Dog farming or rearing is one of the business in Nigeria that many people don’t see as profitable and beneficial. Dogs serves many purpose in our different homes and places of work. When it comes to pets, dogs are the most valued. 

Do you know that a puppy costs N60,000 to N200,000 in Nigeria today depending on the breeds. Many secret will be reviewed in his post.

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Dogs comes in different types and this is based on the breeds of dogs. There are over 300 breeds of dogs in the world. These dogs serve different purposes and in different places. 

Dog breeds makes it easier for us since we can choose from many of them the one we love and can care for.

In Nigeria today, the business of farming dogs is fast increasing due to its value in the society. If you look very closely in your neighbourhood, you will come to see that in many households, there are dogs in them. 

In many estates today in Nigeria, different breeds of dogs can be seen serving different purposes. So you can see while i said that the business of dog farming is increasing seriously today. 

Functions of dogs in the house.

Dogs can be kept for some reasons such as

• Security 
• Pet
• Companion 
• For shows (exhibition) 
• Hunting 
• As business  (breeding) etc

Since dogs perform such enormous functions, there is need for people to farm them. Also many people are in demand for them and as such dog farmers need to breed good, healthy and well looking dogs for the buyers.

Furthermore, the business of rearing dogs is not too much stressful as many see them and the reward is worth the effort of doing it.

For you to understand dog farming very well, let us discuss some of the terminologies in dog rearing. 

Dog farming Terminologies 

• Dam: A parent dog (Female)
• Sire: A parent dog (Male)
• Litter: A set of puppies born from same pregnancy 
• Puppie: A young dog
• Whelp: A new born puppy
• Whelping: Process of giving birth to whelp
• Whelping box: Where dogs usually give birth
• Breeder:  A person who intentionally mates dogs to produce puppies
• Line breeding:  A plan made to breed dogs with its relatives 
• Outcrossing: Is the breeding of dogs between unrelated dogs mainly to improve genetics 

Dog Breeding 

In dog farming, dog breeding is an important aspect since good and healthy dog breeds can begotten from such process. And for it to be lucrative, you need to breed you own dogs

Dog breeding is the practice of mating specific dogs breed with  the intention of producing and/or maintaining specific qualities and characteristics.

The reproduction of dogs to produce offsprings without the intervention of humans produce dogs with characteristics determine by natural selection while the artificial selection of dogs by humans to produce specific characteristics is called “dog breeding”.

The process of breeding dogs is a science and as such canine genetics must be understand by the breeder in other to produce a healthy and desired characteristics. 

With this knowledge you need to select good dog breeds to get the desired characteristics. 

With a good breed and knowledge of dog farming, you can get 8 to 10 puppies in one whelping. And a puppy costs N100,000 to N200,000 and matured on up to N500,000. So you can see how lucrative dog farming in Nigeria is.

Starting dog farming business in Nigeria 

In the following write up, i will be guiding you on how you can grow dogs for commercial purposes in Nigeria and how to market it. Having a good of rearing dogs will help make your dog business profitable and lucrative. 

Stages in dog farming are

• Location of farm
• Choosing the right dog breed
• Housing 
• Feeding
• Vaccination 
• Marketing

Now let us go in details on how to start dog farming 

Dog Farm location 

For you to go into commercial dog farming and make it lucrative, you need to provide for them a well prepared place which will be their home. Dogs are treated like pats when you are bringing them up so there must have a good place for rest.

Since dog are not like other domestic animals like goat, sheep etc, there need good care and requires human presence and as such the farm location must be either in your home or very close.

In dog rearing of any breed, it has be seen to be the best if the dogs are in same building or compound with you.

Dog breeds selection 

After you must have provided them with a good place of rest, you should choose a good breed of dogs. Since there are many dog breeds in Nigeria, you should observe you city to find out which breed is most cherished or will be more marketable, then you go into that one.

This is always good if you are a commercial dog farmer. So that after bringing them up you can sell them to make money.

Dog breeds is grouped according to Christa Dog Project in westby-norse.org as

• Herding
• Sporting
• Non-Sporting
• Working
• Hounds
• Terriers and
• Toy breed

These groupings is done according to the different functions of dogs and purposes they serve.

Let us see the purpose that each of the groups perform and some of the breeds there.

Herding dogs

The herding dogs are specially trained dogs to help herders in securing their livestocks. They serve as the herder when he/she is not available in securing the farm. Example of herding dogs are 

• Australian Cattle Dog, 
• Australian Shepherds, 
• Border Collies, and 
• Old English Sheepdogs among others

Sporting dogs

Sporting dogs are group of dogs that has the ability to track animal or man using their senses. They are mainly use for outdoor sporting like hunting and fishing. 

Non-sporting dogs

These are dogs reared not for any sporting activities but for homes. 

Example of  non-sporting dogs are

• American Eskimo Dog, 
• Poodle, and 
• the French Bulldog

Working dogs

Working dogs are goup of dogs that is reared for the purpose of assisting humans in carrying out some jobs. They are used for security reasons in public and private establishments and can also work with police.

Hounds

Hounds are breed of dogs that has a great sence of smell and as such used for tracking purposes by security agents.

Terriers

These are very energetic dogs that are used for hard jobs. They can dig the ground to catch their prey.

Toy breeds

Toy breeds are always small in size and has small weight. Serves as pet too but lives a long live than most breeds. 

Feeding 

Like other animals, dogs need to be feed very well and as such you must be ready to provide them with good and healthy food. One good thing about rearing dogs is that they eat almost everything that humans eat.

You can serve them with what you cook like rice, beans, yam etc. This you can also get from other sources like wastes from eateries and restaurants to save cost.

There are also dog food sold in the market, some time you need to get them thise because of it nutrient value.

When you feed your dogs well, you will get the best results in terms of fast growth and healthy dogs.

Vaccination 

Dog is a delicate animal an as such much care should be given to them. They are many drugs thay has been developed for the purpose of rearing dogs, visit a dog doctor close to you for more information on dog drugs.

Marketing 

After your dogs are matured either to be sold as puppies or aged dog, it is time to sell them. You can meet the potential buyers in many ways.

You can meet dog vendors to help you market your puppies or matured dogs by giving them size and weights of the dogs.

Also while walking down the road wirh your healthy looking dogs, a dog lover can approach you and request to buy one.

While visiting a veterinary, people too might request to come over to your dog farm a select for themselves. 

Finally, you might advertise on social media for your friend and the public to see and buy them.

Remember that a good breed of  dog as a puppy goes for N80,000 to N200,000 and matured dog up to N600,000 in Nigeria. So doh farming is a very profitable business in Nigeria. 

Caring for dogs.

For your dog farming to be lucrative, you must care for them very well. There are some materials and equipments that you need in you dog farm. Some of them are

• Dog cages or kennels, 
• chains, 
• dog beds and beddings, 
• dog-clothes, 
• water and food bowls, 
• dog toys, 
• dog clinic kits, 
• dog soaps and towels, 
• disinfectants and appropriate dog feeds.

Always visit a veterinary doctor for checkups tp enable you know the right way to administer drugs on them.

Finally, visit other breeders (dog farmers) for advise on best way to care for you dogs.

Conclusion 

Dog farming business in Nigeria is a very lucrative business and profitable. Any dog breeds that you can rear today and be happy. Selling a puppy of 4 weeks for N60,000 to N150,000 is a not to be missed by anyone