Well folks its been a while since I posted on here with a lot of things going on in my personal and professional life. Tonight I am going to delve into an area that may bring some controversy with it. The world of breeding your Lhasa Apso. After recieving some electronic mail from another breeder some things have come to the forefront of what I will term ethical breeding. Specifically tonight I am going to tell you what I feel is right and wrong in the breeding world.
In the first part here I will share with you the right procedures, and ethics for wanting to breed your Lhasa. If you love this breed of dog, as I do, and you feel the world is a better place with Lhasa’s in it and you feel that your love for this breed is the main reason for proliferation, then you have the ethics for breeding. Breeding the damsel, which is the term I use for the female Lhasa, unlike some who use another term I shall not use, is quite detailed. First you need to be aware of her abilities and what you hope to achieve. If you are breeding for the wrong reasons, such as for Genetic Engineering as some breeders do, then dont! This is what a lot of Show Breeders subscribe to for achieving their purpose. I will not condone this type of achievement in my household. In breeding, which is what Genetic Engineering is, is in my opinion abhoring. This can, and I have seen the cases, completely backfire on the results you want to achieve. On the other side of the coin is breeding to improve disposition of the female. Many times, when the female Lhasa is bred she becomes a quite docile, nice little girl afterwards. The female Lhasa, if the right size, has the capability to produce a number of little Lhasa’s for you. She will have to have care before, during, and after the birth of the puppies. Selecting the right male to mate her with is also of utmost importance. Knowing his bloodlines is imperative, and adhering to a code of ethics when breeding is also utmost. Never, I repeat, never force the female Lhasa to breed. On this subject, also I never breed the female Lhasa on her first season. Her first season is usually before she is 1 year old. She is not fully developed internally at that age. You need to wait until she has her second season before breeding her. If she will not accept the stud, don’t force this. If she rejects him outright, then she is sending you a signal that she is not ready for this. If you dont heed the warning she can be damaged internally and emotionally. If the female gets to be of the proper size, not too small nor large, then she may not know what to do during the first breeding. This is why you need to be there to possibly help her. If she has no tendencies toward rejecting the male, she may not know how to breed. You may have to help her, by putting her in the proper position for the male to have access and do the breed. Many times, going off and leaving them alone the first time will keep them from breeding. Another consideration in this is the size and attributes of the male. Is he proven? Is he current on his grooming and shots? Is he the right size, being slightly smaller than the female? Has he got the coloring suitable to you? If you hope to achieve a certain coloring then these are some of the considerations you need to take into account. Is he from the same lineage as the female? If he is, then I do not support breeding them. The results may or may not be good. More times than not, I have seen where this type of breeding produces inferior, wild acting, dificult to train, mean little dogs. This is not helpful when promoting the breed of dog. What is in the lineage of the two Lhasa’s? Is there any cross over in lineage? If you cant verify where the two come from, you are risking getting undesirable little puppies. No responsible breeder ever wants to produce puppies that are inferior or defective. Not following procedures that make common sense can result in this. If you have purchased two(2) Lhasa Apso’s, from entirely different lineages, who are of the right size, then you have a good start to producing some of the greatest puppies in the world. There is nothing wrong with proliferating high quality, pet quality puppies, irregardless of what some may think. If however you are not discriminatory about where your stud or damsel comes from, and they come from a puppy mill, as some do, then you may not get the desired achievements you want. Always, I tell every prospective breeder this, always, know the breeder your puppies come from. Look at the facilities where the puppy came from, and if the facility is not of good quality, walk away from them. If it appears that conditions are not good for the sires, or the damsels, walk away from them. Reputable breeders never let their breeding males and females live in squallor or in unhealthy conditions and they never do inbreeding. All reputable breeders also keep their dogs up to date on shots and grooming. All reputable breeders also give their dogs good medical care, and take good care of the puppies as well as the parents. If you do not see evidence of this at any kennel you visit, then my best advice is to walk away from them. On the 12th and 13th day of the season, the female should be ready to breed with the male. Multiple breedings, 1-3 times will result in more puppies being created. A size wise suitable female can produce as many as 7 puppies in one litter if multiple breeding occurs during the season between the male and female. Also be aware that before the 12th day and after the 13th day, the female may not be inclined to breed. Giving the female proper nutrition during the pregnancy, and while lactating is utmost too if you want healthy, well developed, strong puppies. Feeding her high quality, nutritious dog food, and adding vitamins and supplements to her diet is a no brainer also. This insures her health, as well as the health of the puppies. I do recommend Science Diet puppy food and Science Diet dog food. All of my dogs, and puppies do eat this and I consistently have good healthy dogs and puppies. Taking good care of your female and male results in excellent puppies and overall excellent health of your dogs. Next be committed to being there at the time of the birth, and doing this in a secluded spot for you and her. No other dogs, or people should be around at the time of her birthing and during the birthing. Have a good padded, or lined box ready for the big day in advance. It takes anywhere from 58-63 days for gestation to occur before the puppies are born. Note the date on your calendar of the first day she bred and count from there to the 58th day. There is a 5 day window there, where she can have the puppies on any given day. She will start acting funny usually on the day of the birth, but not always. One sure way I have found to determine as the big day approaches, is to check the teats each day from the 58th day on. 1-2 days prior to her giving birth she will start developing milk. Squeezing the protruding nipples toward the upper part of her abdomen will tell you when she is starting to produce milk. Please be gentle with her during the examination as she is quite uncomfortable during this time just before giving birth. You should have a place set up prior to the actual time for you and she to go to while she gives birth. Your assistance again may be necessary during the birth. You may have to help her, and tear open some bags to get the puppies breathing. Most of the time the female has the instincts to know what to do, but in some cases, particularly if this is her first time, labor may be long and tiring for her, and she may be too tired to properly finish cleaning each puppy up. You will have to help her and it is a good idea to have a pan of warm and cold water present during delivery in case you have to revive or bring a puppy to life. Yes I have had to do this. A warm wash cloth, and contiually washing the puppies face, may bring a smaller, stillborn puppy to life. It did for me.
Some procedures I will not recommend are these. Do not put your female outside and expect her to just give birth alone. Do not allow neglect to occur while she is pregnant or lactating. Do not give the female vaccinations while she is pregnant nor while she is nursing. Be current on her shots before you breed her. Do not use a male that you can not determine the lineage of. Do not use a male that is not curreently groomed, nor current on shots. Always insure the male is healthy and require the breeder to show proof of a examination prior to the breeding. All studs need to be vet checked and certified prior to using them for breeding. Same goes with the female. She needs to be checked by a veterinarian to insure she is capable of breeding and in good health prior to breeding her. Never keep any of the offsping of your litter unless you spay or neuter them. Accidental pregnancies between sires and damsels of the same lineage do occur. Don’t take that chance. Do not force any breeding to occur. Do not sell any puppies that are questionable on health or defective. Above all, responsible breed, at the most, every other time the damsel comes in season. After 6 yrs of age, your damsel may not produce live puppies, and or defective puppies so it is a good idea to spay her when that age comes around. Do not breed the female if she is obese. Encourage the customers you have cultivated and screened to practice sound practices by spaying and neutering their puppy. Educate them about the dog they are purchasing or recieving from you as a gift. Always insist that puppies have the first shots prior to the adoptees taking them home. I personally recommend screening applicants for my puppies, and in some cases I turn some down if they do not have proper facilies for my puppies. If you do not have a puppy for someone to buy and are contacted, I do recommend you refer them to a good Rescue facility or Human Society that does not destroy the animals. Get to know other breeders, and other operations in your area so you can refer when you do not have a puppy available. Always educate the prospective new owners about the breed they are considering and the traits associated with them. Please remember one last thing. When the little girl or boy’s service days are over, please do not throw them away. Keep them for the rest of their life and treat them well.
Any comments or questions can be directed to me in my blog here. I will strive to answer all questions in detail if asked.
