Being a Puppy Breeder – What is it really like?

We caught up with Di Martin, a highly respected breeder, to ask about being a breeder, what is it really like? 

Over covid we have seen the price of Puppies skyrocket. In some cases double. Some people have suggested it supply and demand and that’s that. Others say it’s ruthless money making. So we wanted to discover more about the truth of breeding puppies. 

The timing was impeccable as the BBC also released a new show they were planning…”Will my puppies make me rich?” This caused huge uproar in the veterinary world.

Watch this video to find out more:

Di has a huge background and a lifetime of experience working with dogs. It is fair to say that a life of working with them is not enough. Di also worked in the Science industry and her inquisitive mind encouraged her to learn more. This learning has made her realisee the complexity of the dog’s mind and the intricacies of getting it right from an early age. 

Di has had many litters of the years, but all have been due to her wanting to continue her family line, so they have not been financially stimulated. There is little surprise when you learn that you really need at least 3k in the bank before you decide to breed, to allow for what may go wrong, testing dog health, travel, stud dog and paraphernalia needed such as a Whelping box. This was just to name a few parts. 

Di gives advice on how to find a good breeder. She does suggest that the high cost of puppies might not actually be a bad price right now so long as the breeder is putting the work required to create the good, mentally healthy puppy at the end. It does cost a lot to the breeder. But if that investment of time and training has not been done, then that price tag is not valid. So you need to do your research to decide if that is a good breeder who has worked hard to earn that money.

It’s important to understand that both Di and I agree that rescue is important. But not everyone will or can opt for rescue. So in that instance, it is really important that puppies get the best start in life as this will make them less likely to end up in rescue. This way hopefully  we start the interventions needed to avoid rescue, early.

This is the same in humans. We do a lot of interventions early so that we get amazingly well rounded babies and children. Children that get to school age who have not had the best start, can have problems. Then a good school will also start the behavioural work needed for the child to flourish, as early as possible. It’s well recognised for humans that letting them get to a breaking point and then trying to fix the problem is far harder than starting it early. 

We were thrilled to learn so much about being a good breeder. 

Di’s Tips

Tips for owners:

To any owners out there… “knowledge knowledge knowledge” the more you learn the better prepared you will be and the less chance of failure of expensive bills to correct a problem

Ask lots of questions! You should be really digging to find out from the breeder:

 -What medical tests have they had

– What are the results

– see the results

– What behavioural program have you been doing? 

If they can’t answer these core questions you should walk away as they should be keen to answer and value you for asking

Tips for Being a Breeder:

“knowledge knowledge knowledge!” 

– Do a course and learn all you can to be prepared. Its not an easy ride. 

– Remember things chance and science improves, so update your knowledge. 

Di shared some of her courses she has put out:

https://click2heel.com/videos/what-to-look-for-in-a-good-breederstation-training-video/

https://click2heel.thinkific.com/

And of course Donna has her Puppy massage course to help with getting them used to being handled all over, from a young age:

https://www.udemy.com/course/puppy-massage/?referralCode=AFE0CC30D78F8057B0DF

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