Are you thinking of breeding your Italian Greyhound?
Here are a few things that you should consider:
1. Is the animal free of inherited defects? No dog or bitch should be bred
before the age of two years. Early detection of potential genetic problems is often
impossible. Conditions such as progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), luxated patellas,
thyroid problems, and epileptic seizures typically do not appear early in the animal's
lifespan. They can also go unnoticed by the owner. Some will eventually be detected
through a special examination done by a vet. If you breed early and neglect to have your
animal tested, a more severe form of some of these diseases can appear in puppies. This
causes heartache for both you and the new owners of your puppies. Two deadly diseases that
are associated with breeding dogs are pyrometria and brucellosis. A brucellosis test
should be run before breeding your dogs. This is a sexually transmitted infectious disease
that can deform puppies, abort puppies, sterilize males and if left untreated... kill.
Brucellosis is incurable and dogs with this disease should be altered. Pyrometria affects
females. This disease causes an infection in the uterus that can go undetected until too
late. It is commonly seen after a bitch has puppies, but can appear at anytime in an
unspayed bitch.
Izat Reddy When You Are: photo by Pet Action Shots
2. Why do you want to breed? The novelty of having a cute litter of puppies
can wear off very quickly when the reality of extra work begins to intrude. Breeding is
not a financially profitable venture. Breeding, whelping, raising and selling a litter is
a serious committment that requires a great deal of time, work and worry. Being a breeder
can mean making life and death decisions for and about the animals you love.
3. Are you ready for the change in lifestyle? There will be much more of
your time involved with animal care and as a consequence less time for other people. You
can also count on extra trips to the vet for pre and post-natal care. There will be
frequent trips outside for your bitch (her bladder will hold less because of puppy
pressure) and extra feeding. Dogs generally whelp puppies in the middle of the night. It
is NOT uncommon for IG's to need C-Sections and a trip to the emergency vet can prove very
costly. After the puppies' birth more of your time will be needed in monitoring their
health and the health of the mother. Eclampsia is the dreaded fear of all breeders and a
bitch can develop this overnight. If, as the breeder, you are unaware of the signs, death
will inevitably result. Be prepared for your bitch to be sick after whelping and she won't
be particular about where she chooses to vomit. An expensive new couch may well be the
chosen spot! The first two weeks after birth involve extra precautions in the monitoring
of both mother and pups. You may need to interrupt your own sleep many times during the
night in order to make sure all is well. Once the litter is up and running a lot of your
time will be spent cleaning the house (after they redecorate), cleaning their whelping
box, socializing them and experiencing the joy of listening to them whine at 2 a.m. for
attention. As puppies enter the weaning stage you are needed more than ever! Pups need to
be fed a special blend of dog food 4 times daily. Pups being weaned make huge messes and
more time than ever will be needed in order to keep them clean. You'll need an hour from
start to finish for each feeding alone, as you won't believe the chaos!
Ch. Izat Good Will Hunting - photo by pet
action shots
4. What about facilities?
Where will you whelp your puppies? Italian Greyhounds (IGs) are not a hardy breed that can
be whelped in the garage or outside. Your house will become a nursery for at least 8 weeks
and the noise and odor level will persist during this time. Some bitches are not good
mothers and will abandon their pups. Your time will then be needed in the hand-feeding of
these pups. Occasionally there is a bitch who needs exceptionally careful monitoring as
some have been known to kill puppies. Post-whelping discharge on the mother can stain any
kind of carpet. Furthermore, puppies need lots of contact with people. Someone needs to be
home full-time during the 8 weeks of their infancy. Failure to do this can result in
temperament problems and hard-to-place puppies.
5. Can you afford it? At least $1,000.00 is necessary to cover the basic
costs of having a litter. Stud fees, veterinary care (which includes shots, litter care,
pre and post-natal care) feeding, advertising, etc. can add up fast. Should the mother or
babies develop serious problems you will need to spend even more money. It is not uncommon
for an Italian Greyhound mother to have just two puppies. IG's are not an easy breed to
sell. People may tell you that they desperately want a puppy but disappear when it's time
to actually buy. In an average 2 week-running ad you may expect about 4 phone calls, three
of which are just people calling to ask questions. As a result you may have puppies in
your home much longer than you originally intended and the costs keep mounting. If you're
not a good financial planner and neglect to anticipate the $1,000.00 up-front investment
then you will find that creeping costs play havoc with your budget and perhaps even put
you in the hole. Are you able and willing to underwrite such costs without the guarantee
that your puppies will sell?
Ch. Izat Good Will Hunting - photo by Pet Action
Shots
6. Are you ready to select homes? After spending weeks with your puppies,
you may find that when it's time to let go there will be an emotional price to pay. It's
easy to get attached to these little critters. Interviewing new potential owners can be a
less than delightful experience also. People need to be carefully screened and educated.
Not everyone is suited for IGs. Interviewing and making wise choices for your babies can
be stressful. There is nothing more devastating than to have someone you have carefully
chosen call to tell you that the puppy died when it was hit by a car. As a breeder you
have the further obligation and sometimes legal responsibility of guaranteeing your pups.
Many states have puppy "lemon laws". If you are not prepared for the costs of a
lawsuit you might find yourself in jail. It is also possible, a few years down the road,
to receive a phone call asking you to take the puppy (now adult dog) back. This type of
phone call is preferable to hearing that the cute bundle you sold is now in the local
pound and/or was put to sleep because the owner didn't want it any more.
7. Are you prepared for the personality changes in your dogs? Breeding may
bring about some personality changes in your dog. Some females become extremely protective
of their pups and a neighborhood kid can be bitten as a result. Lawsuits are NOT FUN!
(They are also not cheap.) Some bitches go through a post-partum depression after the
puppies have been taken away. This may even get to the point of destructive behavior.
Males can undergo personality changes after being bred. Whereas a male may have never
lifted his leg in the house he may decide to begin this behavior after breeding. Weight
gain can occur in both males and females after being bred and the sleek look that you one
loved so much can suddenly disappear - sometimes never to be seen again.
8. How important is pedigree and structure? Pedigrees are an asset and can
help you make decisions on how to breed. Making the right choices in breeding can be hard,
even if that choice is not to breed. Temperament and health considerations are important
but so is structure. Each breed has a standard of perfection and dogs should be bred for
that standard. It is what makes an IG an IG. If not carefully bred, it is possible to end
up with giant IGs or midgets. Pedigrees alone cannot tell the whole story. A good mentor
or knowledgeable person can tell you the history of your dog's ancestors. You need to find
out about seizures, leg problems, temperament weaknesses, etc. This information cannot be
found by merely glancing over a pedigree. Structure is extremely important. Weak fronts or
spindly legs increase the likelihood of leg breaks. Breeding extremely tiny IGs opens
another whole range of associated health problems such as bug-eyes, open fontanelles,
patella problems, and an increasing number of C-Sections. A basic understanding of
genetics, a sense of responsibility, a commitment to the endeavor and a little luck are
involved in breeding dogs of outstanding quality.
While this article did not cover all the details of breeding, whelping and rearing a
litter of puppies, it does give you some idea of the time, expense and emotional input
that is needed. Put simply, the message is : BETTER THINK TWICE!