what happens to unwanted breeder dogs and puppies?

Question

this is for byb and rep. breeders.
(given that rep breeders already have homes for their litters!)

What happens to unwanted puppies if there ever are any?
Do you keep them and get them fixed? or breed them.

(i know this seems like a dumb question for rep. breeders)

also what do you do once your dog is too old to breed and when do you usually stop breeding?

Just curious.

(I want to see how much the answers vary!!)

okay krazyklwn i think you are talking about puppymills and irresp. breeders. thnks though.

Answer 1

"Extra" puppies stay until I find the right home for them. There us no time limit. Problem is, the longer I have them the pickier I get, which is why I have a 4-year-old hanging around because I really want an owner who'll do obedience, agility or rally with him. He'd enjoy it. I don't normally fix them, I'm less and less of a believer in fixing without a good reason, and I can manage a houseful of intact animals without too much difficulty. They would not be bred unless they grew up to be show/breeding quality AND better than what I had intended to breed. The 4 year old is NOT show quality and will not be bred.

As for retired dogs, I'm a softie so they stick around. We still do some fun stuff, like obedience, agility or rally, and when they're too old to enjoy that then they're house pets.

Some breeders prefer to find pet homes for their retired dogs, so that they can have individual attention. That's a good option too, many people don't want to raise a puppy, and a retired show/breeding dog is settled enough to be easy to live with but still young enough to have many good years with their new family.

My girls are considered "retired" from breeding when they hit their 7th birthday. I've never bred a girl more than twice, most only once. Three times would be the absolute limit. The boys can go as long as they are healthy.

Answer 2

Most breeders are not going to kill there puppies. maybe a person who's mixed dog accidently got pregnant and the people dont barely care for there own dog and can not find homes for the pups possibly might kill the puppies, which is a shame. a breeder who breeds a litter of pups for profit or as hobby or to improve on the breed is not going to kill there pups they might reduce there price, or place with someone else to sell for them, or possibly if need be give away for free.However I think a good breeder will fine there puppies good homes on there own, some breeders will hold on to there pups until they get there asking price which might take months to a year and if there kept in a kennel during that time and not around kids or potty trained that is a shame to. As far as do most breeders keep there dogs when there no longer breedable. I believe that depends on how the owner felt about the dog, were they personal with that dog or was he or she just another breeder. But I can say to all the breeders out there I wouldnt keep your retired breeding dog just because you feel like you should and then ignore it. Retired breeding dogs shouldnt be kept unless there going to get spoiled and loved and sometimes that is hard to do when your busy with the younger ones. I personaly have a standard poodle that I bred before and she isnt being bred anymore and is retired and I could never give her up in a million years she is a family member. But I can understand why some breeders do find there retired breeding dogs better homes and I dont think it is right to judge these people because after all the dog if not wanted there it is probally going to get a much better life with someone who maybe wanted that particular breed but couldnt afford one. Even the greatest dog breeders in the world, quite often find homes for there retired breeders, so although it may not be something a hobby breeder would do,if your serious about it and treat it like a buisness instead of your family pet then yes I can see doing that and dont see a problem with it. also I would say no breeding after the female is 5 yrs. old or has been bred more then 4 times, that is plenty enough to ask of one female dog.

Answer 3

I will speak solely for my own breed, Pomeranians. We as breeders are lucky if we have 1-4 puppies or any at all. Pomeranians are the heartbreak breed because we lose a lot of puppies, not just newborn puppies but, also older puppies for unknown reasons.
If the puppy has disqualifying faults at 8-10 weeks old that will keep it from showing then they will place that particular puppy in a pet home on a spay or neuter contract so it isn't bred.
If they don't have a buyer lined up or they might have several buyers line up and they don't seem like the best home for the pup they will hold onto the puppy until it gets the best possible home it can. We care what happens to our dogs and will hold onto them until we get them the best home we can. It is the right thing to do.
Also good breeders will take a puppy back for the lifetime of the dog or offer to help find a suitable home to take the dog/puppy.
Once female pomeranians have reached 4-7 years old they are usually spayed. There are a lot of factors that play a part into when a dog is spayed. Some dogs have one litter and they have too many problems and they are spayed right on the table after the vet has done a c-section.
Some people hold onto the older pomeranians and some people place the retired pomeranians in new homes. All breeders do things differently.
Any dogs/puppies that are pet quality that are not suitable for showing/breeding are spayed or neutered to prevent accidental breeding.

Answer 4

i am not a reputable breeder or a byb but this is what i have learnt so far on this topic
reputable breeders have homes lined up before they breed them if a person then decides later on they do not want the puppy then the next person on the waiting list will be offered the puppy .if for some reason noone wants to purchase the dog then they usually fix him /her and charge a small fee and sell him/her to a good home.

byb if the puppy doesnt get sold then they usually keep him /her to be bred again and again or they take him to a shelter and say they found him but usually they sell them even if its lower then they wanted or keep them to breed again.

reputable breeder's dogs are part of the family so once they are too old to breed they are fixed and remain part of the breeders family . rep. breeders breed no sooner then 2 years and non after 6 years .

byb breed their dogs from puppies until they are very old. then they usually dump the dog somewhere or try to sell him when they can no longer breed .(nothing that requires care and time)

Answer 5

My experience is that if they don't die from being bred to death, they eventually make their way to rescues and shetlers.

I can't tell you how many dogs we have taken in over the years from collectors, mills and breeders where the dogs are such a mess they really aren't dogs at all - they are just animals that "look" like dogs.

Teeth rotting out of their heads
Unsocialized
No life in their eyes
Terrified
Faces torn up from fighting
Females with bodies so distorted from breeding their nipples litterally drag the ground
Never had a treat in their life
Flinch if someone tries to pet them.
No idea how to play
Never wag their tails or smile.

Some of these dogs eventually can be turned into dogs... and even pets but it takes a long time. The organization I volunteer with now can't do this type of rehab - it's not our mission and we just don't have the resources. Some breed clubs do.

I have 2 friends who adopted discarded puppy mill females almost 2 years ago. They are "better" but they will never be normal dogs.

Sometimes I think most of them would be better off humanely euthanized. If you saw how absolutely terrified these dogs were, you'd understand. The worst thing for any animal is terror...

So, I don't know what all breeders do but I do know what some of them do. They leave their mess for others to clean up.

EDIT:
This is NOT directed at the reputable ones... you know who you are. I have a dog from a breeder and I adore her and her breeder...

Answer 6

My family use to breed and show rotts for years. My grandfather had a strict policy that a female is never bred until at least 2 and not until all the hip and health checks where done. If she or he did not pass he would fix them and give them to a good home. He never bred a female past the age of 5 1/2 and he would never breed a female more then 3 times ever and that is what he taught the family.

My grandfather took such good care of the dogs and they where all so sweet. Even the unfixed males could be turn loose together. Of course there was sometimes a tiff but all grandpa had to do was raise his voice and those dogs just loved him and where so ready to please him they would turn and sit. I so miss him and wish more breeders where like him.

When he would have a retired female or male they too would be fixed and then they became part of the family. He lived on 10 acres. when He died he had 12 dogs left and we fixed the rest and they went to homes within the family

Oh and the last thing my grandfather NEVER had left over puppy's. People would come from different states to get one of his dogs! He had waiting list and some people waited for almost a year to get a dog.

Answer 7

I have seen many reputable breeders who pet place their retired dogs. This is usually someone who does breeding on a larger scale, very active in the conformation ring and basically must make room the the up and coming show prospects when an adult will no longer be bred. From what I can tell, most of them are just as picky about where they place an adult as they are about where their puppies go.

I think the others pretty much got the byb and mills covered.

Answer 8

I doubt the back yard breeders (byb) will give you an honest answer, so here's from my own personal experience:

The "better" byb give their used up dogs to rescues if they can't sell them at a discount as "retired" breeders.
We neuter or spay them, get their teeth attended to (they almost always have infections and rotted teeth), get them up to date on vaccinations, potty train and socialize them (most have never been inside a house and have no clue, but are they ever happy to learn about things like soft beds, affection, attention and toys). Then, when they learn that people can be good to them and trusted, we find them good forever homes.
Those are the lucky ones.

The less lucky ones are left to rot - literally in some cases. Rescues have gone into puppy mills or byb that were finally reported they were so bad, and found dogs with holes through the roofs of their mouths, wounds from pee and feces dripping down from cage to cage on to dogs confined in small cages, starved almost to death, etc. Most of us have nightmares from these "raids" by the authorities and what we see then.

Other rejected "stock" is sold really cheap for medical experimentation and chemical trials, for dog fighting "bait" (I have a foster right now that met this fate and has chunks missing), auctioned off to the highest bidder, no questions asked.

Anyone who can still support puppy mills and byb by buying a dog from a pet store or from some online dog sale site just doesn't have a heart.

Sorry, folks, but that has been my actual experience, and I am sure that of many, many others who try to rescue as many dogs as possible. Help save these poor dogs, don't support cruelty. We need legislation and we need it enforced strictly. The laws on the books now are vague and a place has to be really obvious and visible to get investigated - most puppy mills and byb hide their actions by claiming to be "quality" breeders. Only quality breeders around know what they are doing, research bloodlines, breed a dog only once or twice, and for the good of the breed - there is no other reason to be breeding dogs. There are more ethical ways to make a buck than from the suffering of animals.

Answer 9

I'm not a breeder but can tell you from my years in rescue, that a good reputable breeder keeps their pups until a suitable home is found. They never sell their dogs to pet stores and never dump them in a shelter.

BYB and puppymills will dump unwanted pups in many ways - some just dump them on the side of the road or in the woods; some dump them in shelters and some just kill them - yes, that's true - and they don't euthanize humanely, the just drown them or shoot them. I suppose there are those few that will keep one or two for more breeding stock.

We have rescued many that were destined to die because either as pups they weren't "good enough" to sell or because as adults they were so bred out that they were no good for breeding anymore. It is the saddest thing you ever saw!

Answer 10

I have never had any unwanted puppies. Small dogs are in great demand. I guess it depends on what breeds you breed. I'm sure pit breeders have issues with trying to get rid of puppies.

And there is no such thing as an unwanted Mom or Dad. Toy dogs are not hard to give away when they are finished breeding. They have already had all their shots and are house broken. They are easy to give to a nice family.