Healthy And Ethical breeding
Genetic Testing For Health Defects
Geneticists have worked hard to identify hundreds of gene mutations that cause disease in many dog breeds, but before you get too excited about a Commercially Available DNA Panel claiming to test for hundreds of diseases it is important to understand that though progress is continuing daily, so far geneticists have only identified a handful of different gene mutations on those panels that can be found in Dalmatians that cause them serious diseases or health conditions. Further we breed dogs that have tested clear of these gene mutations to be able to GUARANTEE our puppies FOR LIFE against the following diseases:
- Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome(ARDS)
- Chondrodysplasia (CDDY w/IVDD)
- Malignant Hyperthemia (MH)
- Hyperuricosuria (HU) otherwise in our breed described as “hua” please see our “all about LUA dalmatians ” section to learn about Dals who will not be prone to urates
It’s important to understand the difference between a dominant gene , and a recessive gene when reading these results. A dominant gene will mean the dog is “at risk” even if it only carries one copy, essentially this means that the bad gene we don’t want will in simple terms “over power” the good gene. Now if the dog is a carrier of a recessive gene, then the dog will not be affected. However it will still pass on to puppies and if bred to another carrier you can still have some affected puppies so it’s important both parents are tested prior to breeding.
Most ethical breeders will retire even a non affected carrier from their program. Or outcross for one generation and keep a clear offspring to further the line and genepool
OFA or Pennhip Health testing
It is great that more and more Dalmatian breeders are taking the time and spending the money to have their Dalmatian puppies BAER hearing tested. However, responsible breeding goes beyond that single test, in fact the BAER Hearing test is just one of the 3 tests required for the Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) to issue a Dalmatian a CHIC#.
It is IMPORTANT to realize that having a CHIC# does not indicate that a dog has actually passed the required testing...merely that they have actually been tested and the results published on the OFA database available to the public. ALWAYS go to the database and review the test results...they will often surprise you as it is not unheard of for a Champion Show Dog to have failed many health tests such as hearing, eyes, thyroid, hips, DNA etc...why their owners choose to continue with their show career and breed them anyway is an ethical question for their owner to answer. The point is...always go to the database and see the results yourself.
We believe that the health of the puppy on the inside is just as important as the "look" of the puppy on the outside. If any of the parents have failing results and the breeder is still knowingly breeding them, please steer clear!
We always have ofa prelims or Pennhip done on our adults prior to breeding and post their certs on their photo section or dont mind sending them to you directly.
Linebreeding Or Inbreeding?
Identifying dogs to mate together with the goal of creating healthy puppies is about more than simply mating one healthy dog to another. "in-breeding" which is often used in show-breeding, is a recipe for disaster when it comes to the health of individual puppies and to the future health of the breed as a whole. Many folks in our breed, sadly inbreed regardless of the health concerns associated with inbreeding. For example long coat dalmatians, many breeders are inbreeding them within coi of 17%! For reference of how bad that is, DCA standard says 5% or less for a coi is considered not inbred but linebred. Linebreeding is a common practice and is considered acceptable if the COI percentage is less then 5%. Though some breeders out there will try to convince you that anything not brother to sister, mom to son, father to daughter is “just linebreeding and ok” when in fact it’s not If the coi is high.
With inbreeding we see a slue of health issues and temperament issues, so if you want a healthy puppy ensure your dogs pedigree is HEALTHY and ask your breeder to see the pedigree and COI % if they can not provide that, decline and walk away As these are folks breeding for profit over health and quality.
All and all, any ethical breeder would NEVER inbreed on purpose, they would always ensure the COI is Appropriately below the breeds individual percentage.
Full AKC registration or Limited?
Many folks are unaware of the difference between “full akc“ and “limited akc”. Simply put:
Full AKC= breeding/ show rights
Limited AKC = pet home only
Now it’s important to note that as an ethical breeder or someone wanting to become a breeder, if another breeder is selling their puppies as pet home only it’s YOUR job to be honest and not buy a limited reg dog to later attempt to breed… It’s important as a breeder to be honest and true every step of the way.
Now another note is that even if your dog is limited AKC you can still show him/ her in agility and sporting events you just can not breed or compete in conformation.
Puppy Contracts; Keep Them Safe
A relatively “new” trend in the dog world is puppy purchase contracts. Now some people may see this and go “I’m not going to be told what to do with my dog!” But let me assure you, that’s not the breeders intentions.
Puppy contracts are required by ethical breeders for several reasons:
1.) Keeps the Puppy safe in the event the buyer is unable to care for it or takes it to a shelter as every good breeder has a return clause in their contract, this means if you can’t keep your dog it must go back to the breeder no questions asked at any age. This is to ensure the breeder is able to keep track of the dog for life, and finds another good home that is prepared for the dog.
2.) Care Requirements are put in place to ensure the puppy is being treated properly and not abused or neglected.
3.) Spay/ Neuter clause: which ensures that you will spay/ neuter your dog (when age appropriate) and not breed him or her. This enforces responsible dog ownership and avoid accidental breedings or unethical breeding.
4.) Most good breeders require updates throughout the dogs life (usually monthly til 1 year old and then once a year after that) this is to help the breeder know that the dog is being cared for, is healthy and happy, any faults that may have come from the breeding to alter future breeding plans.
All and all sure contracts can be intimidating, but If you as a buyer have good motives and are going to treat your dog right, then it should not be a concern.
Back To Back Breeding, or skipping cycles? What’s Healthier?
Let me first start by saying, every dam is different and you as a ethical breeder need to put her first before having a litter period. Ethical breeders consider several factors before breeding any dog and this is not something to take lightly or jump to general conclusions on.
In my opinion, and based on What I and my vet have personally seen from my dogs uterus when they get spayed. It is and has been shown that it’s healthier for the dam to be bred back to back after reaching an appropriate age and starting on 2nd or 3rd heat. In my experience, we used to skip cycles because numerous articles said that was healthier and so did other breeders. Since then I have retired several females and during their spays, their uterus was more damaged, more stretched out, had some cysts then females who had equal numbers of litters and similar litter sizes who were bred back to back. So since this conclusion I have personally decided its healthier for my dams to be bred back to back and be spayed in the event of any complication that would jeopardize her health. For example we have spayed females who Needed emergency c sections, because it is my belief that if they can not deliver naturally (this pertains to dalmatians) then they should be spayed to avoid the hardship on her body. C sections are not only dangerous for the puppies but can be deadly for mom and it’s common to have to have c sections in the future once a dam has had one in the past. So for her health and well being it’s better for her to be spayed and retired then risk her life with her now increased risk of c-section. Now again this is my opinion, and my views based off my experiences breeding, I am in no way telling you what you should do with your dog just simply what I do if I encounter this. There are many breeders who will push a female to their what I call “breaking point” and we do not believe in that either, a female should not be bred past age 6 and should not be bred “for life“ people who do this are not putting their dams health before “profit” of puppies… In my opinion those types of breeders should not be breeding. So if you decide to skip cycles, make sure you still spay at a reasonable age and IMO do not skip more then one heat. Spaying by 6 years of age or after 3-4 litters. If you decide to breed back to back, your Dams should be retired far younger then a female who is skipping cycles.
Before deciding what is best for your dam here is things to consider:
Skipping cycles Risks
-increased tissue build up in the uterus which is only expelled during birth
-Progesterone is inflammatory to the uterus, whether they are bred or not their body still experiences the same changes
-increased risk of ovarian/ uterine cysts
-in older females their progesterone levels decrease best to breed during prime age (under 6)
-increased risk of mammary tumors
-increased risk of cancer in the mammary glands or uterus/ovaries.
Again whether to breed back to back or skip cycles is a case by case basis. But you do need to consider the risks before making this decision for your dam. I have already explained my opinion above so for us here, if a dam has any complications we spay them.
So You want To be A Breeder?
About this section
In this section we will discuss the pros, cons and preparation required to breed ethically. If you are considering being a breeder, or maybe are already breeding and want to do so ethically. This section will cover all The ins and outs from good to bad things that can happen for you to prepare for. Breeding is NOT easy and really no breeders every publicly discuss The bad things that can happen and the reality of breeding because they are often to scared of others judgement. We’ll rest assured, I’m a blunt and open person and we will be laying it all out there for you to know what your getting yourself into.
First let me start by saying: WE ALL ARE LEARNING, every day! Every litter, every breeding. Expecting the unexpected is hard when no one tells you what to prep For. So that’s what I’m here for now, if you want to be a ethical breeder feel free to email us after reading this whole page, and I will gladly mentor you.