Breeder Curriculum

The Functional Dog Collaborative’s Breeder Curriculum is intended to cover all the topics a highly qualified, responsible breeder should be comfortable with. As this curriculum evolves, new sections will be released. We hope to also release a list of resources for use in learning about the variety of topics mentioned here. If you have any suggestions for how this curriculum might be improved, we encourage you to contact us.

Sections will be published here as they are completed. Stay tuned for more updates!

The Functional Dog Collaborative’s Breeder Curriculum is intended to cover all the topics a highly qualified, responsible breeder should be comfortable with. As this curriculum evolves, new versions will be released. We hope to also release a list of resources for use in learning about the variety of topics mentioned here. If you have any suggestions for how this curriculum might be improved, we encourage you to contact us.

The curriculum is in the process of being filled out with details and links to outside resources. The outline below contains links to more details when they exist. If an outline entry is not a live link, those details have not yet been written. (We are always looking for volunteers to help!)

Breeder Curriculum v. 1.0

Responsibility

  • Time commitment
  • Daily requirements
  • Keeping puppies until appropriate homes found

Financial considerations

  • Summary: how much will you pay overall? Expect to make money?
  • Costs of health testing
  • Costs of prenatal, postnatal & neonatal care
  • Cost of emergency cesarean delivery

Set-up considerations

Supplies Needed

Access to socialization opportunities

Legal considerations

  • American Welfare Association and local/state laws about breeding

Basic genetics

Basics of animal breeding as a scientific field

  • Heritability: Genetics for Breeders and Vets Part 5 (paid course, discount available for Facebook group members)
  • Breeding values
  • Using pedigree to assess breeding values
  • Using genetics to assess breeding values
  • Inbreeding: vs linebreeding; consequences of; balancing genetic diversity with predictability

Considerations when evaluating potential bitches from another breeder

  • All of the below, plus strong maternal traits (ease of whelping, puppy care, etc)

Health testing

  • How to determine which tests to do
  • Best places to go to get tests done (e.g. radiographs at specialist vs private practice; health screenings at dog shows)

Genetic testing

  • Selecting the right tests for your planned breeding
  • Evaluating the results of those tests
  • Basics of how genetic tests work
  • Coefficient of inbreeding, runs of homozygosity
  • Interpreting test results in mixed-breed dogs

Making a population plan

  • Setting goals
  • Mate selection for attaining goals
  • Prioritizing different goals
  • Assessing/prioritizing genetic diversity

Replacement breeder selection

  • Evaluating structure
  • Evaluating health
  • Evaluating performance
  • Evaluating genetic testing results, and not breeding to the test

Guardian homes

  • Working with guardian homes: social aspects
  • Working with guardian homes: legal aspects

Veterinary theriogenologists

  • Credentials/training
  • What they do
  • When to use one, how to manage if one is not nearby
  • How to find one
  • Assessing your veterinarian/theriogenologist’s expertise/experience

Mate selection

Balancing Short Term and Long Term Goals

Knowing lines

Understanding a cross that’s been done before

Trying a new cross

Predicting inbreeding in puppies

Predicting traits in puppies (purebred vs mixed breed)

Planning a breeding

Choosing Type of Insemination

Determining Date of Ovulation

Planning for Possible Emergencies

  • Midwoofery Course: Breeder Basics – Whelping
  • Risk/expense
  • How to find appropriate ER for them
  • Pros/cons of spay at time of emergency C-section
  • Pros/cons of planned C-section

Managing a pregnant bitch

Calculating Due Date

Physical/Nutritional Needs

When to do Veterinary Checks, What to Check

When and How to to Setup Whelping Box

Emotional needs (stress level management)

Common problems during pregnancy and how to deal with them

Labor & delivery

Normal Progression

How to Assist/Support Laboring Bitch

When to Intervene

Postpartum Care

Puppy environment

Nest box

Footing

Neonatal care

When to Tube Feed; When to Stop Tube Feeding

When to Bottle Feed; When to Stop

When/if to Stimulate to Potty

What to Expect From Maternal Behavior

When to Expect Mom to Wean Puppies, When to Assist with Weaning

When/if to remove dewclaws

Timing/ethics of crop/dock

Puppy health issues

How to Recognize and Manage

Having your Plan in Place Ahead of Time

When to see a vet

Cleft Palate

Puppy Malformations

Canine herpes virus

Brucellosis

Dysfunctional joints from uterine crowding

Orphans

Singletons

Puppy Development

Monitoring Weight

Vaccines

Worming Protocols

When to see veterinarian for checkups

Socialization

Selecting a program for puppy socialization vs going it on your own

How to socialize

Importance of first 7 weeks, timing of onset of fear in different breeds

Early neural stimulation (ENS)

  • How to do it
  • Evidence and hypotheses in favor
  • Evidence and hypotheses against

Puppy behavioral evaluations

When/if to have them done

How reliable are they?

How to pick a good evaluator

How to interpret the evaluator’s results

Example evaluations that are available

Placing Puppies

Contracts

Owner Questionnaires/Interviews

When to Send Puppies Home

How to Send Puppies Home (Client Education)

  • FDC Post: Placing Puppies
  • Puppy class
  • Training recommendations
  • Nutrition recommendations
  • Vaccine recommendations

Selecting replacement breeders (puppies to keep)

New: Matching puppies to people

  • When to retire breeding stock
  • Pros/cons of spay/neuter at breeding retirement

Mental wellness

  • Grief management

Behavior

  • Learning theory basics
  • Problem behavior basics (especially as applies to selecting breeding stock and placing puppies)
  • Pet foundations
  • Sport foundations
  • Service work foundations

Dog sports

  • Competition as a way of evaluating stock
  • Breeding for particular sports

Natural breeding protocols

  • Vaccines
  • Worming
  • Diet
  • Vitality assessment