Deciding to breed is as simple as buying a bitch and dog and letting them get on with it right? WRONG! I'm sure you think I'm going to tell you all the horror stories of irresponsible breeders. Believe me when I tell you, that was my intention, in fact I wrote the article to publish on our site. I can tell you there were many horror stories to tell, but after much contemplation I scrapped the article as it may have been counter productive. I have always believed that education is the way forward. People are going to make up their own minds about breeding. If we can help make people more aware and responsible, through education, perhaps we will help irradiate those breeders that create horror stories.

What makes a good breeder?

First and foremost a genuine love for the Chihuahua breed. Whether this is from a pet home or a show home. The owners need to demonstrate an overwhelming devotion to the breed and its welfare.

The willingness to commit to the preservation of the pure bred Chihuahua, not only for its traits but also accurate recording of pedigrees.

You may ask what does all this mean, well, the basis of any breed is that we can trace back though the pedigree ancestry of each and every dog, therefore preserving the pureness of breed. It also helps breeders look back through records and breed out undesirable traits and capitalise on the desirable ones. If you don't do this then the entire pedigree system goes out the window. The years of dedication from breeders who have spent most of their lives improving the breed for everyone to enjoy would be all for nothing. This is a big responsibility you need to undertake.

Another aspect of breeding that is required of a good breeder, is to try to understand the genetics process. I don't mean you need a PhD in genetics, I mean a sound knowledge of what is happening within the breed to produce certain physical traits. Genetic trends change the way a breed looks. Today we are seeing our Chihuahuas getting smaller and smaller, with their nose ever shortening, an ever increasing the appledome head. These examples are characteristic, which may lead to problems in the breed. The tiny size means that the Chihuahua's have greater difficulties self-whelping, the large head creates the same problem, as the heads are too big to be passed by the small bitch. The shorting muzzles may create breathing problems in the future. These are all fashionable; Therefore the question need to be asked "Are we breeding animals because they are look good" or "because they are healthier this way". A fine example of this is the British bulldog. This breed is getting to the point where it is becoming impossible for the breed to reproduce on its own; It requires human intervention to help in the process along. We need to consider our moral standing with this in mind.

We need to ask ourselves if we are prepared to take responsibilities for the pups we breed and to be constantly aware for the need for breeding soundness, and try to avoid breeding in any destructive characteristics. If you don't go with the trend you may become very unpopular. Lastly I must say that breeding Chihuahuas is a big responsibility, which will undoubtedly be met with opposition by some aspects of the Chihuahua community. Are you are prepared for this? If yes then welcome to the world of Chihuahuas, and bank overdrafts, the world needs more people in debt.