Newbie w/question

Question:
 Hello, i just wanted to introduce myself and say Hi. I was wondering if anyone has any info on breeding? i have a beautiful little min pin who wont be ready to breed for another year or so and i have no idea what to expect, what to do and honestly need some advice. this is my first female dog and i all ready have quite a few people who are interested in taking the puppies (myself included :) lol). i dont plan to do this for money i would however like to preserve the bloodline and do all the right things....ok enough i will stop now, thank you all for letting me share and have a great day. :D Mocha's Mom (aka Mocha22)
Answer:
 Karen, wow thanks for all of the advice, this will help me a lot, i am going to go thru all of the tests, already started, and know theres a lot of work involved, so i figured i only have a yr to learn and you have given me a lot of info to get started with. thanks for the welcome and great advice. :). take care and have a great night.
Answer:
 Hi and welcome! I come from a family that does breed dogs and also my sister is a vet and the owner of one of the top ten dogs in her breed in the United Kennel Club in the US. I am going to give you some general breeding guidelines: Breeding ethically and responsibly is a big undertaking.  Breeding in general should be taken as a serious undertaking and done for the right reasons: bettering of the breed as a whole in form, function and health.  Breeding for making money or because you have cute dogs is what really leads to pet overpopulation.  Since you said you are not in it for money - good. It won't happen if done right... I could honestly write you a book on this topic.  But I will give the major points and some helpful links for more reading (time and space issues).   So major points: 1)  Prove the dogs are what is called breeding quality - this is done through showing to determine that the dog is a solid breed representative.   2)  Health test - above and beyond just vaccines and a physical.  All dogs should have at minimum hips and eyes checked and certified with the correct organizations (hips - OFA or PennHip and eyes with CERF - a Yahoo search will get you the URLS for these organizations).  Hip dysplasia has been found in small and toy breeds as well as larger breeds and crossbred dogs.  Any breed can have eye issues.  Along with this, make sure that your dogs are free from any issue known to be in the breed - this means research. 3)  Know pedigrees - a ped not only gives a list of parents and grands, etc but in the hands of an educated person in the breed can give hints on health ("gee, you know, this dog's offspring have shown up with X problem regardless of what female he has been bred with...")   4)  Affordability - a good breeder is lucky to break even on a litter when all is said and done - if it is done properly.  A litter can run hundreds if not thousands of dollars when you include testing of the parents, pre and postnatal care, feeding pups from about age 4 weeks until they are 8 weeks (and they can go through a lot of food). 5)  What if pups do not sell?  It is amazing how many people who wanted pups suddenly do not when the litter is born.  In some areas, you can end up in violation of zoning if you have unsold pups for more than a certain amount of time.   6)  Will you take back a pup at any age and for any reason if the owner can no longer care for it? 7) Are you willing to risk the life of your female if there is an emergency or what if a pup has an emergency?  Though most breedings go smoothly, I have known far too many that have not.   8 )  Are you willing to accept that your sweet girl may go through a drastic temperament change when she has pup?  Not all stay sweet and nice - some can become very snippy and protective and biters when people approach pups. 9)  What if she cannot or will not care for the pups?  Are you willing to take the time from work (if you work out of the house) to feed neonatal puppies every 2 hours round the clock for the first couple weeks and then every 3 - 4 hours and gradually wean the pups?  Pups nurse for at least four weeks.   These are just a few of the considerations breeders go through. For more: http://www.geocities.com/learntobreed/ http://www.wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm#breeding  (excellent list of articles that cover almost everything) http://www.netpets.com/dogs/reference/genetics/assort2.html And if you decide to do this after learning all you can (there are also some excellent books on breeding you can get through www.dogwise.com), find a mentor who is a respected breeder of your breed. Seek out dog clubs and join them. THey are a wealth of help and info!