Basic Breeder Information
by

Christine Dostie

Member, Health and Genetics Committee

So, you have the best dog in the whole world and you have decided to breed him or her!  While it seems like a pretty natural thing, there is actually quite a lot of thought and effort that goes into being successful.

First of all, the big thing that everyone usually is aware of, which is the health clearances.  These are things like hips, eyes, heart and degenerative myelopathy.  More details on this information can be found here on the AKC website.  The health clearances are extremely important and a good first step on your list.

Breeding also requires making an honest evaluation of your dog.  We all love our dogs and think they are the absolute best.  Every breeding should be done in hopes of moving the breed forward while maintaining the traits that make them who they are.  Does your dog have the friendly, biddable, eager temperament that the breed is known for?  Does your dog fit the breed standard for structure and conformation?  Yes, an AWS should be able to hunt but it is the breed standard that makes an AWS different than other Spaniel breeds.  You can check out the breed standard here.

You will also want to be sure before you breed that you are prepared for how it will affect your whole world for several months.  You will need to be sure you are financially prepared for the possibility of an emergency c-section, mastitis or the potential for mom or babies to contract an infection or illness.  These situations can easily run into the thousands of dollars.  You will also need to be prepared to potentially need to bottle feed babies around the clock as well as cost for puppy check-ups, vaccinations, microchipping and deworming.  Make sure you have the time to spend time with puppies to socialize and expose them to as much as possible those first crucial weeks.

Females especially should be examined by a Veterinary Reproductive Specialist before they are bred for the first time.  This exam will ensure that they do not have any medical issues that may make breeding difficult or even dangerous for her.  Both females and males should be tested for brucellosis before breeding.  Brucellosis is an infectious disease for which there is no cure.  It is highly contagious and passed via any bodily fluid which means sneezing, coughing or sniffing urine can all be ways of transmission.   

 You should also be aware of any laws in your state pertaining to dog breeding.  Each state has its own rules on things like the age at which puppies can be placed in new homes.  Maine, for example, has a puppy lemon law that allows a breeder to be held financially accountable if parents are not tested for a known health issue in that breed and the puppy ends up developing it.

You will need to do some research to find the right match for your dog.  Do they complement each other?  Do their pedigrees complement each other?  Did you research both sides to see if there is anything there that might be a problem if you doubled up on it?  There is a tool called the COI or Co-efficient Of Inbreeding that can help you figure out how much inbreeding is within a certain dog’s pedigree but this can be tricky, especially in a breed with a relatively small gene pool such as the AWS.  This is just one piece of the overall puzzle and breeders need to be careful not to get stuck on weighing any one piece more heavily than the other pieces.  You can learn a little about COI here.

Webinars for the New Breeder

Preparing for Dog Pregnancy With Dr. Marty Greer | Pro Plan (purinaproclub.com)

Managing Your Brood Female with Dr. Marty Greer | Purina Pro Club

Managing Post Partum & Weaning with Dr. Marty Greer | Purina Pro Club