Your Australian Cattle Dog
- This rarely works according to plan. Even in purbred dogs, the likelihood
of getting a dog that either looks just like their sire or dam or acts like their
sire or dam is NOT a given. Temperament is influenced by so many factors (genetics,
environment, diet, health, etc.) that
even if you manage to get a "look-alike" in a litter the probability of their
temperament being the same is unlikely.
- Your children can witness the miracle of birth watching Animal Planet
or The Discovery Channel. A bitch giving birth at home is not guaranteed
a happy outcome. Have you considered what you will tell your children if
one or more of the pups are stillborn or, worse yet, the bitch experiences
complications and dies during whelping?
- The cost of breeding FAR outweighs any incoming monies seen when it's
time for the puppies to go to their new homes. Health testing and evaluation
fees, brucellosis testing, stud fees, extra veterinary expenses, advertising,
etc. ALL add up very quickly!
- First off, not all registry bodies are created equal. The idea behind dog registration is to keep a PURE line of dogs unadultered by crosses. Just because someone tells you a dog is purebred does not make it so and just because a dog LOOKS purebred does not mean that he is! In the United States, the ONLY registry body that has maintained PURE studbooks for the Australian Cattle Dog is the American Kennel Club. That said, just because a dog is purebred and "has papers" does not mean that he/she should be bred!
Consider Responsibly Breeding
Your Australian Cattle Dog
- Your honestly believe that your dog has something to offer to the future of the breed.
- Your dog conforms to the breed standard and has been evaluated thusly by someone other than yourself.
- Your dog has been (minimally) health tested for hip soundness, hearing and eye anomalies known in this breed.
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