Another reason people say they want to breed their Scottie is that they want another one "just like him/her" or they just want another Scottie. That is all well and good, but it takes two dogs to make a litter of puppies, which means two backgrounds, two personalities and two temperaments. You may breed to get a puppy just like your stud dog, and instead end up with one with the personality and temperament of the mother of the litter, which might not be to your liking at all. There are numerous factors that come into play here, and you are never guaranteed of the outcome. The safest way to get another puppy "just like yours" (and there is STILL no guarantee) is to contact your breeder, and ask for a pup from another breeding of the same two dogs that produced your puppy. If that isn’t possible, ask the breeder about getting one from a breeding very similar in nature to the one that produced your puppy. Do you want to pass on a trait that you particularly like about your dog, such as an excellent temperament? Though this is a much better reason for breeding your Scottie, there are still things to think about. Again, it takes two to make a litter of puppies, so you need to be sure that the dog you are breeding to compliments your dog. Backgrounds are important too. Something that the grandparents of both sets of dogs had, like an unpredictable temperament, could manifest itself in this litter because the pedigrees don’t work together. Something that, if you don’t know anything about the pedigrees, you would have never seen coming. Also, you can’t just decide to breed a dog for one particular trait. It doesn’t work that way. Your dog is made up of hundreds of different aspects (coat, temperament, gait, personality, size, color, intelligence, teeth, feet, eyes, nose and so on) so it pays to make sure that you are breeding and complimenting more than one trait.

By far one of the worst reasons to breed your Scottie is to let your children experience the "miracle of birth." With all the cable television channels available today, somewhere, sometime you can find a program on the birth of a baby elephant, lion, buffalo, dog or cat. But its not first hand you say? Okay, fine. Contact your local veterinarian or breeder and ask them if they know of someone having puppies, and arrange to have it video taped, or to attend and watch in person. While you are at it, take a trip to your local animal shelter and take this opportunity to educate your family on the pet overpopulation problem. Millions of dogs and cats are put to death daily, because there aren’t enough homes for them all. Death is just as much a part of life as anything else, and something we must all face.

In breeding your "family pet" you also run the risk of something going terribly wrong, and loosing your beloved pet as well as a litter of puppies, or having an orphaned litter that you have to get up to feed every four hours. Puppies can die as well during labor. Birth is not always a joyous occasion, sometimes there is tremendous loss of life involved as well. Just another thing to consider if you really want to breed your Scottie.

Another common reason that people want to breed their pets is because they have heard that in order to have a well rounded and calm pet, they need to be bred at least once. I cannot think of a bigger myth than this one. That is completely untrue, and there is no scientific research to prove otherwise. On the contrary, spaying and neutering your pets is the best way to ensure that they have a safe, happy and healthy life. Early spaying and neutering can increase your pets life span dramatically. It reduces the risks of breast, ovarian and testicular cancer in pets, as well as eliminating undesirable behavior, such as marking, or getting out of the fence, and fighting by intact males, wondering off, and ill temperament in females.

Now you are thinking, with all the money, time, research and heartbreak that goes with breeding, why does anyone bother to breed Scottish Terriers? For one reason, and one reason alone: For the love and dedication that we have to the breed, and for the preservation and betterment of the characteristics that define the Scottish terrier, and to ensure that future generations will have this wonderful little dog to enjoy. That’s it. That is the only reason why responsible breeders breed their dogs. Some breeders finish many champions every year, and sometimes even those champions are not bred. Why? Because even though that particular dog may typify the breed, that dog doesn’t maintain the majority of characteristics that the breeder wants to pass on.

If you do still think that you will breed your Scottie, please do so responsibly, and remember that for every pup that you bring into this world, you are inevitably condemning one to death elsewhere. Consult your Veterinarian or a knowledgeable breeder for help, and if you would like the full copy of this booklet, please let me know and I will be happy to send you a copy.