Would you breed a dog with allergies?

I personally would not, but I am looking for opinions.

Would it depend on the type of allergy? (ie food, environmental, etc)

Also, what if it were an AMAZING working dog? Would that change your decision?

IMO, there are two many superb dogs out there who are AMAZING working dogs who do not have allergies, so why breed to one that does?

Good question! I am curious to see the answers. I (who will likely never breed due to small puppy fears ) Would probably choose not to breed an animal that shows signs of allergies or possibly even sensitivities that could be genetic. There are so many great dogs out there without these problems that I think it has the potential to infiltrate many genetic lines and become the norm. IF there was a lack of suitable breeding dogs among a specific breed, I might consider it to hopefully get a pup or two who didn't exhibit the allergy symptoms and further the line in that dirrection.

It's all in the degree for me.
There are no perfect beings. If the dog had a great temperament, excellent joints,eyes, nice coat, a loving big hearted dog, smart, occasionally itchy, I see no problem.
A dog disabled by allergies, with weeping ears etc, owners constantly seeking an answer and help, but nothing seems to help, that dog is not reproductive material.

I am not a breeder, have never even bred one litter, so I'd like to respond from the POV of a potential puppy buyer. I would never consider buying a puppy if I knew that one or both of the parents had allergies. Allergies are a serious, stressful and frustrating lifelong condition to deal with for both the dog and owner, and very expensive for the owner on top of that.

If someone knowingly breeds a litter where one or both parents have allergies, I believe they have an ethical responsibility to inform potential puppy buyers. I agree that there are probably no perfect individuals in nature, but in theory, I believe a good breeder will always strive for that perfection by breeding only the best to the best.

i am not a breeder and agree with what has been said however in my situation my dogs parents have no allergies and my dog has a grain allergy. so just because a dog is allergy free does not mean there offspring will be and vice versa

Thanks for the answers!

Connie thank you for those links, they will come in handy when trying to explain to my friend why I do not think she should breed her female. Ultimately, it is up to her husband though, so we will see. He is listed as the owner, she just took on all of the responsibility of the dog since it was 8 weeks old, so really her opinion doesn't mean much (*rolls eyes*).

The dog has suffered from irritated paws since she was about 13 months old. It started with the front two, and progressed to the back two. I have suspected an allergy (environmental) since it first started, however there has been no investigation into the cause as of yet. It has now progressed to all four paws, with obvious inflamtion, redness, chewing, and sensitivity to snow.

Mostly, I was just wondering if I was wrong in not wanting this dog bred. I know one of their males has an allergy to chicken (determined through elimination diet), and they still use him to breed. So for me, with my mind set on only breeding dogs without any obvious health/temperament problems, I was wondering if allergies were not viewed as a health problem to some breeders?

So they breed a diagnosed allergic dog and now a dog who presents with symptoms but is actually undiagnosed, with "no investigation into the cause"?

No comment.

Yep - thats about it, in a nutshell.

Now, she is an amazing dog, with a great temperament and beautiful drives, and an amazing all around working dog, so I know why she wants to breed, I just don't think its worth compromising on the health. Again, this is my opinion.

Breeding this dog is something I would never do, but I am completely unsure about how to approach someone who thinks that it is ok.

I have forwarded on your links, Connie, as when I first was asking her about not breeding the dog because of the allergies, she told me that she did not think that allergies were hereditary. I am hoping the links will help.

She is a friend so I am trying to be supportive of her choices, while making my opinions known, but I know that in the end, I can not control what people do.