Financial Considerations For Breeders

For many breeding is considered to be a hobby. It is typically something they do because they love a particular breed and want to produce top quality puppies that are fine examples of the breed. Other breeders may breed just because they love having puppies around once or twice a year and enjoy placing them in loving homes. Still other breeders may breed, in part, for the reasons listed above but may also be breeding for the purpose of generating a profit. Breeding dogs is by no means a huge money maker when responsible breeding practices are followed. However, there are some cases where breeding can be profit. This article will discuss some of the financial considerations for breeders and will provide some advice on profiting from a litter.

The first and most obvious financial consideration for breeders is that it can be expensive to produce a litter of puppies. In a successful breeding that produces a litter without any complications some of the expenses you can expect include fees associated with acquiring health certifications, fees associated with procuring the services of a stud dog, the costs of providing pre-natal care for the bitch and the cost of caring for and feeding the entire litter of puppies until they are at least seven weeks old. All of this can add up quickly. If you also factor in costs for artificial insemination and c-sections this cost sky rockets. However, these last two options are not required in all breed and breeders who wish to profit from a litter should take care to avoid these breeds that typically require more expensive breeding and birthing methods.

The size of the litter can impact the ability to profit from a breeding. Regardless of the number of puppies typically associated with a litter of a breed, any particular breeding can result in far more or far fewer puppies than the average. This is significant because the cost of puppies is usually associated with the size of the litter. When there are few puppies to be sold, the profits diminish. However, it will not likely be possible to raise the price significantly after it is learned that there are fewer puppies than expected because most buyers will not pay more than the market value for puppies. That means if puppies of your breed typically sell for around $700 in your area, attempting to sell puppies for $1300 will not result in interest from many buyers.

Complications during labor and delivery can also impact the ability to turn a profit on a litter of puppies. If the bitch or any of the puppies requires intervention from a veterinarian during birth or soon after this can be very costly. Some examples of problems which may occur include the need for a c-section, failure to deliver all of the placentas, excessive bleeding after the birth or puppies that fail to thrive.

Some breeders may believe the secret to profiting from breeding is to breed more often. However, this is not responsible breeding and can result in a number of different problems. Most importantly the health of the bitch may be at risk if she is bred too often. Also, it is difficult for the breeder to properly care for and choose homes for several litters a year. Truly responsible breeders ensure adequate recovery time for all of the bitches in the breeding program and breed only once or twice per year.