Dog breeding

Dog breeding is the practice of selecting dogs to mate and produce offspring with desirable qualities. Breeders may specialize in producing dogs of specific breeds or developing new breeds. Some critics maintain that breeding dogs can produce animals with genetic problems and lead owners to surrender animals to shelters. Poor practices at some commercial breeding businesses known as puppy mills have resulted in sick animals. However, advocates say that ethical breeders are dedicated to producing strong animals with the best traits of the breeds.

Background

Dogs share a common ancestor with modern gray wolves. Both species diverged from the now-extinct wolf line between fifteen thousand and forty thousand years ago. Wolves were likely domesticated several times, with genetic studies pointing to this taking place in Asia and Europe. Research also indicates that dogs have continued to interbreed with wolves throughout the centuries.

Early theories held that prehistoric humans captured or discovered some wolf pups and raised them until they became domesticated. These ideas fell apart through research. Studies found that even three-day-old wolf pups hand-raised by humans became aggressive and dangerous when they matured.

Wolves most likely self-domesticated during the Ice Age. As the temperature cooled, vegetation died off and the large mammals that humans had hunted became extinct. Formerly nomadic humans began to live in more permanent settlements where they hunted and gathered plants. This led to garbage pits, where scraps such as bones would draw scavengers. Some wild canines that were a little friendlier toward humans, or less afraid, may have had an evolutionary advantage because they were willing to get close to these settlements for food. Humans would have tolerated the scavengers who rid them of rotting scraps that attracted insects and vermin and driven away the more aggressive canines. Friendlier wild canines simply ate better and reproduced more successfully, having healthier, larger litters. Humans also benefited from canines’ territorial nature; the less-fearful wolves would have driven away other predators and raised the alarm if strange humans approached.

Very gradually as the species evolved, most wolf-like behavior was bred out of the animals and friendlier traits were reinforced until the canines were comfortable openly foraging among humans. Humans may have tamed some of these nearly domesticated animals as older pups. Eventually, humans became these canines’ pack.

Researchers have found genetic evidence for dogs’ preference for human companionship. Dogs who are sociable have a genetic disruption in an area that remains intact in wolves. Research into human and mouse genes has found sociable behavior in those with disruptions to this same genetic region.

Researchers have also found that self-domestication results in changes in appearance, such as spotted coats, within a few generations. The reason for this physical change is unknown. A study of fox populations in Russia, for example, found that animals who were less afraid of people evolved physical characteristics that made them more closely resemble dogs, while the appearance of a control population did not change. The friendlier population was better able to read human social cues, as is the case with dogs.

Eventually, humans chose to breed together certain animals to enhance the qualities they wanted. For example, larger dogs may have been desired to protect flocks from large wolves or other predators. Civilizations that did not need dogs as helpmates bred for companionship and appearance. The identity of the oldest dog breed is disputed. Some evidence suggests that it is the Greenland sled dog. Other very ancient breeds are the Afghan hound, the basenji, and the Chinese saluki.

Overview

Dog breeding is practiced to produce animals to compete at dog shows, work, or be sold as pets. Show dogs are typically bred with other show dogs. Some of the offspring may not be suitable for shows because they do not closely match the breed standard and may instead become pets. The most promising puppies will typically be raised and trained to compete in shows. Other breeders look for dogs with skills such as tracking or herding and will breed animals with these skills.

Among the most well-known dog clubs are the American Kennel Club (AKC), the Kennel Club in the United Kingdom (UK), and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). As of 2024, the AKC recognized 200 breeds, while the UK club recognized over 300 breeds. The FCI is an umbrella organization that recognizes all breeds recognized by its member kennel clubs, including breeds known only in their country of origin.

Breed parent clubs establish standards for a breed. These standards address appearance and temperament. They include such traits as personality and energy level as well as size, coat color and texture, and the breed’s shape and form, which includes the ears, snout, and legs. Breed parent clubs provide these standards to kennel clubs, which may choose to recognize breeds. Breeders use these standards when evaluating dogs (males, or sires) and bitches (females, or dams). They want to mate animals to produce puppies that closely adhere to the breed standards. The kennel clubs offer advice for members on breeding dogs. They suggest the dog (sire) and bitch (dam) be evaluated for their general health, genetic diversity, and temperament, as well as how well they conform to the breed standard.

Kennel clubs keep records of lineage, which can be used to identify potential breeding problems such as genetic flaws that cause health issues such as hip dysplasia, which is seen in some large breeds. Critics of dog breeding note that the gene pool of some breeds is so small as to virtually guarantee the proliferation of genetic flaws.

The cost of breeding dogs responsibly can be prohibitive, although successful and reputable breeders often demand a premium for puppies. A breakdown of expenses includes those related to the dam, breeding, and the puppies themselves. Care for the dam includes high-quality food, vitamins and supplements, licensing, and other expenses such as veterinary prenatal, postnatal, and possibly birth-related care if the dam needs assistance or a c-section. Progesterone tests will be needed to determine the best breeding time, and some breeds may require genetic testing before the first breeding. The dam may also require testing during pregnancy, such as an ultrasound. The breeder may also have to pay stud-service fees, which may include travel expenses or artificial insemination. Care for the puppies includes food and supplements, deworming and shots, registration, and possibly medical costs for puppies with health problems or even euthanasia. One average estimate in 2024 in the United States was between $3,000 and $15,000 per litter depending on the breed and other extenuating factors.

Some breeders choose to cut costs to make money. They will spend little or nothing on health care for the animals, breed bitches relentlessly to sell more puppies, and not register their animals. Breeders have legal and moral obligations to the animals in their care and should first carefully consider the cost and commitment of breeding.

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