If you are interested in breeding your dog, don’t forget to consider hereditary health defects. Even if your dog looks healthy, he or she could be carrying genes that could be passed on to the puppies. You should begin by asking your vet to test your dog for common problems in that breed. For example, German Shepherds should be checked for hip dysplasia. Once your dog passes the tests, check to see if his or her ancesters are clear of the disease. One great resource for researching genetic problems is the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals database.

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Inbreeding is the practice of mating animals closely related to each other, and it is used to preserve and intensify desirable characteristics. By mating two dogs from one bloodline, you increase the chance of their puppies having their characteristics. Take a look at the pedigree of most champion dogs – you will see the same ancestor mentioned several times.
However, although inbreeding certainly has advantages, it has its disadvantages also. Serious faults and blemishes are inherited twice as frequently as they would be if the dogs were bred to animals without these faults. Also, breeding between animals that are closely related can lead to physical weakness, bad temperament and less intelligence in the puppies. Use inbreeding with care.

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So, you have a beautiful dog and several people have commented that he or she should be shown. Although you don’t want to show your dog, you wouldn’t mind having a litter of puppies. After all, a dog this beautiful should reproduce, right? Actually, no matter how closely the dog resembles the breed standard, there is another important thing to consider. Breeding for a good disposition is the best way to keep a dog breed from developing a reputation for being high strung or downright nasty.

Make sure both your dog and the dog you breed him or her to have a good disposition. We have a Yorkshire Terrier that is a beautiful show quality dog, but I will never breed her because she is downright nasty to our other dogs and practically has a meltdown if her owner leaves the house. She acts exactly like her mother, but we bought her because her father had a wonderful disposition and she conforms so well to the breed standard.

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