event horizon farm: so you want to breed your dog

So you want to breed your dog (also known as Why do your dogs cost so much?)

I cannot tell you how many times I get emails about this. These emails are either asking me to breed their boy with my girls or use my stud to breed their girls.

I can tell you this though; I am more than willing to help you IF you want to do it right. Before you decide if you want breed your lab, you need to consider several things.

Why do you want to breed?

There are many reasons people want to breed their dogs. Most are self-serving and do nothing for the labrador retriever breed. Usually these breeding situations stem from someone wanting to make a quick buck. If you breed your lab and raise the puppies correctly, it is very likely that you will NOT make a profit. I have heard some people say that they want their children to ‘see the miracle of birth’. In my opinion, you would be better off renting a childbirth movie. Speaking from experience, having a litter of puppies is HARD work. Having puppies AND children is a combination that only the bravest and more experienced breeders should handle. Most of the labrador community (and it is a tight-knit community) accept, as a reasonable reason to breed, the desire to improve the breed as a whole. Responsible improvement opportunities mean that you must look at your dog (male) or bitch (female) and determine what faults they hold, and only then attempt to find a mate that can improve upon said faults.

Do you have the finances to take care of breeding?

The money spent on breeding a dog or a bitch starts many long years before they are ready to breed. There are many clearances you must get before you would even start to look for a mate for your lab. The following are the tests that will be required if you are looking to breed your lab with a reputable breeder. If these tests were not performed on the parents of your lab, then I would suggest that you seriously rethink breeding your lab. If the mate that you are looking at for your lab does not have the certifications for these tests, I would look elsewhere as well. Again, this is how you breed dogs correctly.

Medical Clearances (tests to complete BEFORE you breed)

If you get discouraged at all the tests that should be completed on your lab before you breed, you must realize that many of these diseases were caused by or perpetuated by unscrupulous puppy mills (PMs) or back-yard breeders (BYBs) that bred their dogs without testing them just so they could earn a quick buck.

1. Orthopedic – Labs suffer from hip and elbow dysplasia. The test most often used are x-rays taken of the hips and elbows and certified through the OFA (www.offa.org). Labs can have a preliminary report done around 12 months but cannot be certified until 2 years of age. X-rays cannot be taken any earlier then their 2nd birthday. This is for both hips AND elbows. For the safety of the breed, any dog that does not pass both tests should not be bred. Not only should your dog be certified but hopefully you can look at the parents’ certification and any siblings to your lab in order to see how they were rated as well. This gives you a better idea of the genes in the genetic lines of your labrador. OFA certification is actually the opinions of three different vets and it is based on the structure of the joints on the x-rays taken. This is NOT a DNA test that can find the gene that causes dysplasia. This test only tells you if the dog you own is affected by this disease or has the possibility to become affected.

The other test being used is the PENN-Hip. This rates the hips of your labrador against those that have also been tested. Some breeders use both methods and others only use OFA. The decision is up to you but the hips and elbows of your labrador must be certified one way or the other or both before you consider breeding him or her. This certification costs anywhere from $200 or more depending on where you live.

2. Ophthalmologic - Labradors are prone to many eye issues. Before breeding your lab, he or she needs to be tested (at a minimum) by a veterinarian ophthalmologist and the test results certified by CERF. (http://www.vmdb.org/cerf.html) This test is a physical examination of the eyes of your labrador.

The eye tests do not stop with the CERF test, as there is yet another ophthalmological test for your dog. This is a blood test that will tell if your labrador is affected by or a carrier of PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy). This test is an actual DNA test for the gene(s) that cause PRA. These tests can run from less than $100 to more than $300. Again, it depends on where you live or if you can find a clinic taking place at a dog show.

3. Cardiac – Tri-cuspid Valve Dysplasia (TVD) is becoming more and more common in labradors. This disease is a malformation of a heart valve and causes a murmur. This puts undue stress on the heart and dogs affected by it can die at an extremely young age, sometimes not even reaching their first birthday. A veterinary cardiologist can test for this disease. Some may only listen for a murmur and, upon finding one, will then test using an ultrasound. The ultrasound is the best method to test for this disease. This is a test that only tells you if your dog is affected. There is not yet a DNA test developed for TVD. This test can be registered using the OFA. (www.offa.org) This test cost begins in the neighborhood of $200 although I have heard other dog owners stating that their tests cost more than $500.

4. Epilepsy – There is not a specific test for this disease but it is yet another problem that is affecting labs. The best you can do is talk to the breeder of your labrador and see if they have had any issues with epilepsy in their lines. Qualified breeders should know this answer.

5. Temperament – This is not a medical test but one that should be performed by a dog trainer. I say this because there are more reports within the community recently of labradors becoming aggressive. The friendly labrador temperament is a hallmark of the breed. If you think your lab may not have the best temperament then you have an obligation to keep that temperament out of the genetic pool of the breed.

Breeding Expenses

Listed below is where all the money that you have not spent on clearances goes (please do not forget this is after you have spent money on the clearances for your labrador.) If you own a dog (male) and you are looking for a female to breed to him, please see the last point below.

1. Stud Fees – If you have a bitch and are looking for a stud, you will (most likely) have to pay some sort of a stud fee. This can be a monetary fee up front and/or the pick of the litter. In my experience, if you do not have a prior relationship with the stud owner, you are looking at a cash up front situation. This cost is usually several hundred dollars (at a minimum) and is usually based on the cost of one puppy.

2. Breeding Fees – If you choose to leave your bitch with the stud owner, you can be charged a daily bitch care. If you choose to try AI or the stud dog owner requires AI (artificial insemination), then there can be charges for supplies or equipment. If you are having the semen shipped from the dog to your bitch, there are shipping charges and lots of equipment to buy (packaging, coolers, semen extenders and the list goes on).

No matter how you choose to have your bitch bred, you must make sure it is the right time. Even in the heat cycle, there is the correct and incorrect time to breed her. The method that most older books recommend involves counting her days in heat and breeding on specific days. Other breeders use their stud’s nose to determine if she is in the ‘right’ time. If you paid all your money to get your bitch clearances and the stud fee, most people want to know specifically when the bitch is fertile rather than leaving it to guesswork. There is now a blood test that can tell you when to breed. Sometimes it takes more than one test to know specifically. These blood tests usually run somewhere around $75-$100 each, not counting in the overnight shipping fees that usually occur.

Any care for the bitch while she is pregnant would also be included in these breeding fees.

To confirm pregnancy, there are three available tests. You can use one of those ways or all three. The first you can use is a relaxin test. This test is not 100% accurate. Another test you can have performed is an ultrasound and the third is an x-ray. X-rays are not a good indicator until that last couple of weeks of pregnancy. These tests can be any where from $20 or more.

3. Whelping Fees – If all goes well then you are looking at a relatively inexpensive part of the process. However, if you have any trouble, the costs can skyrocket. Usually bitches have their puppies at night, which is not during normal vet hours. This means that if you have a problem, you either have to take your bitch to the emergency clinic or to your vet for after hours help. Whichever route you take, this particular vet charge is always incredibly expensive. Both situations (emergency clinic or your vet) usually charge a fee for just being there for an emergency. In addition to the "walk in the door" fee, you also usually have higher charges for any services they provide. In a worse case scenario, if your bitch must under go an emergency C-section, I can guarantee a horrific bill (speaking from experience). C-section costs can be in the $1000 range before you are completely done.

4. Litter Fees – For a first time breeder (and many experienced breeders) we recommend that you take the bitch and her litter into the vet for a check up at the end of the birth process. This will allow the vet to make sure your bitch is truly finished whelping the litter (and accompanying placentas and uterine lining), in addition to allowing the puppies to be physically checked for cleft palates and other health issues. This is (at a minimum) an office visit fee.

After the health of your bitch and litter is determined, the next thing you need to accomplish is the registration of the litter with the AKC. That is $25 plus $2 for each puppy.

If your bitch is making enough milk, count yourself lucky. If she is not or if you have one puppy not doing well, then you need to supplement with formula. You can make your own or purchase pre-made for approximately $3 a can.

At this point in the life of your new litter, you will be washing the bedding you use in the whelping box. Your washing machine and dryer will be working almost non-stop. The puppies have not learned how or where to use the bathroom yet, so this laundry chore must be accomplished for the health and safety of all in your home.

Once the litter starts to eat real food, your dog food bill will start to go up. While this is not so bad at first, as they grow older you will most likely be buying twice as much food as before. Do not forget you will be feeding these puppies until they are at least 8 weeks old (more on the eight week mark later). At approximately three weeks of age, you will need to get the puppies tested for worms and purchase worming meds for them if they test positive. As they approach the six to eight weeks of age mark, you will need to think about vaccinations. Again your vet will have to do this and these fees usually include an office visit fee and a per puppy fee. For the physical wellbeing of your litter, it is not until the puppies reach 8 weeks MINIMUM that you can let them go to another home.

5. For Owners of Males – To be perfectly honest, there is a very slim possibility that you will be able to find a bitch to breed with your stud. We understand the love you have for your boy, but there are highly qualified champion dogs of record that are available to any reputable breeder with a bitch. With a choice of a champion over a non-champion with an unknown pedigree, it is easy to understand why a breeder will choose the champion stud dog. The goal of almost every single reputable breeder is to improve the labrador breed. That goal can be accomplished by breeding with a stud dog that is known to conform to the standard and has known offspring to look to for examples of breeding outcomes.

What to know about raising a litter of puppies.

1. Reputable breeders DO NOT allow their bitches to have their puppies outside. PERIOD. Puppies should be born in the house and raised in the house until (at the very least) they are weaned. I keep mine in the house until they are taken home. They get outside playtime as they grow but they are NEVER allowed outside unless I am home. Puppies have to be held every day. They need to be trained even from the earliest age. There are many different ways to raise a litter of puppies but they all have one thing in common and that is they are born and raised in the home and not outside.

2. If you decide to breed your bitch, you have decided to accept the responsibility of bringing her puppies into this world. You are responsible for those puppies during the course of their entire life.

Let me say that again for emphasis. You are responsible for the puppies you breed for their entire life. If you do not agree with that statement, you do not need to breed your bitch.

It is your responsibility to find each puppy a home. A home is not the first people at your door with cash in hand. You need to interview potential homes and pick the best for your puppies. If you cannot find them a home, those puppies must stay with you. You cannot dump them off at a shelter because you cannot find them a home. Keeping puppies until a good home can be found is a common situation for all reputable breeders. I have kept puppies for well over a year before I found them the right home. You also have to be willing to take these puppies back if for some unknown reason they cannot stay where they were. All these situations are your absolute role as a responsible breeder.