Breeding mini schnauzers in the Philippines: know your responsibilities

Are you are planning to breed your mini schnauzer?

I often get inquiries about my studs from owners of female dogs who are eager to breed their schnauzers Their reasons for breeding vary, ranging from  those who simply want to have another puppy around the house, to those who want to make some money out of puppy sales.

First things first: breeding is not as easy as it may seem to be and is not a decision to be taken lightly. This is why I make it a point to walk people through their thought process whenever they tell me they are considering breeding their dogs, in the hopes that this will make them realize what their decision would mean not only for themselves, but also for the dogs. This usually entails doing some soul-searching and looking into your lifestyle to know if you are in a good position to be a breeder.

If you’re thinking about breeding your dog, here are the questions that you should ask yourself before doing so:

Why are you breeding your dog? Do you feel that just because your mini schnauzer is female, you need to breed her? (The answer is no, there’s no need to pressure yourself to do so.) Is it because you think your children would better appreciate the wonder of creation if the family pet gives birth? (there are lots of Youtube videos where they can see this too). Is it because you want to recover your expenses in buying this dog? (maybe you can, but what if things don’t work according to plan. e.g. she requires an expensive surgery, the puppies are not born healthy, etc.)

Will you be able to take care of the newborn puppies? Don’t ever think that all mama dogs are able to care for their puppies. Even if your female turns out to be a caring mother, you will still have a lot of sleepless nights wherein you simply have to look after the puppies. I’ve been there many times, and that has meant taking time off from work or getting extra hands to check the mother and her puppies, especially during the critical first few days of life.

Are you ready for the expenses that breeding requires? Yes, you need to spend when you breed your dog if you’re going to do it right. You need to spend for prenatal care, vitamins, and food. If things don’t go as planned, your dog might even need surgery to give birth. Then there are the vaccination and deworming requirements of the puppies which you need to be ready for.

What will you do with the puppies? Suppose your schnauzer gives birth to seven beautiful puppies – do you have a plan for each of them? If you are going to keep all of them, are you ready to care for an additional dog/s in the household. If you will rehome them, how will choose where they will go? Do you know how to spot good owners? How can you be sure you’re not dealing with scammers and unethical traders? Think and plan.

Will you be able to answer your buyers’ questions? Let’s say you will choose to sell  your puppies. Will you be able to help these buyers once the dog is already with them? I know that so many breeders fail at this, because I get so many messages from new puppy owners whose breeders cannot give them the assistance and knowledge support that they require. If you know nothing about dogs and puppies, and you have no interest to learn, please don’t even attempt to go into dog breeding.

Do you know what qualities to look for in a stud dog? Not every male schnauzer is a possible stud. Before you even search for a stud, do your homework and know what the breed standard calls for. While you’re at it, give your own female dog a good look too – is it a good representative of the breed and is it worthy to be bred?Remember, just because your dog is nice and cute does not mean it’s good breeding material. You have to look beyond the surface before you can say that your dog is indeed worthy to be bred.

As you can probably tell, I do not support backyard breeding (the practice of breeding pets) at all. It is not enough to choose two cute, healthy-looking dogs and have them mated to produce cute puppies. A breeder has to do much, much, much more than that – choosing the right breeding stocks, analyzing pedigrees, knowing the health of the dogs in that pedigree, genetic testing, temperament testing, training, conformation checks, and so much more. Very few breeders in the Philippines do this, and as you can guess, they’re not the ones who are usually out there advertising their dogs or praising their breeding to the highest heavens in sleazy Facebook groups.

If you think these things are way over your head or a waste of time, please don’t breed your dog. It’s the least you can do to promote responsible breeding.