In 1966 (yeah, I'm dating myself here), my dad introduced me to the very fine art of being a breeder. I was quite young, but also quite precocious and a voracious learner. The one stumbling block was the fact that most of the material and pedigrees were in German or French, and the only language I spoke besides English was Italian. But with a lot of help from the local high school French and German teachers, I managed. Learning the languages was such a minuscule part of being a breeder that this is the only mention it needs. The real part of being a breeder is learning what makes one a breeder as opposed to simply a puppy producer.
The very first thing dad sowed into my fertile young mind was that a breeder truly cares about the breed and the part he or she plays in making sure the breed remains the best it can be. That means research and knowledge of the breed, of the dogs that best represent the breed and their effect on pedigrees. It means knowing the genetic impact that a proposed breeding will have on the breed. And knowing what problems are possible and how best to avoid those problems while still going in the direction of your goal: to produce dogs that best meet the breed standard and are an asset to the breed, not just another bunch of "pet puppies". The shelters and countrysides are filled with the produce of pet puppy producers. Why add more just to make a buck or three, especially when the general public might look at those pets and ask what they are mixed with!
Goals are the breeder's number one priority to set BEFORE ever mating two dogs. Those goals should include genetic soundness; dogs that phenotypically and genotypically meet the breed standard and as such are instantly recognizable as a purebred; dogs that have the same qualities to contribute back into the gene pool; temperamentally and physically sound dogs that can perform the jobs that the breed was originally developed to do; and last but not least, dogs that will make the serious breeder proud to have produced.
Breeding is hard work when done correctly; when done the "easy" way, it's a lot less work, and you stand the chance of gaining quite a poor reputation! Anyone can put two dogs together to make puppies; that's not being a breeder, that's being an ignorant producer of inferior, genetically flawed "purebred mutts" that aren't necessarily recognizable as a purebred. These "purebred mutts" have few attributes of the supposed breed they represent, are most likely physically poor specimens and probably have poor temperaments to boot. Far, far too many producers are out there these days; every time a breed becomes popular for whatever reason (TV, movies, news media, etc), the producers multiply almost as fast and their produce ends up in shelters or euthanized.
The problem lies in the producer not caring about what they are doing to a breed. In the rare breed domain, producers claim that because the gene pool is limited, they MUST breed inferior specimens without proper health clearances to "build" the breed. The problem is that in doing so, the breed becomes quickly contaminated by dogs who often carry severe genetic health problems that the producer doesn't care to screen for nor knows whether or not the ancestors of the dogs were affected or carriers themselves. Why, that would require actual WORK and money outlay!
And so, down the line, stud dog Rover produces hip and elbow dysplasia along with poor temperaments. Brood bitch Fifi was bred the very first time she came into heat and thus permanently crippled by the latent hip dysplasia that was aggravated by being bred much, much too young and without the health clearances that would have seen her spayed and living a quiet life as well as she could. Brood bitch Baby, also bred way too young produced a litter of monsters that either died shortly after birth or had to be euthanized within days due to cleft palates. All these dogs came from the "old lines", lines that were developed with no thought as to future impact on the breed until it was too late. And thus, the breed gets a reputation for poor temperaments, hip dysplasia and myriad health problems.
The breeder will not only ensure the health clearances of his/her breeding stock, but deeply research pedigrees to see what latent problems are back behind them. No breed or line is truly problem-free; the trick lies in identifying "genetic pedigrees" of affected/carrier individuals and ensuring that breeding to these individuals and their relatives, if necessary, will not cause the problem(s) to surface in the pups. This requires a great deal of time and research plus a healthy dose of skepticism. The breeder realizes that some producers/irresponsible breeders are not going to tell the truth about their dogs. But good research will smoke the truth out anyway; it just takes more time. It is worth the time and effort to ensure breeding the best possible representatives of the breed. It establishes the breeder's reputation as an honest, ethical and responsible breeder. It can also turn the public opinion of that breed to the good side of the breed instead of the poor side.
Now is the time to ask yourself: Are you a breeder, or are you a producer? If you find yourself in the "producer" category, do you wish to change into a breeder? Are you willing to make the sacrifices, to make the time and effort to be a breeder? In other words, do you wish to breed for the breed itself instead of for selfish intent, monetary gain or just to make puppies? If so, you need to find a mentor, a breeder, that is a respected breeder of the finest specimens of your chosen breed. All of these breeders once started as novices; the difference was that they really did care about the breed and were lucky enough to find a wonderful mentor to help them out.
Breeding can be heartbreak as well as a wholly satisfying experience. True breeders care; producers don't.
Have a care - be a breeder, not a producer.
