Before Breeding...

Hi everyone, I'm sure you're excited for your dogs to have puppies, but please do take note of the following before breeding:

Your dog should be fully matured before breeding.

Do not breed your dog more than once or twice a year.

Please take your dog for a health check (and preferably along with a genetic test to see if she/he can pass on any genetic problems to the puppies. Your Golden Retriever might be the epitome of health but she may carry the recessive Hip Displacia gene. Testing is therefore important as you do not want to produce puppies with health problems)

Do read up on canine breeding as much as you can prior to mating.

And most importantly, please have good and reliable homes lined up for the puppies even before they're born. This is extremely important as you do not want your puppies to end up in animal shelters. Many dogs are put to sleep daily because of overpopulation, please do not contribute to that.

Please bear in mind there is a chance that you may end up with puppies you cannot rehome. You should be able to care for them. You must also be able to afford vet care for the puppies after they're born.

If your dog gives birth to more puppies than she can nurse, you must be prepared to bottle feed the puppies.

We dog lovers should breed to better the breed we love. Please do not deliberately breed dogs that have genetic problems. Do not expect to earn some quick cash by breeding your dog. It is next to impossible to earn money if you breed responsibly. And if you do not intend to breed again, please consider spaying your dog. There are a lot of health benefits to spaying.

Finally, if you have a healthy dog, can afford the vet bills, have enough time and are prepared, do enjoy and learn from this valuable experience!