Why I have given up on breeding?
Why I won't breed again?
I started breeding because I was fed up with commercial breeders. Their arrogance. Their ignorance. And their greed.
I started breeding to do it the right way and to provide friends & family members with GREAT Great Dane pups for free, and to offer selected good homes with the few remaining great pups.
However;
People don't listen.
There are too many breeders who breed Great Danes as if they are cats or poodles. Mate a male and female, let the pups nurse for a few weeks, and sell the pups for profit.
They think this is what happens in nature, so it's OK.
There are no Danes in nature. Contemporary Danes are a product of man-made development. And when we crossed the Egyptian hound descending from the ancient pharaoh dog, with the mastiff and the European hound, we ended up with more than floppy ears. We ended up with a special genetic formation that requires a very special attention without which Danes would have a short life and serious health problems. This is why Danes, Hounds and Mastiffs must never be bred just by anyone.
Unfortunately, just take a look at the Internet and other Danes ads. A lady just called me telling me that in her province right now she found 9 breeders with an average 9 pups each, 81 pups available in one area. Unfortunately, all backyard breeders do it for profit "which is why no breeder would spend $50 a day on a litter of pups, for 8-10 weeks (well over $3,000); to provide them with daily fresh raw meat, eggs, goat milk, yogurt and spplements" - and as a result, their pups are going to give the victim families getting these pups a great deal of suffering and disappointment.
Our Anubis is now about 9 years and our Nifi is about 8 years old and have not aged yet.They are in a youthfull and a promising condition, and the vet repeatedly asks me "what's your seceret?".
With this final litter, March 2012, I have provided everyone I know who wanted a Dane, with a great pup, and so far they have all been success cases. I don't have any more requests by a friend or a family member for a pup. But there is another reason or reasons actually:
- It is unfair - and it is very frustrating to sell a costly pup at cost and often below it and people are unaware of this fact or just don't understand, don't see it and don't appreciate it. I explained in the health section why most Great Danes have a short life span, shoulder and hips and other problems. I explained it is not a genetic inheritance that can't be escaped or corrected. It is a biological imbalance that can and must be corrected. I raised a Dane from age 8 weeks pup, taken from (so-called health certified) parents. The parents lived to be only 5 and 6. The brothers and sisters all lived only to about the same 6 years average. Yet, the only pup that was different was my pup. for 6 additional years the Ontario breeder kept in touch, kept visiting his pup and kept wondering why only my pup lived twice as long as all his Danes including my pup's parents and litter. You would think that breeder would listen then! No, because he doesn't care if the pup dies at age 5 and if the family suffers his health problems. He just wants a low cost litter to sell. Another woman just called me for a pup she wants to breed. They plan to mate her with a male Dane someone has, and sell a litter. They have no idea how or why this litter will be sad news to the victim families.
Here is one area of my current litter expenses:
- The sire, prior to breeding: 8 weeks special diet and special supplements: $8.50 daily = $476
- The dam's pre mating diet: 3 months special supplements: $4 daily for 1 month and $3 daily for 2 months plus goat milk & raw beef cost of $2 daily = $580
- The dam's post whelping cost: 2 months diet of cream, goat milk, eggs, raw meat ... etc: $4 a day plus $2 daily supplements = $360
- The pups from age 7 days to 8 weeks, cost per pup: goat milk, eggs, cheese, ground beef and specialty puppy food: $3.50 daily plus $2 daily supplements =$270 a pup X 7 = $1890
- The mother's total vet visits: checks and other care during pregnancy: $210, $165 & $380 minimum.
So far this specific cost only comes to a total of over $4,000 for one litter, which is about $570 a pup and that's ONLY a very specific area - a very essential part - of the breeding cost. This part is often as high as $750 a pup, and breeders don't do this part. They just mate the Danes, let the poor pups nurse and sell the doomed pups. In fact, if you include the other special needs of the breeding sire and dam, it comes to an additional cost of another $300 a pup - considering that the dam is only good for maximum 3 breedings in her life, between ages 2 - 5 or 6 years. That's a cost of over $1000 a pup I have entered a detailed page on the cost of proper breeding. Now considering that I give away average 4 pups free, that's more than half a litter, it makes my actual cost per sold pup well over $1500
That's why it is frustrating to see commercial breeders sell cheap or cheaper pups which obviously meant Danes on minimum and cheap feeding, pups on mere nursing and even in metal cages raised solely on cheap dry food ... and,others who sell pups for $1500 - $2000 and still with no proper (costly) health care, and people assume if it's a $2000 pup it must be good - when it only meant a profit by an irresponsible breeder. No wonder we have all these Danes problems. I tried pressuring breeders into measuring up, in vain. And it frustrates me because some people think it's a profitable activity. That would be the case only if it is done commercially without the costly proper care. Last litter, I lost well over $2000. I really don't care any more who will understand and who will believe it.
The bottom line is, there are too many cheaper (unhealthy, in fact doomed) pups for sale by too many breeders who are only producing Danes doomed to have a short life and health problems. They deceive the uneducated families with what they call it "certified" Dane parents. I explained this issue under the health-related corner. A healthy pup bred right could in no way cost less than $1200, which, if you include a fair compensation for countless labour hours and sleepless nights and often hired help, there could be another $500 cost added, and not many people would or could pay it. Hence, breeders simply mate a couple of Danes and sell improperly bred pups for profit, and some sell them for $1500 to $3000 though they don't have the knowledge to adopt a supplementary programme, they don't go beyond nursing the pups, and the high price fools some people who would think you get what you pay for. Those breeders are simple house wives and blue collar "nice people, but, they don't know and they don't know that they don't know". They think that "leave it to nature" is an option. Again, leaving it to nature would give us what would happen in nature for a Dane, if we had Danes in nature as we have wild dogs, it would be a short life span and many health problems - just like if you were to leave a pregnant woman to nature, never mind health care and supplementary corrective programmes!
I repeat, without the high cost of supplementary (technical and critical care by a professional), Danes will have an unhealthy short life. People don't seems to understand or they accept that it's an inevitable fact that a Dane will only live 5 or 6 years. Not true. A Dane can live 12 healthy years if provided with what man (not nature) has deprived him off when we changed the breed.
And, as I indicated, I don't need any more pups for family or friends, at least not for next several years. As well, I plan to move to the main-land and will be busy with a new challenge.
And, Anubis and Nifi are approaching their 7th year in 2011 and need to just relax and enjoy the other half of their lives. Cleo who is only a young 4 years old or so will also retire and Ra will retire a pup at age 2. All will be neutered - spayed.
One more closing note: please read the pages of the health and the diet sections. Great Danes (and Mastiffs & Hounds) will have potential heave health problems including cancer, heart attach, bones - joints and a short life span if bred in nature with no corrective preventative-protective supplementary diet of special vitamins, minerals and other elements carefully formulated for each stage of their life. Having said that, an uneducated approach and a wrong ratio of supplements will do a lot of harm, not good. Hence, vets generally advise - generally - treating the Dane as an average dog, to just give him good food. That's good, but not good enough. Uneducated breeder who may just give the Dane multi vitamins and minerals may cause more harm than good.
With proper breeding (exact supplementary care) Danes will live a long healthy life. There are 3 companies only that offer large dogs supplements: in Germany, Holland and the Canadian branch of Optimum Green Laboratories. General dog supplements will not be near good enough. A good diet, exercise and the right supplements - all three - are a must for Danes. Read the health care section. I am keeping this site and making myself available to help out of mere care. I'll list on this site the name and the details of any educated and responsible breeder who utilizes me to adopt the complete corrective & protective supplementary programme.
I will make myself available to help with any questions.
