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So You Would Like To Breed

A CONSIDERATION FOR THE WOULD BE CASUAL BREEDER.

 

So you are thinking of breeding your German Shepherd. You know what to expect if everything goes right. Your little girl will present you with tiny bundles of joy. She will lovingly nurse them and care for them until they are old enough to be weaned. You and your family will find great joy in watching and playing with these gorgeous little puppies and then when the time is right they will all (or maybe you will keep just this one) go off to special homes to live out their lives as cherished companions.

But have you given consideration to what if something goes wrong? I have listed here a few of the problems that can occur. These are not isolated incidents. I am sure other breeders could add miles to my list and professional breeders please feel free to email me with anything I may not have covered.

 

WHAT IF DURING THE BREEDING...

 

1) The stud dog you have chosen is carrying a venereal disease and gives it to your bitch. She not only doesn't conceive but you have to pay the vet bills to have her infection cleared up.

2) The stud dog you decide to breed your darling to is not experienced. Once the two dogs are joined tightly in a tie, he decides to chase the neighbours cat out of the yard. He bolts for the cat ripping his penis loose and causing your bitch to haemorrhage from within.

3) Your modest girl decides she doesn't want the attention of this gigolo mutt chosen for her without her consent. She snaps at him catching her tooth on his loose cheek and rips it open sending blood flying everywhere. He retaliates by sinking his tooth into her left eye.

4) You leave your dog with the stud owner because the breeding is not going very swiftly. In fact, It has been three hours and nothing is happening. The stud dog owner leaves the two dogs alone in the backyard. The dogs get out and your dog is hit by a truck.

 

WHAT IF DURING BIRTH:

 

1) The puppies are too large for your bitch's hips. She never goes into labour, the puppies die and she becomes infected by the decaying bodies.

2) The puppies are coming breach and they drown in their sacks before they can be born.

3) The first puppy is large and breach. When it starts coming your bitch starts screaming and before you can stop her she reaches around, grabs the puppy in her teeth and yanks it out killing it instantly.

4) A puppy gets stuck. Neither your bitch nor you can get it out. You race her to the vet. The vet can't get it out either and he has to do an emergency caesarean section and it is 3.00am Christmas Morning.

5) A puppy is coming out breach and dry (the water sack that protects them has burst). It gets stuck. Mum tries to help by clamping her teeth over one of the back legs. She pulls on the leg hard, peeling the flesh from the leg and leaving a wiggly stump of bone.

6) A dead puppy gets stuck in the birth canal and your girl is well into hard labour. She contracts so hard trying to give birth that her uterus ruptures and she bleeds to death on the way to the vet.

 

WHAT IF DIRECTLY AFTER BIRTH:

 

1) If no-one is at home to help your girl and she has no idea what to do with a puppy and she drops them out and walks away, leaving them in the sack to drown.

2) The mother takes one look at the puppies, decides they are disgusting droppings and tries to smother them and bury them.

3) The mother gets too enthusiastic in her removal of the placenta and umbilical cord and rips the cord out leaving a gushing hole with pulsing blood all over you as you try in vain to stop the bleeding.

4) Or, she pulls on the cords so hard she disembowels the puppies as they are born and you have a box full of tiny, kicking babies with a tangle of guts the size of a walnut hanging from their stomachs. Of course, they must all be put to sleep.

 

WHAT IF WHEN YOU THINK YOU ARE IN THE CLEAR:

 

1) One or more of the puppies inhaled fluid during birth, pneumonia develops and death occurs in 36 hours.

2) The mothers milk goes bad. You lose three or four puppies before you discover what is wrong. You end up bottle feeding the remaining pup every two hours day and night. After three days the puppy fades from infection and dies.

3) The puppies develop fading puppy syndrome you lose two, then three. You are tube or bottle feeding the last one remaining baby. It begins to choke and despite your efforts to clear the airway, the pup stiffens and dies in your hands.

4) Your bitch develops mastitis and her breast ruptures or she rips it off.

5) Your bitch develops a uterine infection from a retained placenta. Her temperature soars to 42. You race her to the vet, he determines she must be spayed to save her life. You pay the bill. The infection has gone into her bloodstream. The infected milk kills all the puppies and the bitch succumbs a day later.

6) All the puppies are fine but following the birth your girl develops a hormone imbalance. She becomes a fear biter and anytime anyone tries to pick her puppies she goes to attack them.

7) Mum and pups seem to be fine, the puppies are four weeks and they are at their cutest. One day one of the puppies disappears. You search everywhere but you can't find it. A few days later another one is gone. You can't find the puppy anywhere and can't figure out how on earth the puppies have got out of their safe puppy pen. Finally there is only one puppy left. The next morning you find the mother chomping contentedly on what is left of the last murdered puppy.

 

WHAT IF THE NEW HOMES AREN'T SO HAPPY:

 

1) You give a puppy to a friend. Their fence blows down so they tie the pup outside while they go to work. A roving dog comes along and kills the puppy. Your friend calls you up to tell you about the poor puppy and asks you when you are having more puppies.

2) You sell a puppy to an acquaintance. The next time you see them you ask how the puppy is doing? They tell you that it soiled their carpet so they took it to the pound. You call the pound. They tell you the puppy was euthanased two days ago.

3) You sell a puppy to a friend (you give them a good price and payment plan). They make a couple of tiny payments. Six months later they have to move into a unit. Of course the payments stop. The dog they have returned to you is so shy and ill mannered from lack of socialisation and training it takes you a year of hard work and socialising before you are able to give the dog away for free.

 

THESE NOTES HAVE BEEN PUT TOGETHER TO GIVE YOU SOME IDEA OF WHAT PROFESSIONAL BREEDERS SOMETIMES GO THROUGH TO BRING TO YOU THE FINEST THEY CAN BREED. THIS TAKES YEARS OF HARD WORK, DEDICATION AND A PASSION FOR THE BREED THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO BREED. IF YOU ARE NOT PASSIONATE AND DEDICATED PLEASE LEAVE THE BREEDING TO THE PROFESSIONALS. BREEDING IS NOT A QUICK MONEY SPINNER. YOUR DOG DESERVES BETTER.