So you want a show dog and a dog to breed

Are you ready for a show dog that is the question. There are many things to consider when you have finally decided to get a show dog. The cost of the entries. These range from approximately $18.00 to $25.00 for regular shows and more for specialities and big shows. Then you have the cost of your gas, hotel and food. These can be minimal to getting started in the show ring. You will need a crate to cart to and from the shows, you will need a grooming table and arm, a force dryer. You will need one of these anyway if you plan on bathing your Malamute yourself. You must get them totally dry or they will mold. Not kidding here folks they will mold if not totally dry. You will need special grooming supplies, brushes, combs, slicker brushes, leads, collars (Petsmart or Walmart collars and leads just don't work) chemicals, such as bodifier, cornstarch, moose, conditioners for the coat and of course special shampoos. Then you will need to learn how to do all the grooming in the grooming area of a dog show. Then once you finish you will have to rush to change clothes after getting someone to watch your dog on the table because heaven forbid you put him or her back in the crate after you just spent an hour fluffing and combing and brushing to get every hair in the right spot, plus it is against AKC rules to leave the dog on the table unattended. Then it is off to ring side. Once you get to ring side if you are lucky you don't have to stand outside the ring and keep your dog occupied, but if you do make sure you have plenty of cookies and bait to keep their attention. Oh and I forgot about the training classes you will need to take before going into the show ring. Yep have to learn all the tricks of the trade. Once it is time for you to go into the ring you go in and hope and pray that all the money you just spent getting to this show and entering you win or the major that your dog needs holds together. I have a friend that has had the worse luck in getting her majors. She has spent hundreds of dollars trying to find majors. The shows are majors when counts come out, the dogs are all there then someone gets excused or worse yet she gets there spent time and travel and somebody doesn't show up and guess what they did not bother to call or email and let her know they wern't coming.

However, when you win it is all worth it. Your beautiful baby is now pointed or finished and you could not be more proud. Now it is time to breed this beautiful girl you so lovingly finished to her championship. You spend the money get all her clearances before breeding her, you xray her hips, get her eyes cleared for catarcts, you get her heart checks no murmurs, you do every test imaginable. Now you want to located the best stud for her. You spend hours and hours researching the right dog for your girl, you find him. Then you contact his owner, well they want a $1200 - $1500 stud fee, ok he's worth it he is a perfect match for your girl. Now you spend another few hundred dollars to get progesterone tests at the vet plus any other tests the stud owner would like done before breeding to their boy. You go through all of this and get the breeding. Now here are some things that may possibly go wrong and you must be ready for every single one of them. Your beautiful girl is bred and the breeding takes. You are excitedly waiting for the required number of days 63-65 days. Your girl goes into labor and a puppy gets stuck, you have to rush to the vet to have the puppy taken out and find out she can't have the others so you must do a c-section. Your girl has her babies just fine, but she hates them on sight. She wants to eat them. Now you must bottle feed the little darlings every two hours by hand. You also must stimulate them to go potty, you get no sleep and have to take time off of work that you can't afford. Your girl does not go into labor, and it is off to the vet again yep she must have a c-section. This wonderful stud owner who made you get tests to make sure your girl was healthy, well her stud had an infection passes it on to you beautiful girl, she gets an infection and not only does she not get pregnant she has to be spayed because of it. Your girl has trouble giving birth you rush to the emergency clinic they give her a shot of oxytocin to stimulate her contractions, her uterus ruputures and she looses several of the puppies, has to have a c-section and can't ever be bred again.

These are just a few of the things that can go wrong. Be prepared for every single problem that can and does sometimes arise.

Now your puppies are born, they are beautiful, your girl is a wonderful mother. Now you must find homes for the lovely darlings that have torn up your paneling in the basement they have destroyed every toy you have given them, they have pooped everywhere, they have kept you up at night with their playing but they are sweet babies and you just adore them. You screen all of your potential buyers, you draw up a contract that you think is a good one. You guarentee your precious babies so others will feel safe and you will feel safe. Now they are all in their new homes, you get a call one day I can't keep this dog it just ate my neighbor's cat. Will you take it back? Yes you must as you brought him or her into this world they are your responsiblity oh and by the way the people want their money back, they did not do their research to know that a Malamute has a high prey drive. Or you go by to check on one of those sweet babies and find it tied up in a backyard unsocialized because once it grew up it was not so cute anymore and the kids got tired of it and mom and dad did not have time to chase it in the house any more or it got too big to be in the house. You are mortified, you try to get the dog back but once again the people won't give the dog back to you without a refund. Your lucky enough to find what you think are good show homes for your dogs. Several are in fantastic homes they are well loved and you know they are the apple of their peoples eyes they can do no wrong, but one person finishes one of your puppies, they decide not to keep it anylonger because it is just not really what they want for their breeding program, your contract states you get first right of refusal and first option of getting this dog back, oh you hear from friends the dog is up for sale. You contact the person you want your dog back after all you brought it into the world it is your responsiblity, you are quoted a price for the dog that is unbelievable no way you can pay what they are asking you as the breeder for the dog.

These are just a few things that can go wrong, you must be prepared for any and all problems. Realize and think through before you get yourself into a situtaion that you will regret. Nothing is cuter than a Malamute puppy, but remember they grow up to be big dogs, check out your puppy buyers carefully if at all possible do home checks. If the purchasers will not bring their family with them when they come to see the dogs don't sell there usually is a problem. Puppy mills will disquise themselves as regular buyers to get a good quality dog with a championship pedigree. If you get any bad vibe from anyone trust your instincts. If the husband or wife acts like they really don't want the dog maybe they don't need a dog both have to be committed to the dog. Remind them a dog is for life not a toy.