What is your opinion of breeding my dog?

I have always wanted to breed my golden doodle. She is 3 now, but still acts like a puppy. She first went into heat at 2 years old, so just over a year ago now. I'm afraid with her excitement/hyperness that it may not be a good idea to breed her just yet? However, after I do breed her once, I want to get her spayed. I think it will make her less hyper. Do you think it is okay for me to breed her or am I risking the chance of hurting the puppies because she is so hyper?

 

I cannot remember anything about breeding a dog to make it less hyper. When Benjamas, my Poodle, had her puppies, she was still as mischievous as ever. When Candy, my Bangkeaw, had her puppies, she had already outgrown puppyhood friskiness so there wasn't much difference before and after the puppies.

 

What is the reason you want to breed her in the first place?

And sure, she's hyper, but something happens with mommies where their instincts kick in and they'll take care of their babies, even if it doesn't seem to fit their personality usually. It's not a guarantee, of course, but I have a feeling that your dog would do just fine with a litter.

 

May I ask why you are considering a litter and her having puppies that once? Is it just in the hopes of calming her down? A standard of being a good and responsible breeder is breeding to improve on and contribute to a breed. Needless to say, this is difficult to achieve when it comes to mixed breeds. There is more involved with breeding and being a GOOD breeder than meets the eye.

Breeding her won't make her less hyper but is a risk to her life. Things go wrong everyday and frequently and any time you choose to breed a dog you choose to risk their life for the purpose of producing puppies. Then there are the pups. There is a lot of responsibility that comes along with creating lives. Breeding well is also expensive as there is the testing, the pre-natal and post-natal care, the rearing of the pups and all the veterinary emergencies that tend to come up along with standard general care.

Aside from the possibility of losing her or things going horribly wrong breeding a dog can fundamentally change some of the personalities, attitudes and behaviors that made them such wonderful pets in the first place. They are breeder's now. One behavior that often escalates is marking and, yes, females do this. Unlike males their more common areas tend to become beds, their favorite spot on the couch and blankets and towels available.

You would be okay on the age, responsible breeding is typically 2 to 3 years of age, every other season (experienced breeders may do 1 back to back if evaluation permits) until spay and retirement around 5 or 6 years old. Most likely, her first season was before the one you noticed at 2 years as something called 'silent heats' aren't uncommon the first time around and are difficult to detect.

At 3, she is not too old to breed as that is when they have or are mostly matured physically and mentally. Most health tests aren't able to be performed until around 2 also because that is when they have developed and matured enough for evaluation. Breeding an underage and underdeveloped dog can have some serious consequences for the Dam as well as the pups she produces in the long term.

What about health problems or puppies that end up in the shelter one day? Most of the dogs in shelters were born in just this way with very few people ever thinking that THEIR pups would end up there since the parents and the pups are awesome and the people seemed great. Do you have a breeding plan in place to try to prevent that yet?

All in all, as she is a beloved pet, it would probably be better to have her spayed soon which also contributes to a healthier and longer life. A female spayed at an appropriate age has a lifespan of about 60% longer than an unspayed female and fewer health issues.

Ask yourself if you are really willing to lose her for the sake of her having pups or can handle anything that might go wrong. It is hard to lose a Dam and / or a pup.

What if you find out, too late, that nice couple wasn't as prepared as they seemed and after not putting any training in or the dog being more work than they thought your puppy passed through 3 homes before it wound up at the shelter and was put to sleep before the age of 2 years old because they had to make room to give the new animals coming in a few day window at getting adopted?

If you want to breed her, consider carefully before you make any final decisions on whether or not to go through with having puppies and don't learn as you go. You are on the right track asking questions for sure. The more you learn about breeding and rearing pups responsibly before you breed the better. The learn to breed site can be a great place to begin getting some detailed information on breeding and what is involved.

Keep us updated please!


http://learntobreed.com/

http://www.wildheirlabradorrescue.org/readingroom/what-is-a-back-yard-breeder.php

 

Sometimes when a dog is at a breeding age they become hyper for this reason. It happened with my golden lab Rocky, he actually got our of our yard because of it, we had him neutered shortly thereafter. As for breeding your dog and whether it will calm her down enough to care for her puppies. I can also tell you that something happens to dogs the same way it usually does with humans when it comes to their young, the maternal instinct seems to just kick in. I remember one of the few female dogs that I had over the years, she came from the pound and had been spayed before we got her. However, a few years later when we acquired a collie puppy, she became very caring and protective of that puppy as if he were her own. So I think if you choose to breed your dog and think about this carefully, in my opinion she will be fine when it comes to rearing the puppies, dogs just seem to have that protective instinct about their young, even if their not technically theirs.

 

I agree with pafjlh. It might have been because she hasn't been spayed yet that she is still hyperactive.

Does she whine when she sees a male dog?

Breeding her won't make her calmer, spaying will. I'm sure she'd be more toned down if was spayed early on. Spaying also lessens her proneness to some cancers and reproductive diseases.

When dogs have their puppies, their maternal instinct usually kicks in so I doubt you'll be having a problem there. But once again, I encourage you think this thoroughly. And don't forget to have her tested for hereditary diseases she may pass on to her offspring. Lastly, ask yourself this question, "Am I prepared to handle puppies as well as the possible birth complications and attitude changes (as Mudd has mentioned)?"