1. Why are you breeding this litter? Is it for the betterment of the breed or is it just to have puppies/make your girl "calm"/a good experience for the children? The purpose of breeding a litter really is to further the breed, make it stronger, healthier, a better worker with excellent temperament. Breeding a litter may NOT make your female calm down, and if your children really need to see a birth process, call your local zoo or university vet department. Both will often let you come in and watch.
   
2. Are there specific genetic traits you need to look for in your chosen terrier breed?  What is your ideal version of the breed? Does it meet the breed standard? If not, why not? Talk to the national breed club and find out what specific ailments and traits to avoid and what you should look for. Like you, they love this terrier breed and want to see it flourish. 
   
3. Is your female an excellent representative of the breed? Does she meet the breed standard? It's rare to find a dog without any faults, so--and be honest--what are your terrier's faults? Can you find a male who can compliment those faults and weed them out in the next generation? While most people think that showing a dog in conformation is like entering a beauty pageant, a conformation class is really an excellent way to have your dog evalauated as breeding stock for the breed. Unfortunately, in some breeds this concept has been muddled and damage has occured, but as you consider becoming a breeder, you can also take the responsibility to consider the best future of the breed--not at the next win.
   
4. Is your girl genetically and healthwise up to the task? Has she passed breed specific testing. For example in JRTs is she CERF normal? BAER normal? Patellar luxation normal, etc? Is there a history of issues such as blindess or deafness in the lines, which your terrier doesn't show but may pass on? What about neuroligical diseases? Is there a history of whelping issues, such as frequent cesarians or stillbirths in the line?
   
5. Does your terrier's temperament meet the breed spec? If he or she is a working breed, can he or she work? Does your terrier display a natural herding instinct or a strong desire to go to ground? 
   
6. What does your breeder think? Assuming the breeder who sold you your terrier is responsible and heavily involved in the betterment of the breed, talk to him or her.  After all it will be THEIR hard work you will be passing on. Most breeders will tell you when you purchase a puppy whether or not she is a breeding prospect or not, but only time will tell. What was the breeder's initial thoughts on the subject? They may have thought your terrier would be only pet quality, but perhaps your terrier turned out to be just what the breed is looking for. Get your terrier's breeder involved; they may help you do all the work, if your terrier is up to par.
   
7. What will happen to the puppies when they are born? Have you found suitable homes for them--before birth? Do you have a health guarantee? A contract? How will you ensure the well-being of these puppies?
   
8. What will you charge for the puppies? While you may be able to find a mentor willing to help you out, it's highly unlikely he or she will shoulder the immense cost of having a happy and healthy litter. Remember: Good breeders will break even on a litter of puppies --if they're lucky.
   
9. A breeder is not often willing to give up a breeding prospect bitch/sire, why did they sell your puppy in the first place?
   
10. And there is another, steep cost. Are you willing to lose your female in the process? Serious conditons can result either from whelping or from complications during the pregnancy. They may adversely affect your female's life. They may even it take it. Are you willing to lose here? Are you willing to lose all the puppies?
    
11. While a terrier doesn't have to be a champion to fit into a breeding program, a breeder (even one planning on only one litter) must do a lot of work behind the scenes. With so many dogs ending up in rescues or shelters, are you ready to take on the LIFELONG committment to these puppies even after they have gone to their homes? 

a lot can happen...
While these 11 points seem harsh and scary, in reality, they aren't. Unfortunately, too many family pets are bred with the best of intentions, but without the means to understand how this breeding affects the breed in general. A lot of education should happen on a person's part long before a breeding prospect is even chosen, let alone bred. Your terrier is a very important part of your life. Nothing will ever change that no matter what her pros and cons are--or whether any puppies carry on the family name. But it should be our responsibility as our terriers' humans and caretakers to ensure not only our terriers' health and safety, but also that of the puppies--and therefore the breed.

Talk with some breeders and find out how they got started, what they learned. You will find some horrible heartache stories and others where things went just fine. Talk with the national breed club. Set up an appointment with a specialist in your breed and learn about how your terrier fits into that breed.

After having owned or known personally, not one, but five dogs in my short 22 years with defects--not too mention all the rescue organizations I've dealt with in the last two years  as a result of "backyard breeding," breeding to win, or worse, breeding to drop four on the floor--I have learned a great deal. For example, a family friend had an epileptic border collie. She just passed away from complication related to grand mal seizures. We just found out that her mother had epilepsy and the owners willing bred her. Another example, our first JRT puppy was an experience for the family's children. He was deaf and passed away from a genetic heart defect. Another scary one: We had a border collie who was bred out of a white bitch and male, though the breeder knew (and told us) that white borders come with their fair share of deafness and even blindness. Beth is deaf and going blind. Illnesses and bad health doesn't just come out of puppymills, it comes with good intentions, and even responsible breeders who have done their homework will have problems.

And to put you and I on the same playing field, I am in the process of planning my first litter.  It took nearly fourteen months to find just the right terrier that fit into our ideal terrier standard and it will be nearly 18 more months before we can find out if he is truly what we hoped he would be (so far so good!). We hope to have our first girl come to us in the next 12 months, with our first litter being sometime in 2004 or 2005. It's hard to understand just how important and how short these next two to three years really are and how much I have to learn about the breed, breeding, and whatnot. It is costly and time consuming, but I have the knowledge that in the future, I will put forth the best possible puppies I can. I am fortunate enough to have not one but several breed mentors, all sharing their experiences with me from everything to training to grooming, breeding to puppy rearing.  I can only hope that you and your terriers will be fortunate to find the same.

Good luck!

Liz and the Gang