The pet breeding business can be a very troublesome pastime if you aren’t careful. However, it can also be the most rewarding experience for animal lovers worldwide. For individuals who adore breeding dogs, it is a popular venture. Dog Breeders Brisbane Club (AKA DBBC community) is a helpful place to start, contact, and ask for assistance, and they will help where they can: DBBC.COM
Pet Breeding Business – The basics
Setting up your dog breeding business is complex and would take tens of pages to cover all of the pros and cons here.
Let’s start with the easy stuff, the basics:
- Find out what you must legally abide by to set up a dog breeding business.
- Next, visit the advertising agencies and research pet breeding business through advertisers under “puppies for sale” to educate yourself on the best strategy, breed, and prices to sell your pups.
- Create a written plan to set up your dog breeding business and information from a relevant dog breeders club on what and how you intend to proceed. This is, so you have the details of a documented step-by-step plan for your pet breeding business, and you won’t be wondering what to do next.
This plan will indicate when to buy your first bitch and how to set her up in comfortable living conditions to operate your dog breeding business. These resources will help you decide on the dog that you prefer. Make sure it’s a breed that you love, can afford, and meet your obligations to keep and fulfill the minimum standards for what the pet breeding business in Australia demands.
The DBCC community is a helpful resource: https://www.dbbc.com.au/dog-breeding-animal-welfare-standards-and-registration/.
Pet Breeding Business – The Legals
You must be registered with your local council/authority to own a dog. Then if you want to breed a dog in QLD, you must hold an additional breeder or supply number with an “approved entity .” A Supply Number is also identified as A Breeder Identification Number (BIN).
To set up your dog breeding business, if you do not have a membership, accreditation, or a permit from an approved entity or your details have not been added to the Queensland Dog Breeder Registry, you must register for this Supply Number.
If you are not sure, please contact:
List of approved entities:
- Dogs Queensland
- Logan City Council
- Gold Coast City Council
- Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC)
These numbers allow you to operate a reputable dog breeding business. To carry on with the dog breeding business in Australia, you must hold this number so you can legally sell, give away, supply, or rehome puppies.
The animal welfare standards and regulations apply the laws. Thus, if you fail to comply with the said laws, you will likely face penalties or an investigation. This compulsory law must be followed in Queensland and other states. The DBCC community is a helpful resource for more information about this: DOG BREEDING ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS AND REGISTRATION.
Also, for more information, go to: https://www.grc.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/54/dog-breeder-register-faqs-pdf.
Pet Breeding Business Strategy
Dog breeding clubs are accessible and divided into multiple breeds of dogs, so you can choose where you fit in. Members of dog breeding clubs may also help you find a puppy of your liking by linking you with interested individuals. Breeding clubs are brought together with the common interest of offering a better space for good breeding of litters and supply. Dog breeding clubs promote good practice and provide chances for advertisement where you can post when you have new litters.
To set up your dog breeding business, dog breeding clubs are a good start when you want to consider advertising for your litter. Dog clubs offer the connection, which presents an opportunity for you to advertise when you have a new litter and a chance for where an interested individual may reach out to you.
The DBBC community is experienced with selling puppies and can help you with advice. For details and/or questions, go to DBBC.COM
Pet Breeding Business – Considerations
To set up your dog breeding business, these various dog breeder clubs in Australia are, in my opinion, vital to consider joining. You can not only associate with like minds but will assist with your planning when selling your pups online. Compliance is highly regarded, meaning you must follow the guidelines to run your business effectively and maintain your financial membership. Because when selling puppies, it’s very strategic if you want to promote and ensure you don’t have pups that don’t sell to the marketplace being left at home and having to consider rehoming them.
However, more importantly, you need a dog breeding business club registration number! Why! Because when advertising your breed of pups inside a club, it has some setbacks that may hinder the sale of your puppies because it has a limited market from which to choose. So, consider advertising your pups outside a club through an advertising agency, whether online or traditionally. That’s why you need the club’s registration number.
This legitimizes your membership and allows advertisers to place/accept your ad and promote your dogs. Many reputable advertising companies won’t allow you to advertise, sell or promote your pups without a dog breeding membership number associated with a dog breeding club.
So, to set up your dog breeding business, club membership is not only necessary but essential if you want to sell outside the club’s members.
Hard work and dedication are vital to making money with dogs like any other business. You will spend a lot of time with your dogs, so remain diligent and optimistic. Take the proper steps in getting the right dog breeds to make good money from the business.
However, when you go into any business, there are always positive and negative aspects you have to deal with. Rare is it that you find any company that has all positive and no negatives. As much as you may wish, even dog breeding has both pros and cons about it. If you can handle the cons, the pros can be very rewarding. Here are some of the pros and cons that are a part of breeding dogs.
The Pros Of Dog Breeding
#1. You need less space – dogs are, for the most part, smaller animals. They are not as large as lions, tigers, elephants, and other animals. This means you do not need vast areas to house and breed your dogs.
#2. A wide variety of breeds to work with – there are hundreds of dog species that can be bred together. This allows you to create your unique dog species or breed.
#3. Dogs quickly adapt – they have the unique ability to adapt to different climates, living arrangements, and more. This makes housing your pets a lot less challenging.
#4. Lots of dog time – this is the ideal situation for the dog lover. The dog breeder can spend hours preparing puppies to live with their new masters. This means that you get to spend countless hours with dogs. That is heaven for many people.
#5. Caring for your dogs is easy – if you do not have too many dogs to breed, caring for them can be done on your own. Plan not to have too many dogs, and you won’t need help. But still, even with more dogs than you can handle, dogs are not hard to look after.
#6. It is a good income – some of the top dog breeds with no pedigree or health issues can be quite valuable. They can bring in between $500 and $3000 per puppy. Rare breeds can bring in even higher prices.
The Cons Of Dog Breeding
#1. It is a time-consuming business – you will have to do everything for your dog. Nursing, training, feeding, and other duties all take time. You also have to watch out for fights and mend minor wounds or take time to bring a sick or wounded dog to the vets.
#2. Dog breeding can be costly – you will have vet bills, vaccination shots costs, food bills, genetic tests, bedding and cleaning supplies to buy, and the list goes on. The expenses can be overwhelming at times.
#3. You need thorough knowledge – understanding genetics and how genes work is much more challenging than you may realize. Breeding is not just buying a pair of parents and letting them mate. There is a lot to know about breeding dogs.
#4. A lot of clean-up to do – puppies that are not trained do leave messes in the wrong places. You must be ready to do a lot of clean-up during the day. Plus, puppies make a lot of noise, be prepared to lose sleep due to some puppy whining all night.
#5. It can be very emotional – not all puppies make it, and you have to be able to deal with the loss. Then, females can be injured or contract a disease during mating, and you may have to put them down. These are not easy situations to face.
#6. Lots of paperwork – if you are running a purebred breeding company, you will have lots of paperwork to complete. Registering them is not difficult, and you can do it online.
Let Us Look At Some Of The FAQ’S For The Dog Breeding Business
#1. What is dog breeding?
This is the process of mating dog breeds to maintain or develop specific characteristics in the subsequent puppies.
#2. Why is learning about dog breeding necessary?
Dog breeding relies on genetics, and the more the dog breeder knows about canine genetics, the easier it is to match parents. This matching helps develop better quality puppies who may not be vulnerable to certain canine diseases or bad traits.
#3. Can you take courses to learn about dog breeding?
Yes, you can. The DBBC offers a free online course using the link provided in this article. In addition, you can contact the club through their website to get more information.
#4. What is the American Kennel Club?
This organization is dedicated to preventing and treating diseases in dogs. They also hold different events for dog owners throughout the year and provide registration for purebred puppies. You can read more at American Kennel Club.
#5. What is a commercial dog breeder?
A commercial dog breeder is a person who breeds dogs for a living. They usually have up to 20 dogs on site and breed them yearly. Also, commercial dog breeder has state regulations they must meet before being able to go into business.
#6. How often do female dogs go into heat?
The frequency a female will go into heat depends on their breed. The average for all breeds is once every 7 – 12 months. They may not get their first heat cycle until two years old.
#7. When should you breed a dog for the first time?
It would be best to never breed a female dog during her first or second heat cycle. She is not fully fertile at these times. The rule of thumb would be to wait until she is 18 months old before you start using her for breeding purposes.
#8. Is it okay to breed a bitch in back-to-back heat seasons?
While this depends on the number of puppies she gave birth to in the previous heat season, her body condition will play a role here. If she has not regained her normal body condition by her second heat cycle, then it is wise to wait and not breed her a second time.
#9. What to feed your pregnant female dog?
Never skimp on nutrition. She will need a well-balanced and very nutritious meal every day. However, be careful not to overfeed her as obesity contributes to difficult births, stillborn pups, and birth defects. Also, keeping her too thin will result in conception issues, miscarriage, and low-weight puppies.
#10. How soon should puppies nurse after birth?
They should nurse right away, but often, the mother won’t begin nursing until all the puppies have been born. This is normal behavior, and your puppies are not at any risk.
#11. What are the costs involved in opening a dog breeding business?
Generally, the costs will depend mainly on purchasing female and male dogs or paying stud fees, food costs, vet costs, equipment costs, and accommodation costs. Also, you will have to meet the charges imposed by the state, for example, business license, registration costs, and insurance fees. You would have to develop a good business plan to see accurate figures on the costs involved.
#12. What are the ongoing expenses for a dog breeding business?
The two most significant expenditures will be food and vet bills.
#13. How much can you charge customers?
This will depend on the breeds you are breeding. Generally, the current price is between $500 and $3000 per puppy, with rare breeds commanding a higher price tag.
Pet Breeding Business In summary
When starting your business, it is crucial to identify the different areas related to the company. Following the above guidelines will go a long way to supporting a great start in your dog breeding business and ensure you are well informed through dog clubs that will benefit your venture.
About the Author
Shyne Cavalli is an accomplished Dog Breeder, writer, and Animal welfare advocate. She has introduced the “SHM” her brand of puppies and nurtured and cared for them since 2015.
To learn more, visit her websites at www.dogbreedersbrisbane.com.au and www.malteseshihtzucrosspuppies.com.au. Interested in joining a Dog Breeders Club or complete a Dog Breeding Business online training course at: https://training.agriculture.vic.gov.au/breeding/module/view/bdac/1
Shyne Cavalli is an accomplished Dog Breeder, and Animal welfare advocate. License and breeding registration holders: SUPPLY #: BIN0002583563378 – DBBC: D8819 – AA: 93740. She has introduced the “SHM” her brand of puppies and nurtured and cared for them since 2015. To learn more, visit her website at www.dogbreedersbrisbane.com.au. Interested in joining a Dog Breeders Club? Go to: www.dbbc.com.au