For anyone who may balk at the price of good pups nowadays, or who may think to himself, “At those prices I should become a breeder!” let me assure you that breeding does not make millionaires. There are a lot of bad reasons people breed their dogs, but there are only a few good ones. If you don’t meet all three of the following conditions and you still want to breed your dog, take a long, hard look at the situation in our crowded shelters across the country before you decide to contribute to the problem.

Good reasons to breed your collie:

1. You have in your possession a five generation pedigree (at least) for your dog that contains numerous champions in conformation, obedience, and/or fieldwork. There is no evidence of in-breeding, and you have a stud in mind with a complimentary pedigree.

2. Your dog is in excellent condition and closely fits the AKC standards for the breed.

3. You possess an abundance of time, patience, and indeed, passion for dogs in general, and your breed in particular. What’s more, you are in a financial position to cover the expenses that invariably incur with breeding dogs (see below for details).

If you’re a dog-lover looking for a way to make a few extra bucks, do yourself a favor and open up a kennel or a high-end poodle salon. Don’t imagine that raising pups will bring in the bucks, for the reality is the very opposite. But in case you’re still seeing dollar signs…

This article should give you an idea of the cost involved in breeding a dog.

To begin with, there are the initial costs, like purchasing the mother. If you remember condition #1 (above), you know that you’re going to need to be picky if you want to breed her. Plan on approximately $800. You’ll then need to have a series of tests run to make sure she meets condition #2. These tests include hip X-rays to rule out hip dysplaia, eye tests to check for cataracts, and tests for thyroid disease, in addition to any other tests recommended for the breed. These tests will cost you at least $300. Of course, you don’t have to do these tests, but it you don’t, you have no way of guaranteeing the genetic health of your pups, which serious buyers will be expecting. Then, of course there are the dog supplies you’ll need for the first year before your gal is ready to breed (food, toys, vitamins—you’re going to want to keep her healthy), but you had already planned on those, right? Tack on another $1,000.

So now we get to the fees at the time of breeding. Expect at least $400 for the stud fee, although it’s more if you insist on a champion-quality stud. There may be travel and boarding expenses, but we’ll give you a break and pretend that dream-guy lives down the block. Once your gal is pregnant she’ll need routine vet exams to check for infections that might affect the health of the pups. If anything goes wrong you may have to pay for ultrasounds or an emergency C-section. Oh yeah, pregnant dogs eat more, and need more vitamins…We’re talking $500 or more, even for a healthy pregnancy.

You’ll need some special equipment for the big day: whelping box, heat pads and lamps, thermometer, scissors, towels, baby scales, tweezers, hemostats, baby suction bulb, bottles and/or tubes for feeding (just in case mom gets an infection or can’t feed her pups), milk replacement formula, and nail clippers. But you probably have most of this stuff lying around, right? So we’ll be modest and say $100. Whew! The pups arrive and all is well. Now the money starts rolling in, right?

Wrong! You’ve only just begun. To keep those pups in tip-top shape you’ll need puppy wormer (given at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks), diarrhea medication, wellness check-ups with the vet, vaccinations and eye certifications, extra puppy food and vitamins, and advertisement fees! Plan on $300 minimum for each pup, plus $100 to take them off your hands. Oh, and you’ll need time off work to care for mother and pups. But you had ample time, right (condition #3)?

Wow! All those expenses add up fast! For a litter of four you’ll be dishing out at least $4,400. Even if you sell your pups for $800 (that’s average for a well-bred puppy), you’re out $1,200. While some of these expenses are one-time, can you expect to make money down the road? After seven litters, you might. But then again, consider that annual maintenance of the mother will cost you $1,000, and you shouldn’t breed her at intervals more frequent than two years. Maybe it’s understandable why 75% of breeders do not attempt to breed again. The verdict is in…if you’re thinking of breeding for the money, you should know right now, breeding definitely does not make cents!

About The Author

Emma Snow an animal lover works in marketing for Dog Pound http://www.dog-pound.net and Horse Stall http://www.horse-stall.net leading portals for pet management.

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Emotionally:
4. Make up a song for him or her (include names, favorite toys, and more)
5. Spend 5 minutes talking to him without anyone present
6. Go for a walk around the block or in the local park

Mentally:
7. Spend 5 minutes working on a new trick
8. Find a new book or website (for yourself) that will enhance your knowledge of his breed
9. Review with him ALL tricks he knows so far

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In 1991, he also made a return to television in “The New Lassie”. His autobiography “Timmy’s in the Well” is due out in September, 2007.

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The Hound Group is a designation used by most major English-language kennel clubs (American Kennel Club (AKC), Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC), Canadian Kennel Club (CKC), The Kennel Club (KC) and the New Zealand Kennel Club (NZKC) being the most notable).

Most hounds share the common ancestral trait of being used for hunting. Some use acute scenting powers to follow a trail. Others demonstrate a gift of stamina as they relentlessly run down quarry. Beyond this, however, generalizations about hounds are hard to come by, since the Group encompasses quite a diverse lot. There are Pharaoh Hounds, Norwegian Elkhounds, Afghans and Beagles, among others. Some hounds share the distinct ability to produce a unique sound known as baying.

Dogs in the Hound Group. Differences between kennel clubs are noted in parentheses.

 Afghan Hound 
 American Foxhound (recognised only by the AKC and CKC) 
 Australian Dingo (recognised only by the ANKC)
 Azawakh (recognised only by the KC) 
 Basenji 
 Basset Bleu de Gascogne (recognised only by the KC)
 Basset Fauve de Bretagne (recognised only by the ANKC, KC and NZKC) 
 Basset Hound 
 Bavarian Mountain Hound (recognised only by the KC)
 Beagle 
 Black and Tan Coonhound (recognised only by the AKC and CKC) 
 Bloodhound
 Bluetick Coonhound (recognised only by the ANKC and NZKC) 
 Borzoi 
 Cirneco dell’Etna (recognised only by the KC)
 Dachshund  Drever (recognised only by the CKC) 
 English Foxhound
 Finnish Spitz (AKC Non-sporting Group) 
 Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen (recognised only by the KC) 
 Grand Bleu de Gascogne (recognised only by the KC)
 Greyhound 
 Hamiltonstövare (not recognised by the AKC and CKC) 
 Harrier (not recognised by the KC)
 Ibizan Hound 
 Irish Wolfhound 
 Norrbottenspets (recognised only by the CKC)
 Norwegian Elkhound 
 Norwegian Lundehund (recognised only by the KC and the CKC) 
 Otterhound
 Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen 
 Pharaoh Hound 
 Plott Hound (recognised only by the AKC)
 Portuguese Podengo (small) (recognised only by the KC) 
 Rhodesian Ridgeback 
 Saluki
 Scottish Deerhound 
 Segugio Italiano (recognised only by the KC) 
 Sloughi (not recognised by the AKC or CKC)
 Whippet

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