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The Right Steps To Breeding Your Dog

Breeding your dog can be an exciting experience. From the moment an ideal stud dog is located to the stage that the puppies are whelped, it is vital that you use extra careful methods to help make this successful.

Prior to breeding your dog you may want to get advice from a professional dog breeder. The number one goal of most professional dog breeders is not to make a pile of money, it is in breeding better dogs. Professional dog breeders never breed their bitches on their first heat cycle nor do they breed the same bitch continuously. Your breeding dog's age matters.

If you plan on whelping the bitch at home you want to be sure you have the necessary dog breeding supplies including a calender to mark off the days of the bitch's gestation period, whelping box with a pig rail, clean towels, newspapers, sharp sterile scissors, strong thread, extra high premium dog food, and a quiet room or area of your house. The need for these dog breeding supplies will be shown throughout this article.

To ensure they are breeding better dogs, breeders often research their dogs pedigrees along with the pedigrees of possible mates for their dogs; genetics plays a large roll here. A breeding will only take place if the bitch and stud dog are found to be without major genetic faults and completely healthy. This helps to ensure the birth of a healthy litter of puppies.

I am going to reiterate what I just said so that you understand how important it is when it comes to breeding your dog. The ideal dog breeder will have the bitch and stud dog tested for every possible disease by a qualified vet prior to any dog breeding mating taking place. In addition to testing for diseases, they should have all of the information and facts concerning the breeding pair’s health records and pedigrees on file. Only when a breeder can find no problems in the heritage (pedigree) of the breeding pair, can the dog breeding mating commence. All of this is essential if, like a professional dog breeder, you plan on breeding better dogs when you breed your dog.

Most bitches come into heat every six months or twice a year. When breeding small and miniature dog breeds this is usually the case, but larger dog breeds may come into heat each and every eight or ten months with their heat cycle lasting approximately three weeks. Vaginal bleeding along with swelling of the vulva is a likely sign that the bitch is in heat. A bitch's gestation period or pregnancy lasts between 60 to 67 days. Most dogs give birth after 63 days.

When you are breeding your dog, keeping a record of the bitch's pregnancy is advisable for reference purposes. The only way to truly ascertain the stage of the bitch's pregnancy is by simply counting the days from the day of the breeding.

Precisely three weeks after the dog breeding mating, the bitch needs to be examined by a vet to confirm is she is indeed pregnant.

Throughout her pregnancy the bitch must be given a formulated and premium brand dog food with a strong nutritional foundation. It is also important she be fed this while she is nursing the puppies.

If you are breeding your dog at home, you may want to keep a larger supply of dog food than you are used to, because during pregnancy, the bitch's food consumption will nearly double compared to her pre-pregnancy level of food she was eating. It is important that increased feeding is given to ensure that there is enough nutrition for both the bitch and her unborn puppies.

Behavioral changes in your bitch are to be expected during her pregnancy, so don't panic, it's quite normal. There is a good chance she will demand far more affection than usual or she may even experience a few days of vomiting.

Later in her pregnancy, the expectant bitch will search the area for a quiet, secure place to whelp her puppies. Hopefully by now you have all of the proper dog breeding supplies setup and ready for use. Ensure that a proper place is ready for her when the time comes.

An ideal location for the purpose of an expecting mother is a whelping box with a pig rail. Based on the size of your dog, the whelping box must be spacious enough for the bitch to move around with ease and have pig rails (2x4 boards on the inside of the whelping box about 6 inches off the floor) so the puppies won't be suffocated when the bitch leans against the side of the box. The box should also have layers of newspaper inside of it that will absorb birthing fluids. The whelping box should also have low sides to allow the bitch to look outside and for the breeder to have easy so they can check if assistance is needed. It also makes it easy to remove soiled papers without interrupting the bitch and her newborn puppies.

When breeding your dog it is important that you have a strong stomach because you maybe required to help in the birthing. There are times when the bitch, especially a bitch having her first litter will not know what to do when the newborn pups arrive. In a perfect world, the bitch will tear open and eat the embryonic sac of each puppy as it arrives and then chew off the umbilical cord and lick the puppy clean which also helps stimulate the puppy's breathing. That's in a perfect world. Some bitches don't have a clue as to what needs to be done when the puppies are born.

I once had a bitch that went outside, squatted like she was going to the bathroom, would drop a puppy on the ground and walk away. She did this for each of her puppies. I'm telling you this because there are times where you will have to take over for the bitch and tear open the embryonic sac and withdraw the puppy, then cut the umbilical cord with scissors and tie it off with thread, then massage the puppy until it breathes. So, if you plan on breeding your dog or becoming a professional dog breeder you can't always count on nature taking its course. You may have to help at times.

If you follow these steps, you should be able to count on a happy, healthy litter of beautiful puppies!

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