# Dreams of a future in the breed



## gabbygool (Oct 27, 2021)

Hope this is the right place for a thread like this.

I'm wanting to get more involved with this breed and hope to someday breed my own line of dogs. I love being around these pups and I love the idea of whelping a few litters someday. 

I know my first steps will be attending more shows and showing some dogs eventually myself, but are there any reading resources or tips for someone that is considering a future in dog breeding? 

Also; if someone is willing. What do you consider the good/the bad/the ugly to dog breeding? Anything particular to havanese that I should be aware of before committing?

If anyone has tips on how to have a full time job while rearing a litter I'd welcome those too. I know it is an expensive lifestyle and I have no illusions of being able to support myself with just dog breeding. 

Thanks 💖


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I’m not sure how you can raise a litter with a full time job… raising a litter IS a full time job… and then some. The only person I know wh works full time and breeds Havanese works From home and has a flexible schedule.

The Puppy Culture FaceBook group is a good group to learn more about breeding and raising litters, and their videos are a good way to learn about the same.


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## gabbygool (Oct 27, 2021)

Thanks. I will take a look at the group!

To be honest this probably won't be something I do for another 5-10 years or so. If I can find a part time job that pays well enough maybe it will happen sooner but I also want to give myself time to grow and learn so I don't do anything foolish or unethical right off the bat. I do find the prospect very enticing though. It seems difficult but incredibly rewarding.

Maybe a better question is how you manage to keep afloat while breeding dogs. Hoping it doesn't mean relying on someone else's income or some sort of pension. I'm only 25 😅 I'm still trying to figure out this whole adult thing too but my heart is with the dogs.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

gabbygool said:


> Thanks. I will take a look at the group!
> 
> To be honest this probably won't be something I do for another 5-10 years or so. If I can find a part time job that pays well enough maybe it will happen sooner but I also want to give myself time to grow and learn so I don't do anything foolish or unethical right off the bat. I do find the prospect very enticing though. It seems difficult but incredibly rewarding.
> 
> Maybe a better question is how you manage to keep afloat while breeding dogs. Hoping it doesn't mean relying on someone else's income or some sort of pension. I'm only 25 😅 I'm still trying to figure out this whole adult thing too but my heart is with the dogs.


Oh! You DEFINITELY should not plan on supporting yourself on breeding dogs and do it in a responsible, ethical way! You will be lucky to break even for many, MANY years and litters. By the time you have raised your girl to two years old, finished her championship, finished all her health testing, found a stud owner who will work with you, paid the stud fee, (HOPE you don’t run into big, extra health problems, like a c-section or sick puppies which cost extra) oh, shots and worming and well vet checks for the puppies before they go home, advertising, a web site… DO NOT count on making money on a litter, EVEN if you don’t count in any of the HUGE amount of time invested.

The VAST majority of breeders either lose money, or make just enough to cover the expenses of their “dog hobby”. At your age, if this is something you REALLY want to do in the next decade, I would be thinking hard on what kind of work I could do with a flexible work schedule, that would allow me to work at least a good portion of the time from home, for at least the 10 weeks that a litter is with me. 

Or, a friend of mine who owns a small company with her husband, and she does all the office work, stays home with the puppies for the first 3 weeks, then the puppies start going to the office with her every day. She has a lovely set up for mom and pups at the office, and her adult dogs are used to going to the office with her daily anyway. Those puppies are some of the best socilized puppies I’ve ever seen because they see all the other people in and out of the office daily. None of them ever have a problem with car sickness either! LOL!

If you want to read about raising a litter well, from start to finish, I journaled Panda’s litter here on the forum here:Panda's Puppy Journal

Of course, not every breeder does things EXACTLY the same way, and that doesn’t make them better or worse. We are all individuals, and we are all, hopefully, learning all the time. You can also learn a LOT, by following Tom King’s posts, and watching their videos on YouTube. Pam and Tom have been mentors for me for years! I was on the phone regularly with her when Panda’s milk didn’t come in after her c-section!

Use this time to learn as much as you can about the breed, breeding and whelping. If possible, find a local breeder or two that you can learn from, and if at all possible, help with whelping litters and raising puppies. I had helped whelp and raise a NUMBER of litters belonging to breeder friends before I had my own first litter. That helped a HUGE amount with my own first litter.


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## gabbygool (Oct 27, 2021)

Thank you, thank you!

It's definitely something I'm serious about. This is really the first time I've felt like I'm going in the right direction with my life. I've never really felt happy in a corporate setting..and never felt right just dedicating myself to a life in academics. I'm more of a work for myself or freelance kind of person, but in what I'm not quite sure yet. 

I'm currently working with dogs (all other people's pets) but there's a lot about it that is quite difficult to endure. I've considered training too (particularly working service animals) and being an animal behaviorist but that does not run contrary to my goal of raising litters! If I do manage to meet my goal in 10 or so yrs I can see myself breeding for confirmation...and for therapy dog/psych service dog temperaments... I'm passionate about mental wellness but not really interested in medical school, so it seems like a nice in between for me. Plus, I think havanese have a natural proclivity for it. Being around them is like free serotonin 😂.

I'm also trying out the sport dog world too when I can. Enzo really seems to have a future in agility and we'll see if I end up enjoying it (I love watching him run and play, so probably). I think havanese do well in agility particularly as casual sporting dogs. 

All rambling aside I really appreciate the time you put into your answer and will check out the resources you sent! I want to get to know other breeders too and hopefully I can land myself in some sort of mentorship situation soon. I know the best place to go is to dog shows with local clubs..But as far as I know my local Havanese club is a bit defunct:/

Btw do you have any resources on showing? Specifically for super beginners that don't know about points or finishing or what a special is 😅


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

gabbygool said:


> All rambling aside I really appreciate the time you put into your answer and will check out the resources you sent! I want to get to know other breeders too and hopefully I can land myself in some sort of mentorship situation soon. I know the best place to go is to dog shows with local clubs..But as far as I know my local Havanese club is a bit defunct:/
> 
> Btw do you have any resources on showing? Specifically for super beginners that don't know about points or finishing or what a special is 😅


Probably the best way is to go to some local shows and get to know the people in your area who show. Watch, and talk to people... preferable AFTER the Havanese classes. Before, people will be busy getting their dogs ready. You can introduce yourself then, and ask if you can chat with them after. You want to find the owner-handlers, not the pros showing dogs for other people. These are the people who can put you in touch with other breeders/owners in your area. And you may need to look farther afield. The person you bought Enzo from is a good place to start. The Kings have been great mentors for me, and they are the breeders of my first two Havanese. Neither of those two were conformation show dogs, but Kodi was one of the winningest sports dogs EVER in the breed, and several of their other dogs have been (and are) top sports dogs. If there is not a strong breed club in your area, there are still probably all breed dog clubs, and even if it's another breed, they can give you advice on whelping and raising puppies, and CERTAINLY on showing. Your breeder, or other long distance mentors, like people on this group can help you with Havanese specific details.

My other long journal thread on "Raising Ducky" will give you lots of information on raising a young dog for both sports and conformation showing. (and also a bit of unofficial therapy dog work!):Raising Ducky

You should be able to find a training center that has "handling classes" to help you get your dog ready to show, and I would STRONGLY urge you to invest in the "Killer Free Stack", and other getting ready to show programs on the Puppy Culture site.

There is also a SUPER seminar that Pam King told us about a couple of weeks ago with George Alston on AKC TV. This is LONG, but it's free, and well worth watching over and over. (I've watched it twice): George Alston Handling Seminar | AKC.TV

To find out where shows are, go to AKC Event Search: American Kennel Club - Event Search

And click on the location you are interested in. It will have all the AKC shows in your area listed. You can search by the type of event, breed, and date range also. I won't go into HOW to enter at this point, because that is so far ahead of you that you'd forget by then anyway! LOL! If you are taking handling classes, your instructor will help you with that!

Also, most shows offer a "beginner orientation" in the morning for people who have never shown before. So make sure you take advantage of that!!!


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## gabbygool (Oct 27, 2021)

krandall said:


> Probably the best way is to go to some local shows and get to know the people in your area who show. Watch, and talk to people... preferable AFTER the Havanese classes. Before, people will be busy getting their dogs ready. You can introduce yourself then, and ask if you can chat with them after. You want to find the owner-handlers, not the pros showing dogs for other people. These are the people who can put you in touch with other breeders/owners in your area. And you may need to look farther afield. The person you bought Enzo from is a good place to start. The Kings have been great mentors for me, and they are the breeders of my first two Havanese. Neither of those two were conformation show dogs, but Kodi was one of the winningest sports dogs EVER in the breed, and several of their other dogs have been (and are) top sports dogs. If there is not a strong breed club in your area, there are still probably all breed dog clubs, and even if it's another breed, they can give you advice on whelping and raising puppies, and CERTAINLY on showing. Your breeder, or other long distance mentors, like people on this group can help you with Havanese specific details.
> 
> My other long journal thread on "Raising Ducky" will give you lots of information on raising a young dog for both sports and conformation showing. (and also a bit of unofficial therapy dog work!):Raising Ducky
> 
> ...


Thanks! This is all great info!! The etiquette isn't something I considered but certainly I know I want to be respectful and talk to people at an appropriate time. This is a great place for me to start learning. 

Enzo thanks you too!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Enzo is adorable!


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## MarniT (2 mo ago)

Read books! Search for used books online by Pat Trotter about showing dogs and put Breeding a show dog in search engine for amazon and see what pops up.


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