Let’s talk about breeders.
Being a good breeder is not easy, and aiming to be the best you can be is even more difficult. Breeding dogs comes with many responsibilities, a lot of hard work, and countless nights of staying awake. It’s not a hobby; it’s a passion, and it takes many sacrifices to become the best you can be.
Your social life will never be the same if you choose this path. It’s not a decision you can take lightly.
Being a breeder means you have to study a lot, and by study, I don’t mean just studying pedigrees. You need to understand dog behavior, dog training, neonatal care, and first aid. In many cases, if you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having a neonatal puppy that needs help, you better know what to do because most vets don’t. Neonatal care is a specialized area in veterinary science, and most vets are not trained for it. They know how to treat a dog that is at least one month old or older.
You must be prepared to do things you never thought you could do—cutting and tying umbilical cords, tube feeding, and more. Nobody can mentally prepare you for that; you study, you learn, and you hope you have what it takes when the time comes.
As a breeder, you will have great experiences and create amazing memories. You get to live with many different characters and enjoy watching puppies grow, even if only for a short time. When breeding dogs, there will be things that no one can teach you, not even the best mentor. You learn through experience and observation.
You will make mistakes; we all do.
Making mistakes is human, but it’s very important to learn from them and not repeat them. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” The same goes for our mistakes: if we repeatedly make the same ones, they become habits.
As a breeder, you must know that there will be times when, for the betterment of the breed, you need to separate yourself from the masses. We all know how some breeds have been ruined by following certain breeding standards, and now there are efforts to correct that and return to the origins. You must understand that what you do and the principles you follow may one day be the reason there are still a few good specimens of the breed you love and devote your life to. You must learn to see the bigger picture.
One of the most difficult things is learning to accept death. Breeders face death far more often than the average dog owner, who has one or two dogs. When they get old and die, it’s the saddest moment in a dog owner’s life. Living with more dogs means you go through this more often. It never gets easier, as many people think. You never get used to it.
You learn to process your feelings better, focus on the beautiful memories of your beloved dogs, and care for the ones still with you because they need you. You learn to move on.
A dog you raised and loved as your own, although you knew it was sold and would soon be with its new family, will always be difficult to say goodbye to. No matter how many times you go through this and even if you know you’ve chosen the best family, there will always be a puppy that makes you cry when it leaves. The puppy’s well-being must be your number one priority.
You must also know that sometimes giving the best puppy of the litter to someone else may be the best thing for the puppy and the breed. Supporting another reputable breeder or someone starting their breeding project by giving them your best puppy is one of the most remarkable things you can do.
Breeding is not a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. You must love the path you have chosen, embrace all the difficulties, and enjoy the bright moments. Every breeder has chosen this path for their own personal reasons, yet we all have some things in common. We all love what we do and wouldn’t change it. We have accepted the difficulties that come with being a breeder and will continue doing what we love because nothing brings us as much joy.
To all our fellow breeders who might read this post, keep going no matter how hard it sometimes gets. Keep up the good work and enjoy every single moment of it. Love you all!
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