I have a 1 and a half year old chocolate Labrador and we are thinking about breeding her soon, we feed her a natural raw food diet but she is still small and slightly underweight from a 3 month case of diarrhea when she was a young puppy. Has anyone got any suggestions about supplements or diet tricks to boost her weight?

I would'nt breed a dog that isn't in perfect health.

There are probably plenty of Chocolate Labs waiting for a forever home in the Shelters. I would check there first, you never know who you will fall in love with.

Don't breed her.

Please don't add more puppies to this world. Please get her spayed. (And her health may not allow her to survive the pregnancy.)

I agree, the world does not need more dogs and if we did need them only the best of the breed should be the parent. You did not mention why you want to breed her, can you tell us your thinking? LOL I did not write parent the first time and typed the dog female name B I t c h but the filters kicked it out. Luckily they don't recognize anything when you add spaces

Over 5 millions dogs are killed in shelters every year in the US alone.

Why? Because of backyard breeders and puppymills.

What's a backyard breeder? A bb (backyard breeder) is someone like you. They want to breed their family pet, either because they believe that every dog should have a litter (not true), or they think their dog is cute and want puppies (bad idea), or they have friends that want a puppy just like their dog (plenty of breed specific shelters and legit breeders to choose from), or the worst reason, they want to make money off the puppies.

To breed responsibly you will need to have genetic testing done on both the female and the male. Your dog will need to be cleared for any health or genetic defects in order to make sure you have the healthiest puppies you can. Also temperament is a huge consideration. These tests aren't cheap.

Your dog will need to be registered. If you're going to get the best of the best in a stud dog they'll want to know your dogs lineage, and a good score in the show ring will show that this dog is good breeding stock.

You will need to buy the proper supplies to breed your dog. A whelping box, a heat lamp, all the supplies needed for when she gives birth, etc. etc.

The stud fee for a top breeding male will also be a large expense, but in order to be a legit breeder you need to make sure that your quality female (if she is deemed to be good breeding stock) is mated with a quality male.

Make sure you put around $5 to $10 thousand dollars aside in case there's an emergency. If your dog cannot deliver the pups on her own she will need an emergency C-section. It can get very costly.

Be prepared to lose your dog. Emergencies happen, and it's not always possible to save your dog or the puppies. It happens more often then you'd think, so make sure you're okay with the possibility of your dog and the puppies dying.

At the end, if you do all of the above, you will not break even on the sale of the puppies, even if your charge a few thousand for each. After all the costs before and after the pups are born, you'll most likely be out a few thousand dollars, but being a legit breeder isn't about making money, it's about furthering the breed, making sure that only healthy dogs are brought into this world.

So, are you ready to make that commitment? Are you ready to spend thousands of dollars to breed? If you are, then go ahead. If not, then I suggest you spay your dog and leave the breeding to those that know what they're doing. :)

I completely Agree with Alty on this one. Breeding takes time, effort, money, love, and tons of researching. You shouldn't just breed two dogs together because you want puppies, health, conformation, temperament, genetics, breed conservation (in rare breeds) is all important among other things. We don't need more back yard breeders in this world.So please get your dog fixed and do not breed her