"Good breeders never breed back to back.

I’ve been in the breed fifteen years and have bred only three litters.

Did you see that Harriet had FIVE litters this year? I guess she’s our new puppy mill, huh?

Ladies, check out Gloria’s new litter – and you know she’s still got those four-month-olds from the last one!

I’m glad to see puppy registrations decline; we should all be breeding less.

Spend more than five minutes in a dog forum on Facebook, or hang out ringside with any breeders, and you’ll see that these are close to direct quotes. The only thing two breeders can agree on is that a third breeder is doing something wrong, and the easiest target is when the third breeder has broken the sacred barrier and is (gasp!) breeding IN VOLUME.

We are making a TRAGIC mistake. We have forgotten that the word CAREFULLY and the word SELDOM are not the same word"

Full Article HERE

Personally for me it isn't how often someone breeds but the responsibility they take for the puppies bred in finding suitable homes and taking responsibility if any need re-homing.

> when the third breeder has broken the sacred barrier and is (gasp!) breeding IN VOLUME.<br /><br />We are making a TRAGIC mistake. We have forgotten that the word CAREFULLY and the word SELDOM are not the same word

In an ideal world the most careful and responsible breeders that breed each time to produce healthy pups, getting healthier and more true to type with each generation, those that also obviously undertake health tests even over and above what is required through the KC, and spend massive time in the care of their animals, as well as the raising and socialisation of the pups, would have the time and the resources to breed more often and produce more healthy pups for pet homes and be able to meet the level of public demand for pups such that it negates any need for anyone to ever impatiently seek out a faster option in obtaining their pups (ie. from irresponsible breeders).

However it is pretty clear that the huge amount of investment in both time and money in breeding responsibly, locating good homes and taking responsibility for any re-homing, is huge and most responsible breeders would not take on any mass breeding because they know for sure that they cant hand-on-heart afford the time and resources in doing so.

I have no problem with breeders who breed in volume if they are responsible - the only time quantity becomes an issue in my view is when more pups are being produced than can be found appropriate good homes and when the volume of pups means a single bitch is made to breed in volume.

Exactly some breeders have the time, facilities and resources, financial, accommodation and human, to breed a couple of litters a year, these are often those where several members of the family are all involved, with the care and training of the dogs.

There are others who like myself would find it too much to breed more than one litter very occasionally two, and keep on top of the dogs the new owners needs and any potential boomerang pups.

I am in a numerically small breed and all breeders who breed within the KC system adhere to our breed clubs code of ethics re health testing etc.

We have a huge problem not only getting new owners who want to show, but those prepared to breed, just because of the cost and responsibility implications.

Those who aren't prepared to do things properly don't have those considerations.

Ive got the time, facilities and reputation to breed a lot but chose not to. I feel Im upping my risk by producing more than I already do.
Risk in buyers letting me down, risk that I may produce an unhealthy individual in a complicated genetic situation and risk adding to the popular sire syndrome if my dogs are successful.

Finding top notch owners is becoming increasing difficult in a society bombarded with helpful folk insisting they 'Get their monies worth' out of their dogs and in my breed this is a HUGE problem.

> Ive got the time, facilities and reputation to breed a lot but chose not to. I feel Im upping my risk by producing more than I already do.<br />Risk in buyers letting me down, risk that I may produce an unhealthy individual in a complicated genetic situation and risk adding to the popular sire syndrome if my dogs are successful.<br />

That's also called being a responsible breeder - small gene pools in some breeds must no doubt be a huge consideration when deciding whether to breed and how often.

As I breed first and foremost for MYSELF, so want to keep a puppy, I would not want more than one litter in a year as I would then have to find the time to socialise and train two puppies.  There can be the odd exception of course, for instance right now I have a 4 month old pup from my toybreed and a new litter from my large breed, but I am making sure that scenario does not happen again (it was all down to two bitches needing a first litter), the toybreed is easier, and I would never have two litters of the large breed in a year for this reason.

> small gene pools in some breeds must no doubt be a huge consideration when deciding whether to breed and how often.

definitely, with only around 10 litters a year of my breed being bred in the UK.

I completely agree with Tinar