Should I Breed My Dog?

Should I Breed My Dog?

By Ryan Eder

A simple google search this morning told me a lot when I began prepping to write this article; “how many puppies are born each year in the United States?” What would your guess be? The first result that popped up in my search was that of up to 70,000 puppies are born daily in the United States. No, I am not writing this to say no to breeding your dog and push the rescue avenue when searching for a dog (although this is a great option for most people). What I am trying to say is that there are criteria that go into deciding on whether a dog should be bred. The criteria is not as obvious as you might think, but with the large amount of puppies being produced each year it is important to remember that breeding and producing puppies “just for fun” or simply for selfish reasons has negative consequences for both dogs and people.

As hunters, we know the importance of quality genetics in our hunting dogs. We are always looking for dogs that are intelligent, trainable and display hunting instincts such as strong noses and high drive to work in the field. With that being said, we must be objective when evaluating breeding potential in a dog. I would like to briefly cover some of the criteria we must consider when it comes to the decision, “Should I breed my dog?”

Health Tests
When the word “genetics” gets tossed around in conversation, several people go straight to the pedigree of a dog to evaluate genetics. Let me be clear, a pedigree shows lineage (which is part of genetics, but not all of it). A pedigree full of highly accomplished field trial or hunt test dogs does not show you a full picture of genetics! With available technology and improvements in veterinary practices, there is no excuse to not look into various health tests to be done on your dog prior to any breeding activity takes place. While several breeders, veterinarians or others may have different opinions, here are the health tests I would recommend at minimum:
OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) is a great place to start. The OFA promotes the health of companion animals by testing them for various forms of disease, defects and structural issues.

Joints
The OFA can evaluate an x-ray of your dog’s hips and elbows. The x-ray can show the joint and how well it is put together. Dogs are rated or scored based on the x-rays. Hips can be scored as dysplastic (which is a failing score), Fair, Good or Excellent. Elbows are either dysplastic or normal.

Eye CERF (Canine Eye Registry Foundation)
OFA works with CERF to evaluate a dog’s eyes for heritable eye disease. Dogs will be deemed normal (clear) or not pass the test.

Genetic Disorders
All dog breeds are susceptible to certain genetic disorders; it is important to know these disorders and test for them in your dog (especially if breeding is a consideration). Using the Labrador Retriever as an example, all of my dogs are tested for EIC (Exercise-induced collapse) and CNM (Centronuclear Myopathy) at minimum. For both EIC and CNM, a dog can either be CLEAR (cannot be affected by the disorder and does not carry it), CARRIER (not affected but does carry the gene and can pass it on when bred) or AFFECTED (not only carries the gene but is affected by the disorder). Knowing whether your dog is affected, clear or a carrier is critical so that you can selectively breed (or not breed) your dog.

Ideally, clear dogs should be bred. This way, there is no chance to produce carrier or affected puppies that may breed in the future. However, it is acceptable to breed a carrier dog as long as they are bred to a clear dog. Affected dogs should not be bred. Knowing where your dog stands is important when deciding on whether or not to breed. These are affordable and simple tests to complete; there is no reason not to know this information prior to any breeding.

Notice I went into health clearances first before we dove into pedigree and performance metrics. Simply put, breeding healthy dogs is the absolute priority. Without this information, there is no reason to breed your dog. Again, people breed their dogs all the time because they assume a “good” dog will produce other “good dogs”. While this may be true in some cases, there is no reason to not have thorough health testing done on our dogs when it is widely available and affordable. With such testing, we can ensure that we are breeding healthy animals.

Performance metrics
I mentioned pedigrees and accomplishments earlier. I do like to look at lineage because dogs out of a long line of field champions, show champions or hunt test titled dogs can tell you a lot about the dogs in your puppies’ pedigree. Lineage can serve as an indicator as to what kind of dog you have, but believe me it is not always 100% accurate. I have seen excellent hunting dogs that are show bred; I have seen great hunt test dogs with no titled ancestors in their pedigree and I have seen very well bred field trial lineage pups have no drive or desire to do field work.

We do not have a crystal ball, but these factors must be evaluated and understood before we breed our dogs and contribute to the already staggering amount of puppies being produced each year! Make sure to consult with experienced, knowledgeable breeders before you take part in any breeding activities!