Breeders should start by designing and developing a kennel tailored to the needs of the dog they are producing, from puppy to adult. A dog owner or professional breeder should also consider how the kennel will affect their dogs’ health, behavior, and happiness. Illness, behavioral issues, harsh circumstances, and costly corrections can all result from poorly built kennels.
To make sure your dog kennel for breeding is safe and healthy, you should think about the ventilation, size, material, and cleanliness.
4 Health and Safety Factors For A Dog Kennel For Breeding:
Ventilation Inside The Dog Kennel
Both inside and outside the cages, your kennel should have enough airflow. When there are many dogs in a small enclosed space, both odors and airborne microparticles can accumulate. Without ventilation, not only will there be unpleasant scents, but it will also be easier for infections to spread.
Cleanliness Of The Dog Kennel
The smallest feature that is included in your dog kennel for breeding can sometimes save you a lot of time and mess. Choosing a custom dog kennel with simple slide-out trays, raised flooring, and drain trenches makes cleaning a breeze. It also keeps urine and feces from accumulating in the kennel, leading to messes and illnesses in the puppies.
Size of Your Dog Kennel
Consider the standard guideline when sizing your kennels, not too big, nor too small. Your dogs may become more difficult to train if they have too much room to roam inside their kennel. If the kennel is too small, it becomes uncomfortable, inhuman, and can lead to behavioral problems.
The Material Used To Build The Dog Kennel
Choosing kennels constructed of long-lasting materials like stainless steel can help improve your kennel’s safety, lifespan, and cleanliness. Plastic cages may save money in the short term, but they are easily broken and scratched, causing harm to your puppies. In addition, because plastic absorbs liquids, urine, feces, and spills can settle into the material, resulting in ugly appearances, bad scents, and health risks.
11 Factors You Should Think About Before Starting Your Dog Kennel For Breeding
1. Make Necessary Preparations For Breeding A Litter
Breeding dogs has been a lifelong passion for many people. Breeding is part skill, part science, and all commitment, and it will show you the best human-dog relationship. It’s both thrilling and challenging. Purebred dog breeding is also time-consuming, costly, and sometimes, heartbreaking.
Therefore, if you continue, your primary goal should be to develop the breed rather than grow its numbers. Examine the breed standard. This is the official version of the ideal breed specimen, and any breeder should start here. Attend dog-related events. Examine the pedigrees of dogs you like and observe them in action. Inquire of breeders who are knowledgeable about your breed.
2. Breed Only To Improve
“Breed to Improve” is the slogan of a responsible purebred dog breeder. To its owner, every dog is the best dog on the planet. But, on the other hand, responsible breeders prevent “kennel blindness” by taking a step back and honestly evaluating their dogs’ good and bad qualities before deciding to breed.
After all, the purpose of breeding is to produce a superior dog and a high-quality pet. Take a close look at your dog. Recognize the weaknesses in it. Then, if you intend to continue reproducing, look for a partner who can eradicate or balance those defects.
3. Select An Appropriate Partner For Your Dog
When choosing a mating pair, the first thing to look for is the registration for the sire (male dog) and dam (female dog) with any reputable club such as AKC. When choosing a mating partner (most likely a sire for your dam), remember this basic rule: mate animals complement each other.
Choose a dog with genes that will help your female dog overcome its flaws while emphasizing her strengths. If your female dog’s coat isn’t as excellent as it could be, for example, look for a companion from a line of dogs with good coats. Of course, putting this common-sense adage into practice can be difficult because you must consider all of the things that influence the dogs’ characteristics and appearances. Research, as well as the advice and expertise of other breeders, are helpful in this field.
4. Complete The Stud Contact
You’ve done all of the requisite health checks and genetic screenings, and you’ve found the ideal partner for your female dog. It’s now time to figure out the mating specifics.
Working out a contract with the stud dog owner before breeding is a fantastic idea. All obligations and circumstances should be explicitly stated in the stud fee agreement, which should be in writing. All parties to the transaction should sign the contract, and each signer should receive a copy.
5. Pre-Breeding Health Checks Should Be Conducted On Both Male And Female Counterparts
The female dog should undergo a comprehensive pre-breeding physical assessment by a veterinarian one month before breeding. Her vaccines should be up to date, and she should be screened for parasites and treated if necessary.
You should also have the female dog, and male checked for brucellosis, a bacterial infection that can cause sterility or sudden abortion in dogs.
The breed heavily influences the age at which dogs reach sexual maturity. Smaller breeds mature more quickly than larger dogs. On the other hand, Males become fertile after six months and reach sexual maturity between 13 and 15 months. Healthy stud dogs can live to be old and yet be sexually active and productive. Males of any age can mate at any time.
6. Mating
It is possible to employ both natural and artificial breeding methods. Responsible breeders avoid breeding a female dog in her first heat to prevent putting a young, growing animal through the hardship of pregnancy and breastfeeding. It’s also traditional not to breed a female dog on consecutive heats to give her enough time to recover between pregnancies.
7. Preparation For Pregnancy
The gestation period in dogs is about 63-65 days. An increase in weight, appetite, and nipple size are all signs of pregnancy. A female dog with a fake pregnancy, on the other hand, may exhibit these symptoms. At 28-30 days, a veterinarian may confirm pregnancy by palpating the abdomen or utilizing ultrasound or X-rays.
Once your pregnancy has been verified, speak with your veterinarian about any specific dietary requirements as well as what to expect during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. It would help if you also were taught how to spot and react to a crisis.
8. Puppies Birth (Whelping)
Most female whelping dogs are capable of giving birth without the assistance of humans. Each puppy emerges from the womb in its own placental sac, which must be removed before the dog can breathe. The umbilical cord is usually severed after the membrane is ripped off (and sometimes eaten) by the mother. She will lick each puppy after delivery to promote its breathing.
Because a retained placenta can create complications, you should keep track of how many placentas are delivered and ensure that the amount matches the number of puppies.
9. If Complications Occur, Contact Your Veterinarian
If something goes wrong, don’t hesitate to seek help from your veterinarian. The following are warning signs of impending trouble:
• Signs of excruciating agony
• Contractions that continue more than 45 minutes but don’t result in the birth of a baby
• A time gap of more than two hours between puppies, with or without contractions
• Shivering, trembling or collapsing
• Passing a dark green or red fluid before the first puppy’s birth (after the first puppy, this is normal)
• By the 65th day after her last mating, she had shown no signs of labor.
10. Maintain A Warm, Well-Fed, And Clean Environment For Your Puppies.
A newborn puppy’s body temperature is uncontrollable; thus, it must be kept warm. The puppy will be stressed and susceptible to infectious disease if it is chilled; overheating will kill it. A heat lamp can be used to regulate the ambient temperature. However, if the puppies become too hot, make sure they have a fantastic area to crawl to.
For the first five days of life, the temperature in the immediate area should be regulated between 85.5 and 90.5 degrees. After that, the temperature can be gradually dropped to 81 degrees between the seventh and tenth day and 75.5 degrees by the end of the fourth week.
Keep them clean and well-fed, following your veterinarian’s recommendations for nutrition and food.
11. Soon After Whelping, Register Your Litter With Any Good Club.
As a breeder, one of your most critical responsibilities is to make sure your litter is registered with any good kennel club, such as AKC. Registering the puppies establishes a record of their place in your breeding program’s history, as well as the breed’s evolution. It also allows the puppies’ new owners to take advantage of the AKC’s extensive range of services, information, and events.
Dog kennels for breeding programs must require the above-mentioned steps for successful implementation.
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