all about dogs

So you have come to the conclusion that it's time to breed your registered golden retriever. Good for you, Breeding Golden Retrievers its an interesting and exciting time. I am assuming of course that you realize that this is a serious decision and one that can only be properly performed by recognizing the takes a lot of time a lot of money on a lot of love for the breed. I'm also assuming that you're not doing it for the usual silly reasons that inevitably land dogs in shelters. Reason such as kids learning about the nature of life, or an opportunity to make money, or dogs need to be bred to be fulfilled.

None of these reasons are good reasons. Inevitably when this approach is taken dogs end up in the shelter and we all know what happens to dogs that end up in the shelter.

However you've come to this conclusion you've decided to be a serious hobby breeder you probably belong to the AKC as well as a couple of local golden retriever clubs.

There are some things that you need to know before you get started. The first thing that you want to do is to make sure that your potential dam and sire are extremely healthy. Let's focus on the dam from moment. She needs to be extremely healthy and an excellent specimen of the breed. She should be a least two years old, have been checked by your vet numerous times as she grows, and have been fed very high quality foods with vitamin supplements.

The next thing that you need to be aware of is that you must track when you're damn goes in to heat. Why do you need to do this? The answer is simple. Dogs only going to heat approximately 2 times per year. You need to keep records, a spreadsheet is fine, of when she's in heat so that you may properly predict the next window.

It is also important very important that your breeding stock be of the highest possible quality. Again, the reasoning is simple. Whatever genetic flaws may exist in your breeding stock, will also be present in the resultant puppies.
If you are breeding Golden retrievers for example you should have them screened for the usual problems that can occur. These problems include hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, cataracts, and various other things.

Your vet can perform x-rays and genetic tests to minimize the possibilities of these things being present.

Both partners should also be of ideal temperament and should be excellent specimens of Golden Retrievers. This does not mean simply a smart and friendly dog. That is an apt description of most golden retrievers. If you are serious about breeding then presumably you were doing it for the love of the breed and to improve the breed and because you believe that your dog can do exactly that. Therefore you should be breeding dogs that exhibit the qualities that is looked for by the AKC.

Once the breeding process has begun you must carefully decide when to put them together. Most dams are likely to get pregnant about 12 days after they go in to heat. You need to have regular visits to your vet for hormonal tests to determine when she is ready. When she is ready you must have her bred several times while she's in heat. If things go well your vet will be able to determine pregnancy about 22 days after breeding.

If you are successful and she is in fact pregnant you enter a stage of very carefully monitoring and watching her. You must keep her extremely safe and healthy. You must remember that her diet is going to be much more demanding than normal. She will need to have smaller meals much more frequently. Near the end of the pregnancy she will need a diet with a lot more fat. Typically you will be feeding her puppy food during this period.

You will also need a vet that is very familiar with the whelping process. If something should go wrong and C-section is necessary you need a vet that has done that before.

The following months will be a very critical and busy time for you. New puppies need a lot of shots and a lot of general care.

Once you have successfully sold some of her puppies you must remember that your responsibilities do not end there. You must be ready and willing to take back a dog at any stage for any reason. You must remember that dogs that cannot be returned to the breeder inevitably end up in a shelter. And we don't want that.

Good luck!