Why do you want to breed?
Wrong reasons:
*Want the kids to experience birth. Hope you also want them to experience
death, mummified puppies, deformed puppies...etc..
*She has to have one litter before we spay her. Old wives tale. There is
no medical/mental benefit to breeding a bitch before spaying.
*I want another one just like her. It ain't going to happen. It is genetically
impossible. You may get one that looks like her, but it will carry its' sires
genes also. You have a better chance by going back to the breeder you got
her from and seeing if she has repeated that breeding.
*I want to make the money back that I paid for her. If you do it correctly,
you won't make any money. With cost of tests and certifications prior to
breeding, possible stud fee, possible travel expenses, possible c-section,
worming and first vaccinations, health certificates and time off from work
when needed to care for litter and mom.
*My mom, brother..etc wants one. Here again are you willing to take a chance
to lose your bitch just to give a family member a puppy. There are plenty
of good sound puppies out there where they can get one. There are also plenty
of rescues that deserve good loving homes.
*I want her to settle down. I have found that this does not happen. Alot
of times she can become aggressive while the puppies are young and bite everyone,
including her owner if they dare try to touch them. I have also seen
bitches start to eat poop after her puppies are grown up because it has become
such a strong mothering instinct.
*She is AKC registered. Just because a dog has AKC papers does not mean it
is of breeding quality. AKC is a registery and cannot check everyone that
registers dogs. I have seen Rat Terrier Mixes registered as Chihuahuas through
AKC. I am guessing a substitute male was used to register the litter as pure
breds. AKC is working on this now by having males DNAed if they produce more
then 7 litters.
To produce sound dogs that fit the breed standard described by AKC is the
one reason I breed and why other reputable breeders breed. I breed for me
and not for others. All litters have puppies that can't be shown for some
small reason and for that reason it is sold as a pet on a spay/neuter contract
and limited registration. When I say small reason, it could be something
as simple as a couple of teeth out of line, sparse coat in a long coat, ear
tipping..etc. I will not breed and know others that will not breed if they
do not plan on keeping the whole litter until they are at least 4-6 months
old. Even though Chihuahuas don't always have large litters, it is still
time consuming to care for, love and train each one. Being a vet tech., I
have been lucky to be able to see the trouble signs early and not lose any
of my bitches, but I have lost a few puppies. Breeding is not something to
be taken lightly. There is alot to consider and alot of research to be done
before jumping in and breeding your dog. Just because all bitches are equipped
to carry a litter, doesn't mean they ought to. There is so much that can
go wrong and there are so many hidden genetic problems she could carry that
could cause her to die while carrying or whelping a litter.
Lynne Velazquez