During the pandemic, record numbers of people welcomed a new dog into the family, and why not? With more people working from home, it gave us an opportunity to spend more time training and caring for our four-legged friends. As demand increased, so too did the number of breeders, some of whom clearly saw this as a money-making opportunity. But breeding healthy, well-adjusted puppies requires lots of attention to detail as well as passion, so let’s take a closer look at how to ensure your breeder is producing the very best puppies they can. Reputable breeders of purebreds carefully plan their breeding programs, and then cross fingers and hope for the best. For most breeders this is a passion and a lifelong commitment, and the satisfaction of seeing a lovely sound and healthy litter is worth all the work and time needed to get it right.
SELECTING THE RIGHT DAM
It all starts with a good quality dam (mother). Most breeders will begin with one of their own dogs. She may have had some show ring success but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s good enough to breed. Breeders will consider if she came from a reputable kennel and her pedigree (see sidebar) includes proven dogs. They’ll look at whether she closely adheres to the written breed standard (see the Breed Listings on page 86), and have superior conformation and type. Some minor faults can be overlooked as no dog is perfect, but major faults or even disqualifications as listed in the standard should rule her out as a breeding prospect.
Your breeder will also make sure that the potential dam is sound and healthy, and not inclined to recurring minor health problems such as allergies or frequent stomach upsets. They will ensure that whatever breed-specific health tests are available — such as hip and elbow x-rays, eye exams, and heart tests — have been performed. Some of these tests cost hundreds of dollars, and the conscientious breeder will get them done.
A good temperament is obviously important. Dogs inherit some traits, since different breeds have different temperament requirements, but if the dam is fussy or timid, or panics easily, her puppies likely will pick up on these traits themselves just from her example.
The ideal dam should mate with a sire easily, whelp a good-sized healthy litter naturally, and raise her puppies with care. Your breeder won’t know any of this until they breed the dog, but will likely have asked if her own dam was a difficult breeder or an indifferent mother to her puppies. Poor mothering skills may have passed on to her daughter.
A dam has a great deal of influence on her puppies. Many breeders insist she is responsible for more than 50% of the puppies’ conformation, soundness, and temperament (some say this number is as high as 75%).
WHAT ABOUT THE SIRE?
For the breeder, choosing which sire to use is filled with many decisions too. The breeder will analyze the pedigrees of the “fathers-to-be” and evaluate their ancestors to complement the dam and produce the very best puppies possible. They will try to select a dog that is strong but not exaggerated in the features that are lacking in the dam so that the faults are less likely to show up in her puppies.
Show ring success may enter into the decision but may not be the deciding factor; a top-winning dog may not be the best choice. Cost and distance may be prohibitive, even if he seems to be an ideal choice. A suitable local dog may be preferable, but only if he ticks all the right boxes.
Your breeder will check the results of the sire’s health tests, and if he is not a local dog, they will ask about his temperament. It should be appropriate for his breed, without excessive shyness or aggression.
A great deal of research and decision-making goes into producing a litter of quality purebred puppies. But the breeder’s reward is a lovely happy healthy litter, and your reward is a precious new family member!
AUTHOR PROFILE
Stephanie Horan and her husband Terry got their first Puli in 1969 when they lived in England. They immigrated to Canada in 1974, bringing several Pulis with them. They have been breeding and showing ever since, competing in conformation in Canada and the US. Stephanie is an award-winning writer and lives in Nova Scotia.
