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Some Points to
Consider
Before You Breed
To
breed or not to breed? Perhaps we can help you decide...
Financial considerations
-
Can you afford to breed?
Have you realistically worked out your expenses (and then
add more for unforeseen expenses, e.g. emergency
Caesarian, illnesses). You will need to outlay a huge
amount of money for hip x-rays, stud fee, care for the
pregnant bitch, vaccinating, worming and feeding puppies,
hire of a whelping box, advertising, vet bills,
registrations, etc.
-
Breeding is not a
profitable venture - a great deal of expense is incurred
weeks before any money comes in from the sale of puppies.
If you are lucky you might make a small profit, but more
often responsible breeders break even or make a loss from
breeding.
-
Will you be able to sell
your pups? Are Malamute pups currently in demand, or has
the market already been flooded with pups?
-
Are you aware what prices
Malamute pups are being sold for? It is a good idea to
look in newspapers (the Trading Post has the most dog
advertisements) to get a feel for the market.
-
Are you willing to refund a
certain amount of money on proof of desexing by a certain
age?
-
Do you have sufficient room
to raise a litter up to 8 weeks of age? Litters can be as
large as 12 pups, or sometimes even larger.
Time considerations
-
Can someone be with the
bitch during whelping? It is irresponsible to leave the
bitch to whelp on her own as problems could arise and you
may risk losing both the bitch and all the pups.
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Are you able to be with the
bitch and pups after the pups are born?
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Can you be there to feed
the pups every few hours after they are weaned?
-
If problems arise and the
bitch cannot feed the pups herself, will you be able to
hand-rear the pups (this requires feeding every few hours
for the first couple of weeks)?
-
Screening prospective
owners and having them come over look at the pups is a
very time consuming exercise. You may spend hours talking
to people, only to find that they buy their pup from
someone else. Have you the time and patience for this?
-
Are you prepared to provide
new puppy owners with information about the breed and the
pups' requirements? Are you prepared to talk at length to
your puppy owners after they have purchased the pup and
answer any queries they may have? If this is their first
puppy there will be plenty!
-
Are you prepared to keep in
touch with the owners of your pups on an ongoing basis?
-
If the owners can no longer
keep the pup for some reason at a later date, are you
prepared to take the dog back?
Reasons for breeding
-
Why do you want to breed?
You will probably not make money, so this is not a good
reason.
-
If you are breeding because
you would like another pup to keep, have you considered
that it is easier (and may be cheaper) to purchase a pup
from a reputable breeder.
-
Do you know and understand
the Alaskan Malamute Breed Standard? Breeders should
always be aiming to improve the breed - without knowing
the breed standard you won't know what points are
desirable in your dog/bitch, and which points are not
(e.g. many new Malamute owners think "bigger is
better" - it isn't)
-
It is not true that every
bitch should have a litter before being spayed. It is
also not true that having a litter will settle a bitch
down. These are not reasons for breeding.
-
Remember that a vast
majority of Malamutes are beautiful to look at; have
excellent markings; have friendly temperaments and are
seen by their owners as being the perfect specimen. These
in themselves are not reasons to breed.
-
Do not breed just because
your friends say you should, or that they would like a
puppy. When the time comes, often promises made in the
past are forgotten, and the people you were assured would
take a pup have changed their minds.
Suitability for breeding
-
Are both sire and dam
purebred, registered Alaskan Malamutes? If you don't have
papers, you could be breeding very close relatives, or to
dogs with hereditary problems in their background.
Without papers you cannot be 100% sure that the dog is a purebred
Malamute. It is harder to sell dogs without papers, and
people will not be prepared to pay nearly as much for
unregistered pups.
-
Do the sire and dam conform
closely with the Breed Standard? Never breed with a dog
that has a major fault, hoping to breed that fault out -
you are only perpetuating the problem.
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Are the dog and bitch of
suitable age to breed and are they in excellent health?
-
Do you know what hereditary
problems Malamutes are prone to, and are you prepared to
screen your breeding stock for hereditary problems?
-
Have both sire and dam been
hip x-rayed (cost $150 - S200)? Good hips cannot be
determined by looking at the dog, a hip x-ray is the only
way of telling if hips are dysplastic. Breeding from dogs
of unknown hip status is irresponsible and may result in
a litter of pups with bad hips.
-
Do you know if there are
any hereditary problems in the lines of your dog or the
stud dog? Breeding without knowing the medical background
of both dogs is irresponsible and could result in puppies
with costly medical problems.
Finding a suitable match
-
Are you able to locate a
suitable stud dog at a price you can afford?
-
Do you understand pedigrees
and the difference between line-breeding, inbreeding and
an outcross? You should be seeking a stud dog which would
make a good match according to the pedigree as well as
conformation (physical attributes) of both dogs. If you
are not sure if you have found a good match, ask someone
who would know.
-
Do both sire and dam have
excellent temperament? Never breed from dogs with bad
temperament, regardless of how wonderful you think other
attributes of your dog are. A fantastic specimen of the
breed is useless if no one can go near the dog. Breeding
with a Malamute of bad temperament is perpetuating a
serious problem.
Finding suitable homes for your pups
-
How and where are you going
to advertise your pups?
-
Are you a member of the
breed club? Many responsible prospective owners will
approach the breed club for advice and recommendations.
If you are a member of the AMCV and both parents of the
litter are passed for Hip Dysplasia, you may be able to
advertise and receive referrals through the club.
-
Are you prepared to keep
puppies until suitable homes are found, even though good
homes sometimes cannot be found until the pups are 6
months of age or even older?
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Can you find good
homes for your pups? Are you prepared to screen
prospective owners to determine their suitability as
Malamute owners? Are you prepared to turn away people who
you don't think are suitable?
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Are you prepared to keep
any puppies that you cannot find good homes for?
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A breeder is responsible
for dogs that they breed for the life of the dog. Would
you be prepared to take back the pups that you bred at a
later date should a problem arise? The club will refer
unwanted Malamutes back to their breeders.
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Are you prepared to take
back any pup that you breed if it develops a serious
health problem or inherited disease, and refund monies or
replace the pup?
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Are you prepared to cull
any puppy born with a congenital defect, e.g. cleft
palate, serious heart defect, missing digits, etc?
If you have
answered NO to any of these questions then
DO NOT BREED,
desex your Malamute and have a nice pet.
If you have answered YES to all
these questions and have taken into account all the above
considerations, be prepared to continually outlay money. A word
of advice - YOU DO NOT make money out of breeding dogs.
Produced by
the Alaskan Malamute Club, Victoria (Inc.), PO Box 41,
Hurstbridge VIC 3099, Australia
July, 1998
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ALASKAN
MALAMUTE CLUB