Breeding my labrador, and i can't find any information to help on the net?

Question

i'm thinking of breeding my labrador x retriever and i can't seem to find any help with when is the best time, how to choose a male, costs etc. it jsut wants to tell me about the breed - not breeding.
can anyone offer advice or give me some links please?

Answer 1

Advice: don't. There are more purebred lab puppies in shelters than any other breed of dog - in my county of about 35,000 people, 40 purebred lab puppies are euthanized per month on average. 99.99% of labrador retrievers in the U.S. do not conform to breed standard because they are so overbred. Most people think that putting two dogs with AKC papers together means quality puppies. This is not so - a LOT more goes into breeding than that. And it is a very costly enterprise.



If you really want to breed, then find yourself a breeding mentor with the Labrador club. They will guide you through choosing a champion-quality puppy, showing her, getting her necessary health checks and genetic testing done, siring, whelping, etc. http://www.thelabradorclub.com/



Be aware that good breeders will take a puppy back for any reason even years after the fact, have to draw up legal contracts (and enforce them) for spay/neuter on the pups, and find good homes before the dam has even met the sire.



Also be aware that it is a VERY bad time to be producing puppies. The bad economy means there is even less demand than normal (and that's not much). More people are giving up their dogs than acquiring new ones right now.



Go to http://www.learntobreed.com for more pertinent facts on breeding, what a complicated process it is to choose a dam and sire to produce certain genetic traits, how costly it is, and how heartbreaking it can be.

Answer 2

Any dog with more than 1 breed in their lines is a cross breed, also known as a mutt. It is not a derogatory term, just an identifying term.



Apart from anything else to say against purposely breeding mutts when there are already so many Lab x Retrievers in the animal shelters, is that the Police and Guide Dogs have their own breeding programs and therefore will not really be interested in your pups.

Answer 3

Check the LRC.

Here is the link:



http://www.thelabradorclub.com/subpages/show_contents.php?page=Breeding+Your+Labrador%3F



There is a lot that goes into doing a breeding. I would re-think breeding a mix breed dog. There are lots of unwanted dogs in the humane society and it is far wiser to go there and adopt one of those dogs.



If you do decide to breed, research the hereditary diseases such as hip dysplasia, elbow and eye problems that labs and other retrievers have. You will want to do the appropriate screening for health issues to ensure that you are doing a breeding to produce healthy pets.



Again, check your humane society and consider adoption. There is also lab rescue and you can often find wonderful dogs through these rescue programs.

Answer 4

If your dog is NOT a purebred, then she should be spayed. There is no reason to allow her to even have ONE litter of puppies.



And if you think the police force/guide dog's will take the puppies - think again. Most cases, these organizations have their own breeding program in place and their dogs are genetically tested for temperment, etc. They rarely will use mixed breeds and if they do, they get them from shelters - not from a backyard breeder who thinks their wonderful, pretty dog should be bred.



There are enough labs and lab crosses out there now that should not be breed. The only reason to breed is if your dog is:



1. Purebred with registration papers from a legit registry - not a puppymill/backyard breeder registry.



2. Is over 2 yrs old and tested for all genetic problems in the breed.



3. Has been shown and earned a championship title.



The male should have the above too.

Answer 5

There is much to think about when you decide to breed. You have the cost of the stud fee and the cost of any medical testing that the owner of the stud dog might require prior to breeding.



The vet costs can get pretty high if your ***** has trouble during pregnancy and/or delivery. Then after the pups are here, you have to have them looked at by your vet when they are born, then again prior to you selling them for their first shots.



Hopefully, you get lucky and all the pups and the ***** are fine. But, if not, are you able to afford the cost of vet care that could include surgery? Then their is the cost of advertising the pups for sale. If you have a lab, they tend to have large litters. So, you can see that the costs can be pretty exhaustive.



Also, you have to consider the additional nutritional needs of the ***** prior to breeding, during pregnancy, and post whelping. Then there is the puppy food, whelping box, heating pad, warming lamp, medical supplies.



Don't forget, you will have around 9 yapping puppies for 8 weeks or more. The ***** will only clean up after their messes for about 3 weeks. After that, you are responsible for all that poop! Lots of fun.



They will need too be handled daily from 3 weeks on to ensure proper socialization. Do you have time to stay home with her just prior to and when she goes into labor? After the pups are born for several days?



This is just a sampling of breeding. If you are wanting a new puppy, it is better that you go spend the time finding exactly what you want and paying for it. If it is breeding you want to learn about, I would strongly suggest that you contact a breeder and get some first hand experience and knowledge before jumping into it. It sounds like a lot of fun and possible money to be made. But in the end, there is a lot of cost involved, time, heartache and then you have to realize, we do have an over population problem with dogs and cats.



Take some time and walk through your local shelter. Or call one of the many breed rescue groups like the Lab rescue. With bit of research, you may change your mind.

Answer 6

Your best bet is to get a mentor to guide you through the process. Your FIRST resource should be your girl's breeder. If her breeder is not able or knowledgeable enough to help you with this information, it's a MAJOR sign that your girl is not breeding quality.



Another good way to get started is to begin showing your girl in performance or field events, or breed competition. Getting her titled or earning points towards a title will go a long way towards establishing her quality as far as being worth breeding. There's also the health testing (and there's quite a lot that's required for labs- hips, elbows, eyes, heart & thyroid, minimum) and her parents and grandparents should also have all that testing done.



Costs? Firstly, realize that you are NOT going to make money breeding a litter. Figure $800 or so for health testing costs, $500+ for a stud fee to a decent dog, $300 for getting her health stuff and pre-breeding exams up to date, several hundred on whelping supplies, $400 for puppy shots & worming and vet visits and that's all if everything goes WELL and assuming you have paid vacation time to take off- if you have to miss work, you've also got to factor in the cost of lost wages. The costs of titling/trialling shouldn't be ignored either, but those can vary so hugely, I can't even estimate.



There's nothing wrong with wanting to breed, but the questions that you're asking lead me to think you're not quite ready to do it responsibly yet. And if you're NOT going to do it responsibly, please don't do it. There are tons and tons of labbish puppies in shelters- you need to make sure that any puppy you bring into the world is going to be healthier, a better worker/pet/whatnot, with a lifetime safety net and can ALWAYS come home to you.



I would strongly recommend spaying your girl and doing performance events with her. Take 3-4 years competing and learning everything you can about your breed. At that point, you'll be in a better place to evaluate WHAT you want to breed as far as specifics ("A lab that is pretty enough for conformation and moderate enough to hunt with" vs "I want to breed top-ranked field trial dogs" vs "I want to breed dogs that are suitable for service dog work that I can also hunt with") and what lines will give you a better chance of that.



Some recommended reading:

"Breeding Better Dogs" by Carmen Battaglia

"The Joy Of Breeding Your Own Show Dog" (show-specific, but good info)



And four good sites about labradors, specifically (including two really reputable breeders who you'd be well-advised to model yourself on)

Legasealabs.com

Labbies.com

kelrobin.com

Woodhavenlabs.com

Answer 7

Why? Just why?



Four million dogs are euthanized in year, in the US, in shelters because they don't have homes. Four million. And these aren't just dogs who are aggressive or sick; puppies, purebreds, nice adult dogs are put to sleep because they don't have homes.



And you want to bring MORE mixed breed puppies into the world?



Are you breeding for money? Think again. Raising a litter can cost thousands of dollars, as well as nearly constant care.



Are you breeding because your dog has a nice personality or looks? Think again. I'd say at least 80% of a dog's personality comes not from genetics, but from care, training, and socialization as a young dog. If you're breeding because you have a pretty dog, consider the fact that she is a mixed breed and there is a very slim chance you'll get look-alikes.



Are you breeding so you or your dog can witness the joy of birth? Do you want to see your dog in extreme pain and danger from a complication, deformed puppies, or puppies that died and mummified in the womb?



Please, please, please, think twice before you breed your dog. For every puppy you breed that finds a home, a home is taken away from a shelter dog.

Answer 8

watch the discovery channel or videos on youtube if you want to experience the 'miracle of life'



Police and assistance dogs are more often than not come from REPUTABLE and PROFESSIONAL breeders with much more experience than you.



My advice to you as someone how has sat in on many whelps and seen the BAD that can happen, is to not breed.



There is no reason to breed your female let alone your MUTT female.



http://www.learntobreed.com/

http://www.learntobreed.com/questions.html

http://www.learntobreed.com/checklist.html

http://www.learntobreed.com/costs.html

http://www.geocities.com/learntobreed/truestories.html

http://www.learntobreed.com/breedingrealities.html

http://www.learntobreed.com/miracle.html



She does not need to experience the STRESS of giving birth.



Are YOU prepared to hand raise a litter of 8 or more pups when she shows she not a good mom after killing some of her pups? If she dies from your SELFISH wish to breed her?



Are YOU prepared to humanly put down one or more pups with conditions that will SEVERELY impact their lives IF they survive at all?



Are you prepared to lose your ***** and her entire litter?

Answer 9

Dude if your gonna breed with your dog, I would recommend you seek immediate mental help. You need to think of your dogs mental aspects on life if you breed her. She will never be the same.

If you are insistent On breeding with her, then you might want to video it and put it for sale on the internet. Not only would it be sick, but may have some comical value if she decides to bite your head off.

Best advice I can give you if you are desperate is to try a prostitute.

Answer 10

I suppose you have a good reason to breed a dog that is already of mixed parentage. Share this with us. What are you going to do with all the puppies? Do you already have persons for them? My best advise is to not do this unless you have a very good reason.

Answer 11

Do not do it, just to expierence it. Thats not fair for her at all. And about donating them, keep in mind that they are very picky about what dogs they can use so chances are those puppies they would not take.

Answer 12

NO. NO. NO.

DO NOT BREED YOUR DOG!!!