Breeding Hunting Dogs
Breeding dogs is a complicated yet rewarding undertaking. When breeding any dog, certain responsibilities are placed on the breeder, and certain risks are assumed. This is especially true when breeding hunting dogs. These types of dogs require special care and attention that is not necessarily afforded or needed for family pets or show dogs. Hunting dogs perform a wide variety of tasks that place demands on them physically, mentally, emotionally, immunologically, and reproductively. It is important to understand that, in general, a hunting dog is far more valuable than ordinary dog simply for the services they perform. For this reason, when breeding hunting dogs, it is vital that you have a strong understanding of what to expect of the dogs, and what to expect of yourself. Breeding a hunting dog is a serious effort, and requires deep commitment and respect from an owner.
Perhaps the most important aspect of breeding hunting dogs is the selection of breeding stock. Just because you happen to have a good looking English Setter does not mean that he or she should be bred. There are many things to take into consideration. Health is of the utmost concern, and a concern that should be applied to both parents. Have the sire and dam been properly immunized throughout their lives? Have they ever had major health problems, or even minor illnesses? Have they had injuries that may impact their ability to breed successfully? Have the dogs been tested for genetic deficiencies such as hip dysplasia, bone tumors, or cataract problems? Has the breeding pair ever been bred before- to each other, or to any other dog? As you ask these questions and begin to determine the answers, logical thoughts about the dogs suitability to breed become apparent. Taking this information and consulting with your veterinarian is an important part of a responsible breeding pro gram.
If you are the owner of one of the animals, and are using an unfamiliar stud or dam, you should be asking many of these questions to the owners. If the owner has intelligent answers and documentation to back those answers up, then they are likely a safe bet for breeding purposes. Dont be afraid to ask for references, or to speak to others who have dealt with them previously- especially their veterinarian and people that have purchased puppies from them.
A healthy dog is one that exhibits good behavior, hunting, socialization, and intelligence skills, well-formed and desirable physical characteristics including markings, and has no physical or behavioral issues of any kind. Essentially, you should only breed hunting dogs that are excellent representatives of the specific breed. Anything less is simply irresponsible.
When two perfect dogs have been matched- that is, both a healthy and desirable male and female, then mating may begin. However, it should be noted that not all bitches will be receptive to all studs, and occasionally (rarely) a stud will turn his nose up at a bitch. Breeding may become a little difficult, but you should stick with it. This may mean several attempts with one or more studs. In some cases, you can even have your bitch artificially inseminated with the semen of highly desirable male. While this is more expensive than traditional methods, it does provide an easy avenue of obtaining a healthy pregnancy fairly quickly. Many of the worlds most famous hunting dogs have semen available for use- even from studs that have long since passed away. If you are very ambitious, and you have a live stud and dam that simply will not take, you can opt to have the stud milked, and have his semen artificially inseminated into the dam. These methods are very safe, and produce qua lity offspring- and this shoud be your primary concern when breeding hunting dogs.
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