Culling pups from the litter - Page 11

they could be as old as necessary.
humanely is humanely no matter the age.
it would be difficult at a later age obviously if  you
let yourself get attached.
it would take someone far more experienced than me to decide.
i  just wanted to hear opinions.
feelings cloud judgement alot and as i said
so many breed to keep just one and than sell the rest
not caring what becomes of them.
i think that is far more callous than
destroying the ones not kept

What is the difference  between culling and dumping a whole litter at the shelter?. That you know is going to be spayed and neutered as puppies. Until puppies are not more then bartering chips or profit quotas the mentality is the same and I know it happens. We have been told so time and time again.    

Culling happens in all animal breeds. 

Private owners cannot kill their own companion animals - a vet must do it.  at least in this state, killing your own dog is against the law.  You can only shoot a dog that is chasing livestock, or deer.  You can't just shoot one because you want to.  There are animal rights and laws that enforce it.  In many states, too bad not all states.

molly

 Buckeye, my problem would not be getting attached so much as the sheer right or wrong (wrong!) of killing something that I caused to exist in the first place. That's waaay too much God-impersonating for me to be comfortable with. I think the entire scenario you present is selfish, though I do understand your question and what you're saying.

As to whether you should be able to kill your own dog, I see no reason why it's ok for a shelter to kill a healthy dog that they claim is unadoptable if an owner cannot put down his/her own dog for good reason. I think often, the reasons vets hear for putting a dog down is pathetic. If these people were told "no" and forced to do it themselves, perhaps they wouldn't take it so lightly. My old family vet refused to do euthanizations on healthy animals who were simply old and had no real health issues. He thought it was a horrible repayment to an animal who had been loyal its entire life only to be destroyed as soon as it became less fun or slightly inconvenient. 

jenni
you stated god impersonating,
i would argue that breeding two dogs who would otherwise never
meet is god impersonating

btw i am just discussing a topic
i understand everyone has different values.

also for clarification i am not saying i could do this.
but if you breed you should be prepared to cull(kill)
a pup who is suffering.

 No, buckeye. I did understand what you meant. I totally agree about breeding; this is why I said I don't think you now have the right to kill what you created; that would not be a  naturally occurring litter. Sorry if I wasn't clear. I also understood that you were asking from a theoretical standpoint and not saying this is something you could/would do. But you're right; on principle, much of it is the same and comes down to splitting hairs. There are no easy answers. 

Now, when we are breeding for a purpose, of course we might breed dogs who wouldn't happen upon each other and breed naturally. But, I do try to breed as naturally as possible keeping this in mind. I don't plan certain numbers of ties, I don't force them to breed....hell, I don't even watch;-)  And I don't believe in doing heroic things to try to force breeding- if a dog can't/won't breed naturally, I move on to Plan B. 

hi Jenni,
it was a serious question. sorry if it came off as stupid. I've read all kind of pros and cons on the net but havent seen any negative effects thus far (personal experience only).always learning.  I've had some pms that were educational.  Alot of the studies seem to be using labratory dogs not genetically tested ones.   the results would be inconclusive at best.  But the pups recover real quick with no negative effects so far.  Anyhow no need to answer as a bunch of people did for ya.  I got lots of replies.

BRYNJULF-
There are MANY reasons early spay/neuter (prior to 12-16 months of age) is an unhealthy choice, here is just one articles sighting a few reasons:

http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

You've gotten lucky with your 20.