Breeding Labradors

Are you a Labrador owner wandering if you should breed your dogs? I think it is fair to say that many Lab owners will, at some point, think about whether or not they should breed their pets. Usually, there are two main reasons why an owner would think about breeding Labrador retrievers. Firstly, because they would like to set up a small dog breeding business or, more commonly, because they want more puppies for their own companionship. Whatever the motivation for the decision is there are a number of things to consider before deciding to go ahead.

Whatever your motivation it should be remembered that not all pregnancies result in a happy, healthy litter. be warned. If you are the owner of a female dog than breeding a litter at home for the first time can be a very steep learning curve. The most fundamental thing to get right when breeding dogs is to find the best possible match between the breeding pair of animals. Each dog must have a good temperament, be in top physical shape and free from disease. Each animals lineage should be checked to ensure there are no inherited problems such as hip dysplasia.

The character of the two dogs is equally as important as their state of health. Labradors inevitably end up in a family home so it is essential that they are temperamentally suited to sharing a home with children as well as adults.

Another essential point to consider when breeding Labrador Retrievers is to check the pedigrees of each of the breeding pair to ensure the dogs are not too closely related. Breeding a pair of dogs that are closely related can lead to serious health problems in the puppies and will of course seriously dilute the dogs bloodline.

Before mating it is advisable to let the dogs get to know each other and, ideally, each dog should be over two years-of-age. By this time any temperamental or health issues should be apparent. Of course, whether to breed Labrador retrievers or not isn't a decision to rush into and a very pertinent point is that having an ideal pair of dogs to mate is only the start of the breeding procedure. Once the mating has taken place and pregnancy is confirmed the real work begins.

Taking care of the bitch during pregnancy can take a lot of work as can the whelping process. After the mum has produced her litter taking care of the puppies, and finding good homes for the puppies is a time-consuming and potentially expensive undertaking.

The last point is the most relevant. It isn't always easy to find suitable new owners for tour puppies. Rest assured there is no way you will let the puppies go to just anyone. Don't be afraid to say 'no' to customers or potential owners if you are not 100% convinced that they will be able to offer the puppy a suitable environment in which to live and grow.

Craig Ellyard writes extensively for the Labrador Retriever Guide The site has a monthly newsletter to stay in touch and the Labrador Review newsletter is just the place for Lab owners to hang out together.