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What are the Basics of Breeding Beagles?

This is a forum for bonding with your fellow Dogsters about the traits, quirks and idiosyncrasies of your favorite breed. Please remember that there are absolutely no animal sales or requests for studding or breeding allowed on our sites. All posts and interactions should be in the spirit of Dogster's Community Guidelines and should be fun, friendly and informational. Enjoy!

  
Charlotte (Charlie)

873514		 
 
Barked: Sun Jan 18, '09 2:41pm PST 
Our beagle is 7 months old and we would like to let her have a litter of pups before we fix her. Does anyone have any input on how to do this, from finding a mate to when to do this and basically everything?
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Scooter

Work hard; Play- harder.		 
 
Barked: Mon Jan 19, '09 7:00am PST 
Breeding in general is a touchy subject around here. I'll put this as nicely as possible. First, she needs to obtain a conformation or hunting title. Then you need to have all of her clearances done (CERF, hips, elbows,CCD, thyroid). All of this BEFORE you start to seriously consider stud dogs. Having a mentor who has many years in the breed (and has bred several champions at least) would be extremely beneficial.

Your sud needs the same testing done as well as titled. Ideally, your female needs to be at least 2 years old and "regular". You need to know the genetics behind breeding so that you can pick a male that will strengthen your female's weaknesses. Are you willing to drive a long distance or fly her across country to get to the best male possible? You need to understand how a stud contract works. Will you pay a flat fee, partial fee and a pup, or will it be paid in pups? What constitutes a "live litter"? Do you know what canine STDs are out there and what testing each dog should have prior to the mating itself to show they are negative?

You will need money set aside for prenatal and post delivery care. A C-section can set you back more than a grand if it happens in the middle of the night. Are you ready for the possibility of loosing your dog and having to bottle raise a litter of pups? What if she doesn't have complications, but decides to eat all of them? You need buyers lined up and contracts in order. What if she has an extremely large litter? Are you prepared to continue lining up homes? What if proposed buyers back out? Are you prepared to have several pups running around until you can find them adequate homes?

Breeding is more than just throwing two dogs together to produce pups. You really need to know your breed inside and out and be trying to better the breed or you are just another back yard breeder. I was into my heart breed for over ten years before I even thought about breeding my first litter. This was after spending years with my mentor and being on hand for the entire process (both good and bad) with his dogs.
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Scooter

Work hard; Play- harder.		 
 
Barked: Thu Jan 22, '09 1:58pm PST 
It doesn't help their temperament and in some cases, it can make them more temperamental. That is one of the oldest wives tales around. Spaying her prior to her first heat will reduce her risk of mammary cancer significantly. It also eliminates her risk of pyometra (uterine infection that requires immediate spay).

Breeding just to breed a litter does nothing to help the pet over population. There are 7,179 Beagles listed on Petfinder.com at the moment. Most are the product of back yard breeding (which is what you are considering).

Edited for spelling.

Edited by author Thu Jan 22, '09 1:58pm PST

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Charlotte (Charlie)

873514		 
 
Barked: Fri Jan 23, '09 9:14am PST 
I don't want to breed her just to breed her. My children would like for her to have puppies and we are not opposed to keeping them. She is an indoor dog who is only outside on a leash for walks and to go potty. Rarely do we put her in her large 12 x 6 kennel outside, only if we are gone for more than 8 hours. There is no chance she could get pregnant on her own. We also have 2 cats, male is neutered, female is not as there is no chance of her getting pregnant. They do not go outside. We aren't going to be irresponsible and am a little insulted by your insinuation. Do not hold us responsible for all the other irresponsible beagle owners in the world.
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Scooter

Work hard; Play- harder.		 
 
Barked: Sat Jan 24, '09 8:39am PST 
If you want to show yor kids the "wonders" of birth, go foster a pregnant dog for one of the rescue groups.

You come on here asking how to go about it then get mad when someone (with a whole lot more experience) tells you the pros and cons. Your dog isn't an outstanding specimen of the breed and she hasn't been health tested. Yes, what you are wanting to do is be a back yard breeder; obviously not something that a responsible breeder would consider It is also obvious that you have no idea how inventive dogs can be when one is in heat.

If you were to post the same question on one of the main forums, you would be told the same things. I'm sorry if the truth hurts, but what you are proposing isn't resposible breeding.
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Luka

The sweetest- boy!

moderator		 
 
Barked: Wed Jan 28, '09 10:09am PST 
I agree, 100%, with Scooter. Please do not breed this little girl, there is not good reason whatsoever.
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Gossip

It isnt easy- being a princess		 
 
Barked: Wed Feb 4, '09 10:10pm PST 
I am a breeder of Beagles. I show and breed AKC dogs. A word of caution, breeding is NOT all the it is cracked up to be. It is very, very common for Beagles to require c-sections and often only result in just a few puppies. If your bitch is not experienced she can lay on the puppies, refuse to feed them, and even kill them. Not to mention loosing puppies due to genetic defects, chills, and many other things that can kill young puppies as they are very fragile and can fade fast and for no reason. None of this is easy for a child to take and can be upsetting. You should do all required health testing (hips, eyes, heart, and thyroid) as should the sire. Beagles can produce a variety of ailments, such as allergies, epilepsy, hip dysplasia, heart murmurs, Musladin-Lueke syndrome, chrondrodystrophy, hyper or hypothyroidism, etc. Are you prepared for what happens if a puppy you sell develops one of these? If you have a litter of 9, I highly doubt you plan on keeping all of them. Some will go to other homes. Imagine how you would feel if you purchased a puppy, who became your children's best friend, that developed one of these conditions. Do you know for a fact that your dog does not carry for any of these diseases? What about her parents? Her grandparents? Great grandparents? Same goes for the sire. Genetic flaws can pop up 16 generations later.
Breeding a bitch does not help their temperment. In fact spaying them helps their temperment more. Intact bitches are more territorial, moody, more likely to pick fights, not to mention heats are messy and a pain in the rear. I do it because I love the breed. I breed to produce dogs that are healthy in body and mind. All my dogs have passed their health tests and have earned their CHIC titles from the Canine Health Foundation. They are AKC champions and often have an obedience title or CGC. I stand behind my dogs throughout their entire life. I spend many sleepless nights raising the puppies and socializing them to be great ambassadors for the breed and beloved family companions. It takes a lot of work and a lot of time, but worth it to me to breed responsibly. Do your family companion a favor and spay her, and do it soon.
I know you will do what is best for your family and your puppy.
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Member Since
10/30/2011		 
 
Barked: Sun Oct 30, '11 4:31am PST 
I think some of this feedback is slightly harsh, Take it back hundreds of years and dogs lived in the wild, Do you ever think any of this ran through their heads before mating? Its a natural process and although medical needs, costs and planning need to be taken into mind i think some of the things stated above are a bit over the top. i dont think the natural process involves flying your dog all over the country to find the right candidate. Beagles are a lovely tempermented dog perfect for a family pet and when i was looing to find one for my family there were hardly any available. My Beagle Naturally mated with a male beagle in the park when she was 16 months old and produced a gorgeous litter of 5 very healthy pups, 4 of which were snapped up to go to amazing homes and one of which remained with us. Its not all about championship dogs or KC registration.
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