Dog Breeding

What to Consider Before Breeding your Dogs

There are many factors that need to play into your decision when considering whether or not breeding your Golden Retrievers is truly a good idea.

©Photo Courtesy of Brad Kennedy

Raising a litter of puppies is a huge undertaking. Most people see puppies and all they think is, “Oh, how precious and cuddly.”.

But the reality is that they are a lot of work and even when everything goes picture perfect, you will still be shocked at just how much work and expense goes into raising a litter.

You need to objectively look at your Golden and see if he or she is of breed standard, excellent health, and would be improving the breed before you decide about mating your dogs.

All Golden Retrievers are fantastic pets, but not all are breeding quality, and not all of them should be bred.

Also, dog breeding is not always as easy as it sounds. There are a whole range of problems that can and sometimes do, crop up.

©Photo Courtesy of Ann-Charlotte Bengtsson

If you have a female that is in heat and also have a young male pup, do not let his young age fool you into thinking that your female is safe, if you do not want her bred.

A male is capable of producing puppies at a very young age, even as young as 6 months.

Obviously, you should never intentionally breed a male Golden Retriever this young, but it can happen, so make sure your female is safely out of his reach!

There is a lot more to dog breeding than just throwing two dogs together to reproduce.

If you are planning on raising your male Golden to be a stud dog, be prepared for behavioral changes when he isn‘t allowed to mate.

Understanding your female’s breeding cycle, having an estimate of when her next cycle will be, and being prepared for it ahead of time, will greatly help in your dog‘s mating.

©Photo Courtesy of Pawel Pieniazek

If you do not own the stud dog that you will be using when breeding your dogs, you will need to have already picked out her mate, and discussed all paperwork or contracts involved.

Understanding the actual dog breeding process will greatly aid you in knowing what to watch for, and when to step in, if your dogs need your help.

Though it is desirable that your dogs achieve a breeding tie, realize also that possibilities of puppies from a slip mating are very high.

Do your homework and study all there is to know about breeding your Golden Retrievers before you make your decision.

If you do decide to breed, remember that Goldens have large litters, ranging from 8 to 12 puppies per litter!

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