Purebred dogs are attractive to pet owners but breeding purebreds or any other dog for that matter is not as straightforward as it looks. Breeding lines often produce pets with different characteristics and the same statement applies whether you breed purebreds or mix breeds. It is impossible to become an effective dog breeder without doing some homework. Breeding dogs is a complex process that requires research, time and money.
Breeding standards are crucial to all successful dog breeders and personal likes and dislikes, including type, color and size are often taken into account. Those who breed puppies tend to have a favorite type of dog, a pet with a certain appearance and temperament. They mate the animal hoping the bitch gives birth to pups with similar characteristics. This textbook breeding process aims to produce pups resembling their parents and puppies that look like those in pictures and books. In general, a healthy breeding line is essential, so potential dog breeders must breed with care and caution to produce healthy puppies. However, many agree the breeding business is complex. An amateur breeder must have motivation, time and money to become successful breeder.
If you don’t have an answer to all of the above statements you may need to do some more research. For example, consider different dog breeds, the appearance of the sire, dam, grand-sire and grand-dam. Do they have a good pedigree, is the breed attractive and does the breed have the required traits? Do you, as a breeder want to retain those qualities and traits or do you want to further improve the breed?
Well-informed dog breeders are effective, they research dog breeding online and keep up to date with the latest breeding methods. Diverse breeding techniques produce different pups, for example, potential breeders should know about purebreds, inbreeding, outcrossing and line breeding.
Cross breeding is a popular way to produce a litter of pups. Breed a dog and a bitch of a different breed to produce a crossbred, however, be mindful, crossbreeds are not one of the most sought after breeds. A crossbred pet may have behavioral problems that will be impossible to account for.
Outbreeding is another popular way to breed dogs. Experienced breeders are often the only ones to use this complicated method. Outbreeding enables the breeder to improve upon defects to better the next generation, however, this process is usually only employed to improve breeds with long-term problems (usually spanning three generations or more). The breeder will choose a dog or a bitch possessing the missing trait, hoping the new litter of pups may possess the elusive characteristic. Amateur breeders are not advised to embark on out breeding programs if they want to continue to produce pets with the same traits.
Line breeding is also a common way to breed dogs. This entails mating two closely related dogs to produce same size pups with a similar temperament. Those who mate dogs of the same breed often do so with success, however, it is important to follow the mating process properly.
Listed above are the three main ways to breed dogs. This information should prove useful to professional and amateur breeders alike. As mentioned earlier, dog breeding is a complicated and time-consuming process. Breeding quality dogs is rewarding, but the responsibility is huge and can outweigh the pleasure. We hope this article gives insight into the different types of breeding program.
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