Are you breeding next year’s shelter dog?

Strolling along the lines of kennels at my shelter, the same dogs appear over and over. Young, friendly, happy and healthy they have their whole lives in front of them… except they don’t. These guys are the least likely to find a rescue and the most likely to wind up as rendered fertiliser.

Unlike many in my industry, I’m not anti-dog breeding. There will always be a market for nice looking dogs with a great temperament and a history of healthy relatives. What isn’t selling are the plain, common, fugly and the ‘unknown quantity’. And those dogs are unfortunately being bred by someone.

So in this world of politics, purebred vs cross bred bickering and anti-breeder sentiment how can you avoid breeding next year’s shelter dog?

Will your pups sell for less than $500?

Are people actually buying what you’re selling, consistently and for $500 or more? In today’s market the answer is very often, no. A quick look amongst the puppy farmer hangouts – petlink, gumtree or trading post will tell you pretty quickly the going rate for any dog you’re about to bring into the world.

Cavalier x Jack Russell Puppies
I have available 1 Male and 2 x Female Cavalier x Jack Russell puppies. These puppies have lovely temperaments and would are ideal for children and adults alike. They have been wormed, vaccinated and microchipped and come with a puppy owners guide, sample of food and information regarding caring for, raising and training. These puppies are well socialised and get along with all other dogs and cats. We can frieght. $200.00 each.

Shitzu x Miniature Poodle (Shoodles), Non Shedding
Shitzu mum x miniature poodle dad. Non shedding gorgeous fluffy pups, currently 3 white and apricot boys and 1 black boy left. Ready to go early November. $350.

Cattle x Border collie pups
Currently 4 weeks old but will be ready for sale in two weeks…. these gorgeous stumpy-tailed cattle x bordercollie pups are friendly and very lively. there are 4 male and 4 female pups available. the mother and father are also available for viewing, they both have lovely temperaments. all pups un-vaccinated or chipped although they are all very healthy! there is a great range of colours and patterns to choose from as well as having a mix of stumpy-tailed and non-stumpy tailed pups. price is $270

Lab x Kelpie puppies
Kelpie X Black Lab Puppies 7 weeks old. Gorgeous looking puppies- looking more labby. Mother Kelpie- GREAT family dog, loves fetch. Father- Black Labby- Excellent guard dog, great family dog, loves fetch with sticks. Lots of energy. 1 Choc Brown Male $250. 2 black $150 (mixed sexes).

Dogs that are sold cheap, often aren’t valued by their new owners and once in rescue, aren’t rehomed because they have no perceived value to potential adopters. If you’re serious about breeding animals who won’t go straight in to the bin (literally) spend some time on PetRescue scoping out what kinds of dogs are showing up in rescue and breed away from those.

If your dog isn’t a ‘breed’, but a kelpie, staffy, labby mixxy; or a shitzy, little white fluffy, then know that they are as common as chalk and a shelter intake staple. No one wants them, and even if they do, they won’t pay much for them because there’s dozens in every Sunday paper and more still going cheap in the pound.

Is your dog desirable?

It’s easy to breed dogs. Much harder is to breed dogs people actually want. And really, really hard is to breed dogs people will want to keep for a lifetime. According to a survey of pet owners conducted by Pauleen C. Bennett;

Australian owners want dogs that are medium sized, short haired, acquired as a puppy, desexed, safe with children, fully housetrained and healthy. They also want their ideal dog to come when called, not to escape from the property, to enjoy being petted and to display affection to its owners. When participants were asked to list the characteristics they considered to be MOST important the most common responses included friendly, obedient, affectionate and healthy.

Undesirable behaviours fell into five factors: disobedience, unfriendliness, nervousness, destructiveness and excitability.

Many other dogs are relinquished because of canine behaviours, such as boisterousness, hyperactivity and aggression, which owners are unable to tolerate. Not all dogs are created equal. Some suit the requirements of modern owners more than others.

Read that again; Should be: medium sized, short haired, safe with children, fully housetrained, comes when called, displays affection, friendly, obedient and healthy. Shouldn’t escape, be nervous, boisterous, hyper, excitable or destructive

The dog you are breeding from should have all of these positive characteristics in spades and none of the ones that drive people crazy. Separation anxiety is hereditary. Dog aggression is hereditary. Digging and chewing like a maniac is hereditary. Barking all day long is hereditary. Being spooky of strangers, nippy or growly and inclined to chase and kill the neighbours cat or herd the kids is hereditary. Your dog needs to be literally perfect before you chose to bring more of him into a world where even being ‘a very good dog’ doesn’t cut it.

The overwhelming majority of families aren’t looking for a high energy and exercise requirements in their dog, so herding breeds, hounds and terriers are often dumped for being unmanageable. And the chances of even a young working breed finding a home the second time around are close to nil; you may as well be breeding pups and shoveling them straight into landfill.

(If you really think you’re breeding the next ‘dog sport champion’ from your backyard kelpie you’re sadly mistaken. People who do dog sports and obedience tend to make considered pet choices so look to breeders who are providing a long history of proven performance dogs. They do not want your fugly pups.)

If your bitch is not the canine equivalent to Mother Teresa, bomb proof and faultlessly friendly, then you need to desex her. Now. Make the same assessment of any father you’re planning to use; he gets a half say in how these pups turn out, so needs to be equally perfect to give the pups any chance at a long life.


Big, black dog bounce

Big, black dogs are available by the truckload, literally. Truckloads of them are shipped to kill shelters because no one wants them. There’s much less buffer with a ‘big, scary’ dog, which means they absolutely have to be brought up right to live in modern society. A bad mannered toy breed will likely stay in his home as long as he isn’t dangerous; a forty-seven kilo, bouncing adolescent with no manners, a hard head and slobbery chops will not be given the same allowances.

Even the nicest big black dogs scare other dog owners, so they’re much harder to socialise and integrate. And without those ‘pluses’ to dog ownership like relaxing walks and dog park outings, these giant goofballs are rapidly demoted to backyard dogs, to be given up at the first excuse.

If you’re breeding big black dogs, you should do so fully in the knowledge that you’ve set this animal up with characteristics that will likely shorten his life to a sad couple of years.

Is your dog fugly?

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen a show quality dog in rescue; and guess what? PEOPLE WANTED IT. What they don’t want is Labradors that look like kelpies, buck toothed shitzu’s, any of the thousands of identical ‘little brindle’ staffies, the little white dogs with bent legs and bung knees or the white bullie things with perpetually sun blistered ears and noses. Not the mention the thin faced rotties, jack russell terror mixes or anything with ‘mastiff’ or ‘shepherd’ in the cross.

Stop breeding these plain looking dogs that no one wants!


Unless you have something to actually contribute to dog kind, please don’t breed!

It’s easy for people who breed their pet to blame ‘irresponsible owners’ for pet abandonment, and wipe their hands of any responsibility after sale. But with shelter killing the leading cause of death in young, healthy dogs in Australia, there are so, so, so many dogs that aren’t going to get a chance to live a long, loved life with a family. Deliberately setting up a litter of puppies with lifetime handicaps and undesirable characteristics like those listed above, means you are equally responsible for these dog’s short, wasted lives.

Desex your pet. And if you just have to have some puppies because they’re just SO KYOOT! Help out your local rescue group by fostering a litter of these throw away animals.