About Your Show/Breeding Quality Puppy

About Your Show/Breeding Quality Puppy
Your puppy is considered of sufficient quality to have the potential of maturing into a Siberian of high show and breeding quality. By this we mean that he/she may have sufficient to offer the Siberian Husky, as a breed, improvement in its overall quality, not just to produce more Siberians.

You should know at the outset that today there is a surplus of unwanted purebred dogs, and that it is a time for breeders to take very seriously their responsibilities regarding their placements of puppies in homes where they may be bred, as well as making very certain that those not of breeding quality are not bred. Each generation must be closely monitored in order to assure that serious, planned breedings are the only ones to occur. Finding responsible and permanent homes for the puppies you may someday breed is an art and a challenge.

If you have an interest in breeding, you also have an obligation to become learned about genetics and genetic disorders and how to screen against them, and about the Standard of The Breed. It is vitally important to seek the knowledge of experienced, well-intentioned and ethical breeders for the choice of a stud if you have a bitch, or for the advice on the screening of bitches if you have a male which is sought as a stud.

You should bear in mind that top, proven studs are available for reasonable fees to bitches of whatever quality the stud owner happens to consider "breeding quality". As I have implied, we have set high standards for breeding quality, and the monetary gain from a stud fee is not at all a determining factor for us. We use our studs selectively; we think that this is the only justifiable way to use them, and in the long run their progeny will reward us with their quality. If your dog is sought as a stud, you will have a responsibility to the owner of the bitch to support, advise, and help grade the resulting puppies, passing along your best information, and often investing considerable time and effort. You will, as a responsible stud owner, earn your dog's stud fee, and then some! Building a record of the kind required to attract the interest of most prospective breeders is a immense job, and can be expensive. It can take some time, even when the record is there, for a stud's reputation to spread. From the beginning there may be inquiries from people whose bitches are either pets, or of poor show quality, or for whose faults your stud may not be adequately able to compensate. Wisdom, honesty and ethics compels the responsible stud owner to politely decline these bitches; building a "use" record is not by itself an admirable goal if the best interest of the breed is not the sole basis. Churning out puppies from a stud or from a bitch in order to promulgate a kennel name, or in hopes of getting enough good ones to build a productive record, is a most inappropriate and misguided policy. Selection and judgement have always been the most important factors in animal husbandry, and the Siberian breed cannot afford anything less.

If it is a bitch you own, the responsibilities and expenses of raising a litter should be already calculated and the "funds safely in the bank" before you proceed. Finding responsible homes is an immense job, especially when it is hoped that some of the litter will be properly shown, finished, and responsibly managed, and the remainder loved and neutered. It may take considerable expenditure of time, money and effort especially for someone who is new to the breed. Above all, don't let the promises of friends who "think" they want a puppy lead you into a breeding. These "reservations" have a way of vanishing at the moment of truth, due to no particular fault of anyone. The responsibility of taking a puppy who will live 10-14 years is a big one, and having last minute second thoughts is natural. Be prepared for some people to change their minds, some to prove unsuitable Siberian owners (unwilling to have a non-breeding pet, unwilling to fence and otherwise contain their dogs, or have to leave the puppy all alone all day every day), and some unwilling to pay a price which reflects the worth of the puppy. These people are also unlikely to be able, or willing, to pay for the care that the puppy will need, i.e., the fencing, kennel, crate, etc., and should not have a dog at all.

If, in the end, you can meet all the financial, practical, and emotional commitments, and your Siberian has proven herself by a successful showing carrier (preferably finished) to be truly of breeding quality, we will be happy to help as much as we can in the choice of a proper stud (not necessarily our own) and care of the bitch and puppies. But that's all in the future. In the interim, make the most of your life together, and you will be rewarded many, many times over.

Stay happy and healthy, and stay close!

Fredric R. Cornell, M.I.S.
ARTYK Siberians