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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There's just no reason to deliberately breed any dog- or design a new dog by breeding. None.

Shouldn't be for any profit,  or for hobby.[/quote]

Uh, the reason is that people want dogs for pets and if we don't breed them there won't be any except the accidents (which I think most people can agree is going to create less stellar results)  A trainer friend posted this on facebook recently:

[quote]We hear a lot about overpopulation in dogs. It’s why responsible pet owners are encouraged to spay and neuter their dogs! 
But what do the numbers say?

* Currently there are about 77-88 million dogs in the US. (sources: AVMA 2017-2018 Pet Ownership and Demographics survey [url]https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/AVMA-Pet-Demographics-Executive-Summary.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3Pz1Y1qycaezeL4wnkRlkS1mGrEIxB6Moh02HJr3z09AbSGT-dIn-OdCk[/url] and APPA annual 2017-2018 National Pet Owners survey [url]https://www.mceldrewyoung.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2017-2018-Pet-Survey.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3aD6CWFY8Z6TiucMhy5ZwXXrC6KytPKGNe-v9C0OYs3YJ0XK_i3BfbSrk[/url]).

* The annual replacement rate of dogs is somewhere around 8 million per year. (sources: APPA and AVMA surveys above, [url]https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/looming-dog-shortage/[/url]

* Not counting those returned to owners or transferred, around 3.4 million dogs enter shelters annually (source: Mississippi State  University College of Veterinary Medicine and MSU Center for Social Science Research survey [url]https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2017/02/msu-college-veterinary-medicine-researchers-complete-canine-shelter?fbclid=IwAR1hUiTzWfOdcyiqPffH5jR8IFP_6NTENDNnkiIt09tmlMxVLduVyWhm0wg[/url]).

* Around 1 million dogs are rehomed privately each year (source: ASPCA study by Weiss et al 2015 [url]http://www.speakingforspot.com/PDF/OJAS_2015100914300959.pdf[/url]).

* AKC breeders produce somewhere around 1.3 million dogs each year (source: Mark Dunn, from 2017 data: [url]https://puredogtalk.com/podcast/akc-dog-registration-trend-reversal/?fbclid=IwAR2o7yfJ0-StktVhd2aS6zdbd7ffBg7zxY587Sv5ONzMifBGU6IIOJE7LcE[/url])

What does this mean? 
Let's assume that every dog that enters shelters is medically and behaviorally adoptable (which we all know not to be the case, but it allows for conservative estimates). Between shelter/rescue dogs and those who are rehomed privately, we can currently provide about 55% of the dogs needed each year.

So, where do the other 3.6 million dogs come from?

Some come from responsible breeders of purebred dogs who are dedicated to their breed. Let's assume that every dog that is registered through the AKC is produced by what we would consider a responsible breeder, who is committed to health, temperament, and early socialization (which we all know not to be the case, but it allows for conservative estimates). Purebred, responsibly-created dogs would account for 16.25% of of the dogs needed each year. 
That *still* leaves 2.3 million dogs needed each year, at the most conservative.

Realistically, my personal opinion is that this number is closer to **4.2 million**, allowing for euthanasia of dogs in shelters/rescues due to medical or behavioral issues, as well as discounting the number of irresponsible breeders of purebred dogs (BYB, puppy mills) whom we'd like to put out of business. 
This is why I feel so strongly that purpose-bred pet dogs need to be produced by responsible breeders who select for temperament(!) and health (including relevant health testing) and who raise their puppies in the home with appropriate socialization and developmental programs.

Overpopulation is absolutely still an issue *in some areas of the US.* But there are also dog shortages in many, many other areas (such as here in Minnesota, where we’re having to transport the vast majority of our adoptable dogs in from out of state or out of the country). We’ve spayed and neutered most of the nice pet dogs. The population of dogs that we see as trainers is evolving because we as a society are literally removing the nicest pets from the gene pool. [/quote]

As a trainer, I see it in the people who come to my basic pet obedience classes.  20 years ago, there were a lot less behavioral problems.  Now, every class requires someone behind a barrier because their dog is too reactive to function with other dogs in the room, many that can't take treats because they are too stressed being out in public, almost all shepherds have hip dysplasia, most pugs can barely breathe, etc.  There are still lots and lots of nice dogs, but they are getting rarer.[/quote]

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