THAT TRULY IS THE QUESTION!!!!!!!!! If there is ANY doubt in your mind then the answer is NO! There are so many things to take into account. It is not just a matter of throwing a male and female together either. It really is a lot of work. You need to do some major research.

*You need to compare your dog to the breed standard set up by the AKC. If your dog doesn’t come very, very close to the standard then again the answer would be no!

Remember no dog is perfect, even those that are in show aren’t perfect. *Evaluate your dogs faults. If your dog has any faults like a bad bite (either over bite, under bite, or wry jaw), only has one or no testicles, has patellar luxation, hip dysphasia, bad elbows, cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy, epilepsy, or any other life threatening genetic fault then again the answer is NO! No matter how beautiful your dog is.

*Also just breeding the dog one time because you heard that it makes for a better pet in the long run is not a good enough reason. Or just because you want your kids to experience the “miracle” of childbirth is not a good enough reason. Rent a video!

*Please do not contribute to the great problem of homeless pets in the world. Just breeding you dog because they have the cutest personality and you think that you should pass that on is NOT a good reason.

*Also cross breeding different breeds just because the puppies are cute is NOT a good reason! If you want a mixed breed please go to the pound and find a dog that desperately needs your help and a good home. They are finding that may mixing of breeds are causing major health problems like bad livers, heart defects, eye problems, etc.

*Also do you have a female that is big enough to breed. My rule of thumb is that if you have anything under 5 lbs then you should not breed it. Remember the smaller the female the bigger chance that she will have to have a c-section. And THAT can be a life threatening situation. Also those adorable little teacup sized puppies often have many health problems such as liver shunt and can end up effecting the quality of the life of the puppies.

*Also if you think that you are in it for the money, you are very mistaken. Infact most breeders go into the hole more often than making any money. There is a lot of responsibility and money involved in raising puppies. You are responsible for bringing each and every puppy you breed into the world. And that responsibility shouldn’t end after you sell the puppy to its new owners.

*You have to pay out good money for well bred dogs of great quality for breeding in the first place. Then you have to have the dogs checked and vaccinated by a vet. Then you have to pay for groomers and equipment needed. Then if there are any complications you have to be able to afford a vet for those emergencies. Plus there is the possibility of the heartache of loosing the puppies or even the mother. Then you start into the expense of raising a litter. Moms after all doesn’t care for them forever. There is money out for vaccinations, wormings, puppy packets that most breeders give, time and effort for advertising the puppies, vet checks before leaving the breeder and so on and so forth, not to mention the expense of great quality puppy and dog food. This is also why prices for a great, well bred quality puppy are expensive. If you are not capable or prepared for doing this then again the answer to breeding is NO!

Now after saying all that and thinking about it and deciding that this is something you really want to do, there are some other things you need to think about.

*Make a list of your dogs faults. Remember these should not be major health or life altering faults. I am talking about little faults like maybe the hair of your dog is a little too straight. You want to breed to improve your breed not to harm it. Or maybe The eyes are set a little too far apart or too close together. Just little things that can always be improved upon in your dog. You will want to find a mate that offsets these faults. Always breed to the faults of your dog. You are striving for the perfect puppy. That puppy that just takes your breath away when you see it. That will knock any judges socks off when entering the ring. That is what you are breeding for.

*Also remember that Health more than anything else is the most important thing, whether that puppy is going to be a great show dog or just a pampered pet!

*Not every puppy in a litter is going to be show quality regardless of what the parents look like. And you should be prepared to find awesome homes for your puppies that is suited to the needs of each individual puppy.

*It is important to make sure that your mates are compatible. Inbreeding and line breeding should only be done by the most experienced of breeders that know their lines and know their dogs.

*Males usually should be smaller than you females and that is not just in their size but in the size of all the ancestors in those lines.

*I personally don’t recommend breeding for the extremely tiny. There is a lot of heartache there and you must be prepared and know what you are doing to have happy healthy puppies.

* As far as what you are breeding for (besides that perfect puppy) in color, size, or conformation, there is a lot of opinion out there. Especially when it comes to colors and especially in the poodles as a breed. I say do what makes you happy. Do what you want to do to achieve that perfect puppy. A lot of breeders specialize in a few colors or in a few sizes. Decided ahead of time what it is that you want ot achieve and then go for it!

*There is a lot of controversy about there about breeding and what a breeder should be and shouldn’t be. If your are breeding for the best and doing your best at it that is about all one can hope for.