So your girl is digging up her papers in her whelping box. She’s shredding them with her teeth. She’s whining and is naturally restless. She might run out of the box and then jump back in. She circles some more. You see her first contraction. Most German Shepherd bitches don’t have too many problems when they deliver their puppies. But there are those few times that things don’t always go as you had hoped. That’s why I said you should have your vet on call.
Some breeders let their bitches do all the work and don’t interfere with the birthing process. I’m not one of those breeders. I am very hands on. Each and every puppy is valuable to me and I want to make sure that I give it every chance for survival. Losing a puppy or even puppies is something we all want to avoid. For the new mother, I believe it’s even more important to be right there when she is giving birth for the first time. I want to be on top of any problems while they are happening. I don’t want to walk in the room after a problem and it’s too late to save a puppy or the mother is in distress.
When the puppy is delivered, the most important thing to do is to remove the sac from the head that the puppy is in. Then I take the puppy and rub him with a soft towel and open his little mouth to make sure it’s not filled with mucous. Normally when I rub the puppy, he will let out a little (or sometimes a big) cry. This is good as it opens his air passages so he can breathe. I also cut the umbilical cord although most of the time the mother will do this. My main focus is that the puppy is breathing normally. I put the puppy down so the mother can lick and clean him. Most of the time the puppy with look to nurse right away. Sometimes you have to encourage them by placing them on a nipple. If he’s still reluctant, I make sure I squeeze the nipple to expel some milk to entice the puppy. Then there are those that take a little longer to nurse. Sometimes the trauma of birth is exhausting to the puppy and he just lies there resting. If all is well, he’ll come around and nurse on his own.
Remember to keep the puppies warm at all times. You don’t want them to get a chill. In between the mother delivering her puppies, I will normally put the puppies that she already delivered in a box with a plush towel in it so they don’t get stepped on while she’s delivering her next puppy. I keep the box in the whelping box so as not to stress the mother and to ensure that they remain warm.
Sometimes your bitch will run into delivery problems. Some of those reasons can be because the puppy is huge and the mother is having a hard time delivering him. This is when it’s wise to have two people there when she’s delivering. Sometimes when she is contracting you can help gently guide the puppy out, but many times because of his size this is a painful birth. So if one person can gently hold the mother’s head while the other person removes the puppy, it can make it easier on everyone. I hate breech births……you see the puppies little feet and tail sticking out of the mother and the sac is already broken. Then she sometime sucks him back up and you’re ready to pull your hair out.
Other problems that can arise is that the puppy is laying across the birth canal and you may have to gently turn him around because he will not be able to be delivered in that position. Then you can have a bitch that has uterine inertia which I’ve already written an article about on this blog. This is when the bitch has delivered a puppy or even several pups and she stops contracting. There are still puppies inside her, but she’s no longer contracting. Call your vet immediately for advice. I told you one of my bitches did this every time she delivered puppies……….that was the biscuit eater that I mentioned earlier in this article. I lost a few puppies with this bitch in her first litter because of this condition. I was better prepared in her next litters. My vet was on call all the time with this girl.
The mother will be exhausted while she is delivering her babies. I like to offer her a little refreshment in between delivering her puppies. Sometimes they will drink a little water. Other times they won’t. The last litter I had, I offered the mother some vanilla ice cream. She loved it and it also helped with her contractions.
When the mother is finally finished delivering her puppies, take her out to go potty while you stay with her to make sure she doesn’t deposit another puppy on the lawn. Sometimes a bitch will eat a little food when she is finished with her delivery. Give her whatever she wants to help restore some of her energy.
Check the puppies to make sure they are all breathing correctly and nursing on the mother. Watch for any puppies that lay off on their own away from the mother. Sometimes the mother will even push a puppy aside. This may indicate that the puppy is sickly. So watch for this. Many breeders will have weighed each puppy and made note of it in a journal that they keep on their litters. I always kept one for each of my litters and I would write in it everyday reporting on their progress.
Normally your vet will want to see the mother the next day and he will give her a pit shot (it helps clean her out). Many breeders have this shot on hand and will do it themselves. It will help expel any afterbirth that did not come out with the puppies.
Okay, so now you have your first litter. The mother and babies are content and resting peacefully. Now the fun begins. The raising of those puppies is when your work really starts.
To be continued…….
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My rating: Breeding puppies: (1 - 4)
Showing posts with label whelping boxes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label whelping boxes. Show all posts
Friday, September 3, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
SO YOU WANT TO BREED A LITTER OF PUPPIES - (Part 3)
Most German Shepherd “mothers to be” are good eaters while they’re carrying their litter of puppies. However, not all of them are. This is why it is important to make sure you are feeding her a top quality food to ensure that she is getting the proper amount of nutrition. Supplementing her food with vitamins is important also. Some bitches will go off their food at certain times when they are pregnant and the owner is about ready to pull her hair out worrying that her puppies are not going to be healthy. I had a bitch do this every single time that she was bred. Because she did this, I knew she was in whelp. Like some women who get morning sickness when they are pregnant, there’s no reason to think that some dogs don’t go through the same thing. Any and all food that I would offer her, she would refuse, EXCEPT…….dog biscuits. She loved dog biscuits when she was pregnant. So dog biscuits are what she got along with her vitamins. Just as long as she was eating something, I didn’t care! If anyone came to my house and looked at her, they must have thought that I abused her because she looked so skinny.
Anyway, let’s assume that your girl continues to eat; you should increase her food the last couple of weeks during her pregnancy because she’s eating for a whole litter now! Sometimes a bitch may go off her food or cut back during the last few days of her pregnancy.
By now you will have set up a whelping box for your bitch in a quiet area of your house where she is free from unneeded stress or other distractions. You will have bought a heating lamp for the whelping box as it is important to keep the new pups warm and toasty. Make sure that the whelping box that you invest in is large enough for the mother to stretch out and big enough for her growing puppies. Another thing the whelping box should have is a rail that goes around the inside of the box. This is where the puppies can lay under so they don’t accidentally get squished by their mother. I know some breeders use a kiddy pool for the mother and her puppies. They swear by it, but I don’t understand how those puppies don’t get squished.
Hopefully you have been in contact with your veterinarian about your breeding of your bitch. You have let him know when she is due to whelp. As the actual time of her whelping draws near, you should be in contact with him to let him know how she is doing. Also you should know what his procedure is if your girl should run into an emergency situation. Will he come to her aid and meet you at his office during the evening hours after his office is closed? Or do you have to rely on an emergency vet to take care of her needs? Find this all out BEFORE you actually need help! A Vet that works with a breeder is a God send!
During the bitches last few days of pregnancy it is a good idea to monitor her body temperature. Normally you can do this using a rectal thermometer. The normal body temperature for animals is generally higher than for humans. The normal rectal temperature of a dog is 99.5° to 102.5°F. What you’re looking for is her temperature to drop to 98 degrees from her normal 99 – 101 degrees. You may even see her temperature fluctuate going up and down. It’s when it stays down, you normally have 12 – 24 hours from the time that she first started to drop her temperature. When it goes down to 98 or 97.9, then you may expect the first born in 2 – 12 hours. This is just a guideline as all bitches are different.
When your bitch is getting closer to whelping, you may find she goes from periods of sleeping for hours to becoming restless pacing back and forth. She may look stressed and excited. She will have to urinate more because of the pressure that she is feeling. Make sure you go outside with her when she goes potty as you don’t want her running off somewhere in the woods to deliver her first puppy. When her water breaks, you might not even see it, but if you check her, right before she’s ready to give birth, you will normally see a white mucous like substance. Stay with her. Your litter of puppies is getting ready to enter this world!
To be continued…..
From the book: "THE COMPLETE BOOK OF DOG BREEDING"....... A veterinarian with many years of canine practice experience offers guidance to novice and professional dog breeders, emphasizing the responsibilities of reputable breeders to their dogs and to the buyers of the puppies they produce. Topics covered include: the choosing, health, quality, and conditioning of brood stock; practical DNA use, and Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) surveys and data storage to scientifically improve the selection of healthy brood stock and puppies; potential breeding problems; artificial insemination; pregnancy and its duration; embryonic and fetal activity; pregnancy nutrition; physical changes during pregnancy; stages of labor; normal and Cesarean-section births, and how to assist in both; nutrition of dams and puppies and how to recognize and prevent potential problems in both; neonatal puppy care; lactation and weaning the puppies; socializing the puppies; pedigrees, registration, and titles; and much more. Filled with color photos and line art.
My rating: Dog breeding: (1 - 4)
Anyway, let’s assume that your girl continues to eat; you should increase her food the last couple of weeks during her pregnancy because she’s eating for a whole litter now! Sometimes a bitch may go off her food or cut back during the last few days of her pregnancy.
By now you will have set up a whelping box for your bitch in a quiet area of your house where she is free from unneeded stress or other distractions. You will have bought a heating lamp for the whelping box as it is important to keep the new pups warm and toasty. Make sure that the whelping box that you invest in is large enough for the mother to stretch out and big enough for her growing puppies. Another thing the whelping box should have is a rail that goes around the inside of the box. This is where the puppies can lay under so they don’t accidentally get squished by their mother. I know some breeders use a kiddy pool for the mother and her puppies. They swear by it, but I don’t understand how those puppies don’t get squished.
Hopefully you have been in contact with your veterinarian about your breeding of your bitch. You have let him know when she is due to whelp. As the actual time of her whelping draws near, you should be in contact with him to let him know how she is doing. Also you should know what his procedure is if your girl should run into an emergency situation. Will he come to her aid and meet you at his office during the evening hours after his office is closed? Or do you have to rely on an emergency vet to take care of her needs? Find this all out BEFORE you actually need help! A Vet that works with a breeder is a God send!
During the bitches last few days of pregnancy it is a good idea to monitor her body temperature. Normally you can do this using a rectal thermometer. The normal body temperature for animals is generally higher than for humans. The normal rectal temperature of a dog is 99.5° to 102.5°F. What you’re looking for is her temperature to drop to 98 degrees from her normal 99 – 101 degrees. You may even see her temperature fluctuate going up and down. It’s when it stays down, you normally have 12 – 24 hours from the time that she first started to drop her temperature. When it goes down to 98 or 97.9, then you may expect the first born in 2 – 12 hours. This is just a guideline as all bitches are different.
When your bitch is getting closer to whelping, you may find she goes from periods of sleeping for hours to becoming restless pacing back and forth. She may look stressed and excited. She will have to urinate more because of the pressure that she is feeling. Make sure you go outside with her when she goes potty as you don’t want her running off somewhere in the woods to deliver her first puppy. When her water breaks, you might not even see it, but if you check her, right before she’s ready to give birth, you will normally see a white mucous like substance. Stay with her. Your litter of puppies is getting ready to enter this world!
To be continued…..
From the book: "THE COMPLETE BOOK OF DOG BREEDING"....... A veterinarian with many years of canine practice experience offers guidance to novice and professional dog breeders, emphasizing the responsibilities of reputable breeders to their dogs and to the buyers of the puppies they produce. Topics covered include: the choosing, health, quality, and conditioning of brood stock; practical DNA use, and Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) surveys and data storage to scientifically improve the selection of healthy brood stock and puppies; potential breeding problems; artificial insemination; pregnancy and its duration; embryonic and fetal activity; pregnancy nutrition; physical changes during pregnancy; stages of labor; normal and Cesarean-section births, and how to assist in both; nutrition of dams and puppies and how to recognize and prevent potential problems in both; neonatal puppy care; lactation and weaning the puppies; socializing the puppies; pedigrees, registration, and titles; and much more. Filled with color photos and line art.
My rating: Dog breeding: (1 - 4)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
SO YOU WANT TO BREED A LITTER OF PUPPIES - (Part 2)
Okay so you just invested in buying the best bitch that you can afford for your breeding program. You raise her until she’s at least two years of age. You have her x-rayed and submit them to the OFA for evaluation. You receive her OFA numbers for her hips and elbows. Then you once again take a look at the studs that you have been considering breeding her to for awhile. Hopefully you have done your homework and have investigated a little further into the bloodlines of the potential stud dogs and have talked to other breeders that have utilized these dogs into their own bloodlines. You would have discussed the faults of the lines and any health problems other breeders may have had. Perhaps you can even take a look at some of their puppies that they have produced from the stud dog that you are interested in using.
Once you’ve decided on a dog that you would like to use, your next step is to make sure that your bitch is up to date on any of her inoculations that she may need. Taking in a stool sample to your vet would be a good idea as well. This is a good time to have her thoroughly examined to make sure she’s healthy and ready to have a litter. Alright then, Mother Nature pays a visit to your girl and she’s in season.
You should get in touch with the stud dog owner on your bitches first day of season. This way the owner of the male can reserve the days that your bitch needs to be bred. Most stud dog owners will allow you to breed your bitch two times during her season to help ensure that she’ll get pregnant. Also the stud dog owner should let you know what tests he expects you to have on your bitch before the breeding takes place. These tests are to protect his stud as well as your bitch from contacting any infectious diseases. Some bitch owners will have tests done to determine when their bitch should be bred. I have never done this test and I have never had a bitch miss. But for those bitches that do have a harder time conceiving, these tests can prove to be very valuable to the bitch owner.
This is what the person that wrote to me about writing about this subject had to say about the actual breeding of the two animals. “You can of course leave out the copulation itself as I think most know how that is done.” Well you would think that that would be the case, but it’s not always that way. Most people think that you just put the two dogs’ together and let nature do what nature normally does. You would think. But it doesn’t always work out that way. Many a time the breeder has to be “hands on” when a breeding is taking place. If she’s not, injury may result or a breeding doesn’t take place at all. So let’s take a look at this eventful day.
So the time has come for you to breed your girl to the famous stud dog. Hopefully the stud dog will be a good breeder and there will be no problems. A good stud dog is an eager breeder and gets the job done without too much fanfare. The problem can arise when you have a young stud dog that is still “wet behind the ears” because he’s never been bred before or to very few bitches. I’ve written about my own experience with this. If it weren’t for me and the stud dog owner being there, serious damage could have resulted to the stud dog and maybe my bitch. Not to go into all the detail all over again here, I’ll just tell you that the stud dog tied with my bitch and then he wanted to play games and tried throwing himself on the floor like an overgrown puppy would do. That’s when the fun began! NOT! The poor dog was screaming in pain and he didn’t know what to do. The stud dog owner became so scared and yelled to me to hold my bitch very still. Thank God my bitch was an experienced brood bitch. She just looked at him like he was nuts and as if to say to him, “Are you done yet?”
Then you might run into the other side of the spectrum and have a dog that is a lazy breeder and is not really too interested in your bitch. I also had that happen before. Eventually we got the breeding done and had a large litter, but you would think that the stud would want to breed a willing bitch. Nope, he had to be coaxed.
And then how about the stud dog that is overly exuberant with anything that has four legs. He’s an aggressive stud dog and the owner has all he can do to hold the wild bronco back. This can result in outside ties and small litters or no litters at all. Then you can’t breed to him until another 24 hours at least and hope that the next time you can calm his libido down a little bit. And hopefully you’ll have a litter.
And the stud dogs are not the only ones that can give you a headache. How about your darling sweet little girl? If she is a maiden bitch, she may not want anything to do with the stud dog at all. She may be frightened or she may want to rip his head off! Most stud dog owners will muzzle all bitches that come in to be bred to their dogs. The smart owner doesn’t take any chances. Many times after they are tied, the muzzle will be taken off the bitch.
So no, it’s not just about putting the two dogs together. The breeders are very much a part of what goes when the two dogs are bred. Believe me many stud dogs owners earn their stud dogs fees and the bitch owner ears her puppy prices!
So if everything goes well, you will have had two breedings on your girl and you can take her home and wait until you see the signs that your bitch is pregnant. Your girl will carry her babies for nine weeks. While she is pregnant you will make sure that she has the proper nutrition and some breeders will give their bitches supplements at this time to ensure that she is getting the extra vitamins they she will need to nourish her babies and herself.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to invest in a good whelping box for the mother and her newborns.
(To be continued)….
DRYMATE WHELPING BOX LINER -
* Provide your pet with a clean sanitary whelping area.
* The soft, non-woven fabric absorbs and contains liquids.
* The bonded backing prevents leak through and protects the flooring.
* Machine washable and dryable.
My rating: breeding puppies: (1 - 4)
Once you’ve decided on a dog that you would like to use, your next step is to make sure that your bitch is up to date on any of her inoculations that she may need. Taking in a stool sample to your vet would be a good idea as well. This is a good time to have her thoroughly examined to make sure she’s healthy and ready to have a litter. Alright then, Mother Nature pays a visit to your girl and she’s in season.
You should get in touch with the stud dog owner on your bitches first day of season. This way the owner of the male can reserve the days that your bitch needs to be bred. Most stud dog owners will allow you to breed your bitch two times during her season to help ensure that she’ll get pregnant. Also the stud dog owner should let you know what tests he expects you to have on your bitch before the breeding takes place. These tests are to protect his stud as well as your bitch from contacting any infectious diseases. Some bitch owners will have tests done to determine when their bitch should be bred. I have never done this test and I have never had a bitch miss. But for those bitches that do have a harder time conceiving, these tests can prove to be very valuable to the bitch owner.
This is what the person that wrote to me about writing about this subject had to say about the actual breeding of the two animals. “You can of course leave out the copulation itself as I think most know how that is done.” Well you would think that that would be the case, but it’s not always that way. Most people think that you just put the two dogs’ together and let nature do what nature normally does. You would think. But it doesn’t always work out that way. Many a time the breeder has to be “hands on” when a breeding is taking place. If she’s not, injury may result or a breeding doesn’t take place at all. So let’s take a look at this eventful day.
So the time has come for you to breed your girl to the famous stud dog. Hopefully the stud dog will be a good breeder and there will be no problems. A good stud dog is an eager breeder and gets the job done without too much fanfare. The problem can arise when you have a young stud dog that is still “wet behind the ears” because he’s never been bred before or to very few bitches. I’ve written about my own experience with this. If it weren’t for me and the stud dog owner being there, serious damage could have resulted to the stud dog and maybe my bitch. Not to go into all the detail all over again here, I’ll just tell you that the stud dog tied with my bitch and then he wanted to play games and tried throwing himself on the floor like an overgrown puppy would do. That’s when the fun began! NOT! The poor dog was screaming in pain and he didn’t know what to do. The stud dog owner became so scared and yelled to me to hold my bitch very still. Thank God my bitch was an experienced brood bitch. She just looked at him like he was nuts and as if to say to him, “Are you done yet?”
Then you might run into the other side of the spectrum and have a dog that is a lazy breeder and is not really too interested in your bitch. I also had that happen before. Eventually we got the breeding done and had a large litter, but you would think that the stud would want to breed a willing bitch. Nope, he had to be coaxed.
And then how about the stud dog that is overly exuberant with anything that has four legs. He’s an aggressive stud dog and the owner has all he can do to hold the wild bronco back. This can result in outside ties and small litters or no litters at all. Then you can’t breed to him until another 24 hours at least and hope that the next time you can calm his libido down a little bit. And hopefully you’ll have a litter.
And the stud dogs are not the only ones that can give you a headache. How about your darling sweet little girl? If she is a maiden bitch, she may not want anything to do with the stud dog at all. She may be frightened or she may want to rip his head off! Most stud dog owners will muzzle all bitches that come in to be bred to their dogs. The smart owner doesn’t take any chances. Many times after they are tied, the muzzle will be taken off the bitch.
So no, it’s not just about putting the two dogs together. The breeders are very much a part of what goes when the two dogs are bred. Believe me many stud dogs owners earn their stud dogs fees and the bitch owner ears her puppy prices!
So if everything goes well, you will have had two breedings on your girl and you can take her home and wait until you see the signs that your bitch is pregnant. Your girl will carry her babies for nine weeks. While she is pregnant you will make sure that she has the proper nutrition and some breeders will give their bitches supplements at this time to ensure that she is getting the extra vitamins they she will need to nourish her babies and herself.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to invest in a good whelping box for the mother and her newborns.
(To be continued)….
DRYMATE WHELPING BOX LINER -
* Provide your pet with a clean sanitary whelping area.
* The soft, non-woven fabric absorbs and contains liquids.
* The bonded backing prevents leak through and protects the flooring.
* Machine washable and dryable.
My rating: breeding puppies: (1 - 4)
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
DOG BREEDING PROBLEMS - (Part 1)
People that do not breed dogs are under the misconception that if you just let nature take its course and let two dogs breed that nine weeks later, you’ll be throwing a baby shower! The puppies have arrived and little Johnny and Jane have just witnessed the miracle of birth! If only life were simple like that. Oh sure this is the way that nature has planned it which is very evident by all the unwanted dogs and cats in shelters today.
But what about dog breeders that plan their animals litters? Isn’t it just as easy for their dogs to produce a litter of pups as the one’s that roam the streets? Sometimes yes and other times no.
There are a few reasons why a bitch may have infertility problems. Not knowing when to breed your bitch is one of the top reasons why a litter of puppies are not born. Some people assume all bitches should be bred around the same time as another one of their bitches are bred. The length of a bitch’s cycle varies from one bitch to another. There is not “one size fits all” when it comes to breeding. A good stud dog that has had much experience normally can tell when a bitch is ready for breeding although this is not always the case. If the bitch is willing to stand for the male, then breeding her every other day is a wise decision if you own both animals. Some bitches have been known to stand on the third day of her cycle or as late as the 21st. day of her cycle. Many breeders wisely use vaginal cytology and progesterone assays to help determine when the bitch is ready to be bred. This is especially important if one uses artificial insemination to impregnate the bitch.
It’s true, but some bitches will not always breed with certain males. Sometimes they can be very discriminating against certain males. Then you may have a submissive male that will not breed to a more dominate bitch. It is ALWAYS advisable to muzzle a bitch when you’re breeding her. You never know when she may get snappy with the male and turn around to bite him. Then you have the bitch that will fight you every step of the way to avoid being bred. I’ve had bitches throw themselves on the ground flipping over or refusing to stand up and you have to force her to stand. Always a pleasant experience when breeding one of these darlings!
The male isn’t free from breeding problems either. Ever breed to an inexperienced male that wants to play once he’s tied with the bitch? I have and let me tell you it was a horrific experience for him. My bitch was absolutely fine having been an experienced broad bitch. This young stud dog was in a lot of pain caused by him trying to play instead of getting the job done. His owner was an experienced breeder but I know she wasn’t expecting his shenanigans either. Or you might have a male dog just lie down in a corner when your bitch is ready to be bred. I’ve seen this happen sometimes with males that are bred too much. It’s almost like they become bored with it. I got my bitches finally bred and they both had litters so the girls were ready to make whoopee but the guys didn’t want any part of it! Guys can be funny like that sometimes!! (Ooops I mean dogs).
For the novice or pet person reading this you may not know, but a bitch can get pregnant from more than one male during her breeding cycle. So the litter can be sired by more than one dog. Maybe that’s why all those bitches that gets pregnant while roaming the streets has puppies in all shapes, colors and sizes!
Sometimes if a bitch it overweight or underweight she may have a problem conceiving and delivering a litter of puppies. If the bitch has health problems especially hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism they can affect her fertility.
Males too may have infertility problems. These may include a decreased sperm count, poor sperm structure (morphology) or poor sperm motility. These problems may be caused by genetics or may be due to injury or an illness. A male’s semen sample can be collected and analyzed in helping to determine the problem. Also an infection such as canine brucellosis can cause sterility. That’s why most stud dog owners require your bitch to have a canine brucellosis test before he will breed her to his male.
A breeder can fix a poor timing of a breeding but other breeding problems can be more of a challenge and difficult to fix. Sometimes a reproduction specialist can be a breeder’s answer to a prayer when dealing with breeding difficulties. Careful consideration should be made when attempting to breed animals with infertility problems. These problems may be passed genetically to their offspring and carried down through their bloodlines for future generations. I know of many bitches that sit in people’s kennels that have beautiful bloodlines but have never been able to have a litter of puppies. This is heartbreaking for the breeder.
(To be continued…..)
From the book: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF DOG BREEDING...A veterinarian with many years of canine practice experience offers guidance to novice and professional dog breeders, emphasizing the responsibilities of reputable breeders to their dogs and to the buyers of the puppies they produce. Topics covered include: the choosing, health, quality, and conditioning of brood stock; practical DNA use, and Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) surveys and data storage to scientifically improve the selection of healthy brood stock and puppies; potential breeding problems; artificial insemination; pregnancy and its duration; embryonic and fetal activity; pregnancy nutrition; physical changes during pregnancy; stages of labor; normal and Cesarean-section births, and how to assist in both; nutrition of dams and puppies and how to recognize and prevent potential problems in both; neonatal puppy care; lactation and weaning the puppies; socializing the puppies; pedigrees, registration, and titles; and much more. Filled with color photos and line art.
My rating: Breeding only from strong, healthy bloodlines: (4)
But what about dog breeders that plan their animals litters? Isn’t it just as easy for their dogs to produce a litter of pups as the one’s that roam the streets? Sometimes yes and other times no.
There are a few reasons why a bitch may have infertility problems. Not knowing when to breed your bitch is one of the top reasons why a litter of puppies are not born. Some people assume all bitches should be bred around the same time as another one of their bitches are bred. The length of a bitch’s cycle varies from one bitch to another. There is not “one size fits all” when it comes to breeding. A good stud dog that has had much experience normally can tell when a bitch is ready for breeding although this is not always the case. If the bitch is willing to stand for the male, then breeding her every other day is a wise decision if you own both animals. Some bitches have been known to stand on the third day of her cycle or as late as the 21st. day of her cycle. Many breeders wisely use vaginal cytology and progesterone assays to help determine when the bitch is ready to be bred. This is especially important if one uses artificial insemination to impregnate the bitch.
It’s true, but some bitches will not always breed with certain males. Sometimes they can be very discriminating against certain males. Then you may have a submissive male that will not breed to a more dominate bitch. It is ALWAYS advisable to muzzle a bitch when you’re breeding her. You never know when she may get snappy with the male and turn around to bite him. Then you have the bitch that will fight you every step of the way to avoid being bred. I’ve had bitches throw themselves on the ground flipping over or refusing to stand up and you have to force her to stand. Always a pleasant experience when breeding one of these darlings!
The male isn’t free from breeding problems either. Ever breed to an inexperienced male that wants to play once he’s tied with the bitch? I have and let me tell you it was a horrific experience for him. My bitch was absolutely fine having been an experienced broad bitch. This young stud dog was in a lot of pain caused by him trying to play instead of getting the job done. His owner was an experienced breeder but I know she wasn’t expecting his shenanigans either. Or you might have a male dog just lie down in a corner when your bitch is ready to be bred. I’ve seen this happen sometimes with males that are bred too much. It’s almost like they become bored with it. I got my bitches finally bred and they both had litters so the girls were ready to make whoopee but the guys didn’t want any part of it! Guys can be funny like that sometimes!! (Ooops I mean dogs).
For the novice or pet person reading this you may not know, but a bitch can get pregnant from more than one male during her breeding cycle. So the litter can be sired by more than one dog. Maybe that’s why all those bitches that gets pregnant while roaming the streets has puppies in all shapes, colors and sizes!
Sometimes if a bitch it overweight or underweight she may have a problem conceiving and delivering a litter of puppies. If the bitch has health problems especially hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism they can affect her fertility.
Males too may have infertility problems. These may include a decreased sperm count, poor sperm structure (morphology) or poor sperm motility. These problems may be caused by genetics or may be due to injury or an illness. A male’s semen sample can be collected and analyzed in helping to determine the problem. Also an infection such as canine brucellosis can cause sterility. That’s why most stud dog owners require your bitch to have a canine brucellosis test before he will breed her to his male.
A breeder can fix a poor timing of a breeding but other breeding problems can be more of a challenge and difficult to fix. Sometimes a reproduction specialist can be a breeder’s answer to a prayer when dealing with breeding difficulties. Careful consideration should be made when attempting to breed animals with infertility problems. These problems may be passed genetically to their offspring and carried down through their bloodlines for future generations. I know of many bitches that sit in people’s kennels that have beautiful bloodlines but have never been able to have a litter of puppies. This is heartbreaking for the breeder.
(To be continued…..)
From the book: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF DOG BREEDING...A veterinarian with many years of canine practice experience offers guidance to novice and professional dog breeders, emphasizing the responsibilities of reputable breeders to their dogs and to the buyers of the puppies they produce. Topics covered include: the choosing, health, quality, and conditioning of brood stock; practical DNA use, and Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) surveys and data storage to scientifically improve the selection of healthy brood stock and puppies; potential breeding problems; artificial insemination; pregnancy and its duration; embryonic and fetal activity; pregnancy nutrition; physical changes during pregnancy; stages of labor; normal and Cesarean-section births, and how to assist in both; nutrition of dams and puppies and how to recognize and prevent potential problems in both; neonatal puppy care; lactation and weaning the puppies; socializing the puppies; pedigrees, registration, and titles; and much more. Filled with color photos and line art.
My rating: Breeding only from strong, healthy bloodlines: (4)
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