Things to consider before starting a dog breeding business

While breeding dogs gives you a chance to make a career out of your love of dogs, this business sometimes brings heartbreak with it, too. Births can sadly go wrong, and you’ll need to be prepared to face the potential loss of puppies and, sometimes, of your much-loved breeding dogs. While careful, deliberate breeding and regular vet care can help to minimize the risk of health problems, breeding is an activity that’s never entirely without risk.

It’s also important to be prepared for significant, unexpected veterinarian bills. A sick puppy or a birth defect can find you traveling to the emergency vet, and bills for even a single visit can be thousands of dollars. You’ll want to establish an emergency vet bill fund to have on hand, just in case. Some pet insurance companies may also provide coverage for breeders, which can minimize some of these vet bills.

You’ll also need to think about some ethical questions when deciding if this is the right business option for you. With an overpopulation of dogs in the United States, many animal lovers campaign against dog breeders of any kind. While the country won’t benefit from an influx of poorly bred dogs, there is room and a need for quality dogs that are carefully and selectively bred. Responsible, well-educated breeders carefully invest in and refine their breeding stock to make only the best contributions to the breed, and they carefully vet homes for their puppies. Still, be prepared to have people question why you are breeding and possibly tell you that you shouldn’t be running your business.

While it’s justifiable to breed quality dogs that are in demand, you’ll also need to think about each of the puppies’ futures. Carefully choosing homes is a good step toward ensuring that your puppies have good lives. However, as life circumstances change, it’s still possible for the pups you’ve bred to end up in undesirable situations. Consider implementing an offer where you’ll always be willing to take back a dog that you’ve bred. This can help ensure that the dogs from your program will always have a good home to go to, reducing their chances of ever ending up in a shelter or rescue.

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