which dog breed? suggestions desperately needed.
By Riette
@Zorrogirl (1502)
South Africa
February 17, 2008 5:32am CST
my daughter's little dog died last week and we are looking to buy her a new one. we are planning to set up a breeding business so she can earn some extra money later on. we just cant decide what breed to choose. we have a few on the shortlist. it needs to be a breed that is high in demand and gets a fairly good price. any suggestions will be greatly apreciated and rated plus. it needs to be a small breed of dog.
2 responses
@Seraphine (385)
• Finland
17 Feb 08
Okay... I'm not going to even suggest a breed here. I think you need to take a good long hard look at what you are considering, cause I really don't think you know what you are thinking of getting yourselves into.
1) Breeding is NOT easy. It can be heartbreaking, you can lose the puppies or the female during delivery or in worst cases both. If you lose the female, you will have a litter of puppies needing to be bottlefed for the next month every 2 hours night and day. Same thing if the female rejects the puppies, it can happen when breeding too early (below 2 years of age). I don't think you would allow your daughter to skip school or yourself to skip work for a month to bottlefeed the pups...
2) Breeding should NEVER EVER be done for the purpose of earning money. It is meant to be done to improve the breed. Good breeders are lucky to cut even with all their expenses, every cost related to shows to get their championships, health testing (OFA, eyes, heart, thyroid, mostly; these tests can be quite expensive), good quality food, shots and deworming the pups, etc etc.
Backyard breeders who don't give a damn about the puppies they put into this world with all their health/temperamental issues they will have can earn a bit, but then again is that really who you want your daughter to grow up to be? An unresponsible breeder who just doesn't care about anything but the money? Because that is all she will learn unless you teach her to do it the proper way and ignore the earning money bit, because there is just no real money to earn in dog breeding business when it's done properly.
3) Breeding takes time. A LOT of time. Many good breeders don't leave the puppies alone with their mother the first two-four weeks for more than a few minutes. They sleep next to them. They take time off work to be able to be there with them for as long as it takes. Then there's also the work of finding responsible puppy owners, which should be done BEFORE the female is bred at all.
Seriously, if you want your daughter to have a dog, neuter/spay the dog you get and enjoy him/her as a pet. Breeding should be left for professionals, not for people who only sees dogs as a way to get money...
1 person likes this
@Zorrogirl (1502)
• South Africa
17 Feb 08
hey, relax! we are experienced farmers in live stock. i have done my homework. my daughter is 3 years old. i shall wait at least 3 years before start breeding. we have an excelent relationship with the vet. i have met with other breeders and the pups are going to be sold through their association. you are right about the costs and it sure is high but i think it would be worth it.
@Seraphine (385)
• Finland
17 Feb 08
So you are saying you will go to dog shows to get the dog a champion title? Do the same with the male if you happen to own the male as well (although most good breeders don't own the male and instead pay stud costs). Do every single health test required. And if your dog isn't fit to standard or fails even one of the health tests, spay her instead and possibly start over with another if you are still interested in doing it all over again. Cause if you have no interest in doing that, then I don't care how much homework you have done, who you know or what you are doing for a living. Dog breeding should be left for professionals who do it responsibly and with no interest about earning money on it, period.
It's just that anyone who calls dog breeding a 'business' and wants a breed high in demand and for a good price without considering a breed that will fit into their life circumstances and what they can offer to a dog tells me that person has no place in the dog breeding world at all because there's only one thing that person cares about and that's earning money. I could be wrong, but that's what your post indicated to me.
1 person likes this
@Zorrogirl (1502)
• South Africa
17 Feb 08
we plan on only getting a female to give maximum attention. one of the breeds we are considering are scottish terriers. they are very scarce in sa. and dog shows will be in the pipeline but only when my daughter is older. i am sorry you feel that i am a dog exploiter, but i am not. and surely if money is left after expenses, it will go straight to my daughters account. at least one thing is left untouched in south africa. and that is dog breeding standards and procedures. if i do get a licence, be assured that the high standards and criteria will be met.
@trickiwoo (2702)
• United States
17 Feb 08
I don't know about the area that you live in, but around here yorkshire terriers are definitely in high demand! I believe yorkies are also the #2 most popular dog in the country right now (the #1 dog being labrador retrievers).
@Zorrogirl (1502)
• South Africa
19 Feb 08
i have thought about yorkies. i am just worried about how strong they are. it gets extremely cold here in winter and i dont want it to have it difficult. we havea lot of people who sell them but they are too expensive and most dont have the proper paperwork. i shall look into it. they are so cute. thank you.
