By Laurie Niedermayer
Why? What are your motivations? Want to let the kids have a natural experience, think its best for your couch potato? Think you’re doing the dog a favor by breeding a litter or 2 or 10 before spaying? Because your dog is so sweet and everybody wants a pup from him/her? Because you want to make money? Because you want to buy that big screen TV? Or Computer? Or?
If you are breeding dogs just to sell to pet homes - no matter what your motivation is - you are a puppy mill.
There are a lot of individuals who jump up & down and castigate others for being a puppy mill and justify their actions by being self appointed saints - saying only they breed good dogs, only they do the health checks, they sell only to ‘approved homes’ and insist on spaying and neutering. These are the people who are “Backyard breeders“. Just because their animals are kept in clean situations does not mean they are any better than any puppy mill. Case in point - if you have a couple of dogs and have bred more than one litter per year and been in the sport/breed less than 5 years - YOU really need to check your motivation for doing so - because you are a fine line/step away from being a puppy mill. Let those who live in glass houses not cast the first stone.
Why?
Breeding as it pertains to the sport of dogs - is supposed to be done to IMPROVE the breed, or in the case of the hybrid performance dogs - to improve performance/speed - not just because you have a nice dog or for any of the above reasons.
If you are not actively pursuing working your dog - in either a specialized aspect or combination of conformation sports, and whatever the dog/breed was originally bred for - you probably should not be breeding. In the case of this writers experience we will be dealing with the over breeding of sled dogs. No matter the breed.
If you are a recreational ‘musher’ who spends weekends with your dog playing around - and then the rest of the time the dog hangs out at the house, cuddles, sleeps on the bed, has toys, grooming and socialization out the wazoo- then congratulations - you are exactly the kind of pet home I would want for my pups. But are you the kind of home I want to have breeding my dogs? Not on your life.
Why?
Chances are you haven’t been involved with the breed for very long. You are an instant expert - know all there is to know about the sport, the breed etc and you have been hanging out in your little corner of the world for less than 5 years. You may have lucked out and found a decent mentor - most likely not. You may or may not have ever followed the racing or show or obedience circuit. You have a nice dog. That’s it. Sure - you may have purchased or been given your first dog by a respectable breeder, you may even have a show title on him or her. Heck - anyone can have their dogs eyes and hips certified.
Does that mean you should breed it?
Without being proven? In my opinion no. I would ask for opinions from other breeders that I respect and trust, I would want to see the dog working under harness - and not just for a few miles playing around - I am talking about 30 - 40 km per day runs, not 2 or 3 mile jaunts. Structural problems show up after consistent 10 mile runs. You should want to see several conformation show titles and preferably even obedience titles on several of the dogs from any kennel or on your own dogs first - before even considering a breeding.
Why?
This discussion has been forefront in several prominent breeders/rescue organizations I have been involved with over the last few months. The one thing that comes up consistently is the why of breeding. Why are so many novices jumping on the “I am a reputable breeder bandwagon?”
The general consensus from those who have been around for a long time - is that there is a general lack of ’KNOWING’ in the dog sport world of today.
If you are breeding dogs and you have less than five years experience - you lack the knowledge that really working and training them is all about. You lack the knowledge of reading and recognizing pedigrees and health issues pertaining to each bloodline. You lack the knowledge of recognizing a dog’s faults & strengths.
If you are breeding for performance - can you honestly say that you have spent the months, weeks, days & hours working with your dogs. Recognizing structural inadequacies, temperament issues and stresses that actively working your dogs and racing bring about. Have you ever actually tested your dogs and yourself against other teams of dogs to see whether or not you really have good animals to even begin considering breeding? Chances are you haven’t.
Every day rescue groups are bombarded with requests to take on someone else’s problem. The dog escapes, the dog kills cats/chickens etc. The dog is aggressive, the dog doesn’t pull. The dog is defective for whatever reason. The reality is that the people who bought the dog probably got it from someone like you - who has a flowery contract, screens the prospective puppy person, says all the right things, and means well - but doesn’t really GET it.
This may seem harsh and judgmental - but needs to be said. For the sake of the dogs.
Before jumping up and down and getting on the holier than thou bandwagon and wanting to know how I can say such things… remember …
I am only asking you to really examine your motivations for why you breed.
How many hours have YOU personally spent going to shelters, working with animal rescue, taking on fostering of unwanted sled dogs, retraining and re-homing them? How many of those dogs needing rescue have you taken on and spent months working with to try to save and then ultimately have to give in the fight and have the animal put down? How many of you have held a dog in need as it is being administered the final shot that will bring it respite? How many of you have spent hours cuddling and crying with/over an abused animal to try to gain it’s trust. How many of you have ever actually taken back a dog of your breeding after it has been turned in to rescue or the local SPCA?
So unless you are actively trying to improve the breed, not breeding because you have nice/beautiful dogs or want to sell puppies, unless you are actively working them and testing them against others in your specified field - do the dogs and the rescue organizations a huge favor - don’t breed.
Even really experienced breeders are sometimes caught by the lies of others in pursuit of some trait or coat color or something they want.
To those who would still like to be breeders: Find a true mentor in the breed, study at their feet, take their advice and learn from their wisdom in the hopes that if you are intent on doing this at least some mistakes can be avoided.
TEMPERAMENT
If you are breeding to improve you will want to keep your best (Sled, Show, Obedience, Agility, Herding etc, Dog)
What then are you passing on to others? If most of what you sell goes out to the general population, how will they fit in? Too many never think if it will be the correct situation for that particular dog.
Very recently someone I know got a new pup, her third Siberian, just for a pet. The comments were, "If I was not educated in this breed this dog would have been gone long ago, and likely turned up in rescue!" Even if the home checks are done, is this the right dog for the home.
People who breed to improve are on the right track but if they can't keep all that they breed, they should breed less.
About Laurie
My name is Laurie and I am a sled dog addict! well now that I have that out of the way - I am a 45 year old self employed dog sled tour operator and part time trainer for film. With a varied background I have been involved with siberian huskies and dog sledding since 1991. I am very happily married to a wonderful man who shares a love for our lifestyle I have shown, taught 4H K9 and obedience, worked in rescue and competed & placed quite respectably in ISDRA gig racing in the 1990's. Always willing to share my experiences - in the hope I can help someone avoid some of the mistakes I made along the way - I am very blessed to be able to work and play doing a job I love.