lives that they might need you. If you bring
life into this world, it is your responsibility FOREVER.
13. Prepare to spend sleepless nights attending whelping females, caring for
fading puppies or puppies orphaned, and practice cleaning up after 24/7 poop
machines.

I'm sure there are many things I missed because being a responsible breeder
isn't just a job. It's a way of life. You will live dogs. 24/7/365. There
are lots of hard decisions. There is a lot of expense. There will be pain.
But, if you do your darndest to always keep the welfare of your dogs and the
future of any of their offspring, you can go to step 14.

14. Enjoy the love and success of a job well done.

Answer 6

Breeding responsibly will cost you A LOT of money. She should be actually showing and should have her champion by the time she breeds. She shouldn't be bred until she is at least 2 years. She needs to have her hips, elbows, eyes, thyroid, heart and others x-rayed, the same goes with the stud. That will cost you over 200. There will be a possible c-section needed which will cost a lot more..

She can possibly die from not being spayed, especially if she has litters because the possibilty of cancer is more and more every year she isn't spayed.

Besides all of that thousand of pure and mixed boxers that are healthy and adoptable get put to sleep in shelters every year, why add to that?

Answer 7

Take him to a shelter, make sure it's one where the animals are killed after a period of time. Ask him how he would feel if one of the babies you bred ended up there. Chances are at least one very may well end up in that situation at least.

Find everything you can on breeding Boxers. She him they are not the easiest dog to breed because of their bigger heads. Tell him how it may well result in a c-section for the dam. Tell him that it's not unusual for pups to have to be hand reared after a c-section at least for the first few days as the mom is often too out of it and/or in pain to tend them how they need to be. That would mean feeing every 2 hours day and night. Learning how to "diaper" them as they can't go to potty on their own the first few weeks.

Tell him you love your dog too much to risk losing her during the birth. That to you she is just a very loved family member and not an ATM to pump out puppies for cash. Tell him how breeding can actually shorten a dogs lifespan even if all pregnancies and birth go well. Hoe she is at risk of so many types of cancer if she goes unspayed.

I know you can do it. The list is huge for reasons not to breed.

Thank you for wanting to be a responsible owner. You dog will thank you for it. So will the many other people who work/volunteer in shelters like I do.

Answer 8

I have a boston terrier and I've read in books about breeding them, they have lots of problems. And with there big heads you usually need to have her get surgery and that cost lots and will leave scars. The baby's might have trouble breathing with there snots, Boxers have longer noses but it still may be hard.

If your super lucky she might be in fertile, but thats a very slim chance ;)

Good luck with yourt hubby, if she does end up getting bred good luck with the pups.

Answer 9

WOW!!! I have a pure bred white pitt bull......but for your baby, I can see how you feel, I feel the same way and I'm struggling with my hubby with the same thing.......

If you breed her, you can have paperwork done up as to" this is a good home" and the stuff you want, you can do a "Home visit" go to the persons home and check them out, see how they keep their home, if they have other pets, see how well kept they are, ask what kind of food that person is able to afford, ask if they have a vet, if so, call that vet to verify that persons information, OR you can suggest a vet, let that person know, and have it on your paper work that if they use the dog for fighting, you will prosecute.............Your pups will cost anywhere from $800-$1,000 per pup if bred the right way.

OR you can get her fixed and keep her a pup forever.......! =]

Good Luck!

Answer 10

Do ya really need facts to convince him? He should understand that you don't want to breed her. But if you want a truthful fact here it is: Breeding will cost $, however, if you decide to keep one of the puppies, it's all worth it!
Dogs make great pets, family members, and friends. Here is one more fact: when my dog had puppies, and we sold them ( we didn't breed her though) she was lonely afterwards because she played with them until they were old enough to go, and when they went, she knew. She looked ... sad.