Some of the most common reasons for a person to breed their bitch or dog are “s/he can make some money for me,” “I would like to keep one of the pups,” “I was told she needs to have a litter before she can be spayed,” “I was told its a rare colour,” ”I was told s/hes a good looking dog so I should breed.” All of these reasons are absolutely not good enough reasons to breed a staffordshire.
- Only irresponsible people breed for money. They are more commonly called Back Yard Breeders and are most commonly found flogging puppies on Gumtree, Preloved etc. The money it takes to raise a litter properly can sometimes outweigh the amount of money given back to the breeder. Serious breeders will not mind spending money on the puppies as long as they are happy, healthy and go to decent forever homes. It is not only the owners of bitches who can be irresponsible. Letting a dog wander or letting him “at” a bitch is also not acceptable.
- Wanting one pup from your bitch/dog to keep is not feasible. A staffy will have anything from one to potentially 8 or more puppies which all require and deserve homes for life, so breeding for one pup is selfish and unnecessary.
- No bitch NEEDS to have a litter before they are spayed. This is a myth. It has been medically proven that not having a litter makes no impact on the spaying process. In fact some vets argue that having a litter makes it a more risky surgery due to the process the womb must go through to have puppies. Even if your bitch has phantom pregnancies it does not guarantee that she will be a good mother, so you should not breed just because you think she wants puppies. Having a litter can potentially kill a bitch and harm a dog (See scenarios below), so if you think you are doing them a favour by making them breed, you are not. Dogs also do not need to “sow their oats” before getting neutered, and letting them be "relieved" of sperm regularly is NOT an effective method of calming a hyper, aggressive, randy dog down.
- Again, breeding solely for colour is reserved for the irresponsible Back Yard Breeders who only want money. No colour is so rare that dog/bitches must be bred for it alone. There are also inherent risks to the puppies if you breed for colour. (See more information: https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t17716-colour-dilution-alopecia)
- All dogs are good looking, but unless your dog/bitch has been checked over by very knowledgeable breeders, vets and perhaps show judges, you cannot breed just because someone said s/he looks nice. There could be problems with the bone structure or hidden diseases that you are not aware of.
Many people want to make the bitch have the litter young so that they can get her spayed as soon as possible to avoid mess. Here are 10 reasons why this is NOT a good idea.
- She isn't ready to be covered, and whilst she is tied with the stud dog, she panics and bolts, ripping the stud dogs penis loose, causing her to haemorrhage from within, she may even viciously attack the dog or her handlers.
- The stud dog has not had the appropriate health tests, and carries a disease which he passes on to your bitch and the puppies.
- She hasn't been properly tested, and all the puppies are born with birth defects. They all have to be put to sleep.
- Her hips have not properly developed, and the puppies get stuck in the birth canal during labour. You don't realise what has happened, and the puppies die inside her, and the decaying bodies poison your healthy bitch.
- During labour, a puppy gets stuck, and the bitch tries to help by pulling it out by it's leg. She tears the flesh from the puppies leg, and it has to be put to sleep.
- A puppy gets stuck in the birth canal, and the mother pushes so hard to get the puppy out, that her uterus ruptures, and she bleeds to death on the way to the vet.
- When the puppy is born, mother doesn't know what to do. She leaves it on the floor to drown in the sack.
- She is scared by what has happened, as she is too young to understand. She eats all of the puppies, or smothers them.
- She is too enthusiastic with removing the umbilical cord, and she rips the cord out causing a gushing wound, or she disembowels the puppies as she's too rough. They have to all be put to sleep.
Still want to breed your immature bitch?
The main reason not to breed however is that there are already thousands of dogs in shelters and many put down every day due to having no home. For every dog that is born, at least 3 die or are destroyed in a shelter.
Reading a few books and looking at a few posts cannot possibly arm you with enough information on breeding to make a go of it yourself. If you are serious about getting into breeding you need to start at the bottom and work your way up. The first step is to go to a few shows and see how they work and speak to a few breeders, as this is where reputable breeders and contacts can be found. This does not mean you MUST be a dog shower to breed, but it’s a good place to see potential studs in action. A good breeder will appreciate you asking questions and may volunteer to mentor you and be your advisor and help you select a dog that will compliment your bitch and iron out any flaws she may have.
If you want to be serious about breeding, here is more information on the responsible way to do it: https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t25590-responsible-breeder
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A Staffy-bull-terrier Frequently Asked Questions |
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Do I Need To Breed?
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