Grandpuppies?? Are You Ready

When you first got your puppy, you decided not to have her spayed. "Who knows," you thought, "perhaps I’ll want grandpuppies one day." Now, the time has come to make the decision. Should you let your pet have puppies? Before you check out the possible mate matches, you should think the entire situation through. There is more to think about than just cute little pups.

This article will not deal with the medical aspect of birth. However, if you choose for your pooch to have puppies, remember that it can be expensive. It is up to you to care for the mother (throughout the entire process) and the pups (until they are adopted). In addition to cost, you must be willing to provide extra care for your pregnant pooch.

Now, let’s assume that you found a mate, and your beloved canine is about to pop. Once the birthing process is over, you must share the parenting responsibility with your dog. The puppies are entirely dependent on their mother the first couple weeks of their lives; so, during this period, you may spend more time taking care of the mom then you will taking care of the pups. When the puppies reach about three weeks old, then you will start to have a lot of influence. This is the socialization phase of the puppies’ lives. As the puppies become more and more aware of their surroundings, it is up to you to get rid of a little fear. You will need to play with the puppies, let them play with each other, and start introducing them to their environment and other animals.

If you still have the puppies at nine weeks of age, then it’s time to start training. A puppy learns a lot about obedience at this age, so it’s a good idea to take advantage of the time frame. Even if you plan on adopting out the puppies, the adoptive parents will appreciate you starting the training process, making the puppy even more irresistible.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a breeder, it’s unlikely that you will keep an entire litter of puppies. So, now you have to start with an adoption process. First of all, the puppies will need to visit the veterinarian for a checkup. If they are old enough, you may want to consider starting their vaccinations. Most people want to adopt a puppy that they know is in good health; it’s up to you to provide a record of good health. You should be honest in your record keeping. If the mother had a bloat problem early in life that is now corrected, prospective adopters should know of this problem.

As a responsible owner, you can’t give or sell a puppy to just anyone. You must be willing to screen potential adopters. This may require an application process along with a home visit. The adopters should not only be willing to take care of the pet, but they should also be able to do so. Otherwise, your cute pups may end up in shelters.

In addition to the screening process, what are your adoption "policies?" Let’s say you are adopting out a litter of Australian Shepherds. A family with a newborn decides to take one home, but comes back a few weeks later with the puppy. The family didn’t realize how much time and energy it would take to care for the Australian Shepherd and the baby. So, do you take the puppy back? Do you help the family find a new home? What are you willing to do for the wellbeing of your grandpuppy?

Lastly, once you find a home for the puppy will you be able to deal with letting it go? You may think it sounds a bit ridiculous, but first-time "breeders" often have problems giving the puppies up. Like a human baby, the breeder has cared for the puppy through infancy, and letting the puppy go can be very emotional. So, you must also be emotionally prepared to mate your mutt!

Having a house full of puppies is a delightful experience. But, before you decide to mate your pooch, you need to be willing and able to take care of the mother and the puppies. Being a "breeder" is a lot more work that one might think. You’ll have to make sure the puppies are healthy, well socialized, and going home to a deserving family. It’s great to mate your pet, as long as you’re ready.

This article was provided by discount-pet-mall an online pet supply shop that features pet carriers and pet crates.