 Barked: Wed Jul 8, '09 1:04pm PST |
 | |  | | I understand your wanting to breed a litter of puppies. There is nothing cuter than a cocker puppy. But.... there is a pet overpopulation issue and frequently cockers are given up due to skin and coat issues, allergies, frequent ear infections, behavior issues due to lack of training. In the 60s and 70's everyone wanted a cocker spaniel. Remember Lady and the Tramp? Unfortunately they were over bred by well meaning people and also puppy mills and developed some genetic issues like rage syndrome, other behavioral issues like aggressiveness and difficulty training, eye problems, skin and coat issues and so forth.
I foster alot of shelter cockers and it is so sad to see them all matted, crawling with fleas, scared and at times they can be aggressive. This is due to indiscriminate breeding. Many people who buy these puppies do not take proper care of them either. Frequently they are not brushed, their ears are infected or they are deaf, and their coat is smelly or matted. They smell because they are fed a bad food full of corn, wheat, animal by products and so forth. They are never trained properly and don't get enough exercise and can become bored , hyper, and overweight. I've rescued several cockers who were turned into shelters for various reasons.
My suggestion is to really think about it hard. I would take the dog to get their eyes certified etc. like the above post suggested if you are seriously considering breeding a show dog quality puppy. If you are just breeding for the sake of it, don't do it. If you are breeding for the health and improvement of the breed and show your dogs, that is another thing altogether. If you do breed, really carefully screen the potential homes and do a home visit on all applicants. If they have other dogs do a veterinary reference check! Ensure that the person ensures their present family dogs are current on all vaccinations, heartworm medications, heartworm tests, etc. Try to get a feeling from the vet clinic what this person is like. Lastly ask the person about their yard, do they keep chemicals like antifreeze in the garage or snail bait. Do they live near a busy road? Is their yard completely fenced? Is the fence secure at ground level. A home visit would eliminate those questions. Ask yourself would I put my own dog here? See how they interact in their home with their current pets.
I hope this helps you. I don't want to aggravate you but give you food for thought. |  |  | |  |
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