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BREEDING
AND MATING Everything
should be done to avoid unnecessary breeding of dogs. Unwanted digs usually lead a miserable life, are often a
nuisance and can cause a risk to the public in several different ways.
However, breeding from a good dog in a planned way can be useful
and rewarding. If there was
no breeding, there would be no dogs and our world would be the poorer
for that. The
key to success is in the planning.
If a good bitch is mated to a dog of known, reliable ancestry
this improves the prospects of success.
You will need to set aside some resources, including your time,
especially when caring for the bitch and her litter of puppies. Anyone
who embarks on a breeding program for their bitch as a means of making
some money is likely to be disappointed.
If all the items are costed properly, the ‘amateur’ breeder
is not likely to be much in funds at the end of it all and may well
find, even if all the puppies are sold soon after weaning, that he or
she may actually be financially worse off. The
most valid reason for breeding dogs relate to perpetuating some of the
qualities of the parents. As
we have emphasized before, it is not ‘good’ for the bitch to have a
litter just for the sake of breeding. PLANNING
A BREEDING PROGRAM Having
decided to breed from a bitch, the next question to be answered is
‘when?’ Bitches will
usually accept the male during oestrus periods.
These are usually called being ‘in heat’ and normally last
about three weeks. They
begin, in average-sized individuals, soon after the bitch is about six
months old. This means that
the bitch may well be able to be mated and conceive before she is fully
mature. Most authorities,
however, advise against mating a bitch as early as the first season. Although
there is not much scientific evidence to show that it is actually
harmful, it makes sense preventing a bitch from having to rear a litter
while she is still growing. With
most breeds, waiting until the second season, or when the bitch is about
18 months old at least, is wise. It
is not really possible to make any firm judgments on the bitch’s
qualities before then in any case. Having
decided to begin a breeding program, the first point to make clear it
that the inheritance of physical characteristics is a very complex
process indeed. Features
present in the parents are not the same as those that will be inherited.
Many hidden traits may become evident in the nets generation, and
features that were hoped for may not appear in the puppies. In
the end, the resulting litter is usually something of a compromise
showing much of the appearance of both parents, but with a good
sprinkling of features that make each individual unique.
It is easy to fall into the trap of imagining that to become a
successful breeder all you need do is to cross two individuals who have
all the characteristics thought to be desirable. Another
myth which needs to be put to rest is that mismating will in some way
‘taint’ a bitch and spoil her for producing pedigree puppies later
on. A crossbred litter will
have no effect on the quality of subsequent offspring. SEEKING
THE RIGHT MATE The
best way to begin to look for a male to mate with a bitch of the same
breed is by contacting the breeder of the animal.
Not only can the original breeder advise on the most suitable
sire, but he or she can probably help to make the arrangements in good
time. Alternatively,
the various specialist magazines on dogs, certain directories and even
the local press are fruitful sources of information on this subject.
Having done this research you can arrange to visit the breeder of
the proposed sire and to make some assessment of the dog and, if
possible, some of the puppies her has sired. You will get some idea of the general health and the
temperament of the dog before you have to make any commitment. OESTRUS Most
bitches come into season or oestrus about every six months.
This is more often than not in the spring and autumn, but there
is a great deal of variation between individuals. The
first oestrus period is often barely noticeable to humans and is often
called the ‘silent’ heat. All
the same, a male or two in the district may notice it very quickly and
so it can happen that a bitch is mated before the owner has realized she
was even ready. Later
oestrus periods are more obvious. The
local swelling of the genital organs, accompanied by discharges which
are eventually blood-stained, are easily seen, but it is the change in
behavior that surprises many owners.
What was a quiet, home-loving and obedient bitch can soon become
apparently wanton. A
botch in oestrus will often actively seek a mate, and break out of the
house to satisfy a desire fired by powerful hormones.
This often comes as a shock to an owner who thought all the
problems would be keeping the canine admirers away. In
the early stages of oestrus, a bitch will be very attractive to males:
so much so that they seem to be drawn from all corners and may
sit and wait in eager anticipation, or jump the most formidable
obstacles, to get at the bitch. Taking
a bitch out at this time, even on a lead in great secret, will advertise
the fact that she is in oestrus as she will take the scent with her and
lead a trail straight back to the house for every dog around. Although
the bitch attracts the dog and may even stand with her tail to one side,
she will only accept proper mating in the later stages of oestrus. Most
breeders mate their bitches at least twice, between the eleventh and the
fourteenth days of oestrus. The
crucial time is indicated by the bloodstained discharge becoming more
sticky. This is the most
likely time for conception to be achieved, but it must be stressed that
a bitch may well be successfully mated up to nearly two weeks after
this. It is easy to relax
the control measures too soon and have an unwanted litter in the house
as a result. The
actual control over the mating is best left to the owner of the stud
dog, but the least human interference in the process is usually the
best. It makes sense for an
experienced male to be used when the bitch is untried, and vice versa. FALSE
PREGNANCY Like
many other species, bitches prepare themselves for having young whether
they conceive or not. A
bitch that is not pregnant very often shows all the signs of being about
to give birth, without actually doing so.
This condition of false pregnancy can be regarded as normality,
in the sense that any bitch in the wild state would almost certainly
become pregnant, so not being mated while in season is the abnormal
state. Some
individuals take it to an extreme – even to the point of coming into
full lactation (producing milk for puppies), increasing bodyweight and
building a ‘nest’ our of bedding or any other available material. Owners
often become anxious when they see their bitch protecting objects in her
nest as if they were puppies. Squeaky
toys are greatly favored, and this can be a source of conflict with any
children in the home. Bitches
with false pregnancy can be used as foster mothers when in full
lactation, and others may experience quite a lot of discomfort from the
accumulated milk, where there are no puppies to suckle.
Drawing the milk off by hand is only a temporary help as it
simply stimulates the production of more. PREGNANCY Early
pregnancy is in fact quite difficult to distinguish from the false type.
The only sure way is to determine that there is a fetus present
in the uterus. This is
usually established by feeling or, in technical terms, manual palpation
of the abdomen. An
experienced vet can normally feel a puppy in a cooperative bitch between
three and four weeks into pregnancy. It
is much easier to be sure that there is a puppy there, than to be
positive that three is not. No
chemical tests are yet available for pregnancy testing in bitches, and
x-rays are not advised unless there is good reason, and then only in the
final stages. Ultrasound
equipment is safe and effective, but the cost is still very high and few
veterinary practices have this facility as yet. Normal
pregnancy lasts nine weeks, but there is a good deal of variation, and
four or five days either way is nothing extraordinary.
A bitch will still remain in season for several days after
mating, so care has to be taken to avoid additional matings that produce
unwanted puppies even if the first mating is successful.
This can certainly happen, for it is possible to have puppies
from more than one mating present in the same uterus at the same time. The
first six weeks of pregnancy show very little visible change in most
bitches, but after this time there is a more dramatic increase in
bodyweight, and some enlargement of the teats is seen.
Milk can usually be drawn from the teats up to a week before the
birth is due. However,
these changes can occur in false pregnancy as well and it is easy, even
for the experienced, to be deceived. PREPARATIONS
FOR WHELPING There
is no need to restrict a pregnant bitch’s activity, beyond avoiding
any great exertion, until the last third of the term.
At this time feeding should be increased by 25-30 percent to
allow for the rapid acceleration in puppy growth. If
the bitch is already receiving a balanced and wholesome diet, simply
increase the amount of each constituent in the same proportion.
It is not necessary (and may be harmful) to give an assortment of
vitamin and mineral supplements at this stage in the hope that it will
result in bigger and more puppies. Provide
a suitable box in which whelping can take place, and allow the bitch to
get used to it and its location for at least three weeks before the
birth is due. The box
should be located in a reasonably quiet but dry and warm place where you
can observe what goes on without disturbance.
The box should be large enough for the bitch to turn around in,
as well as be able to stretch out to suckle her puppies.
It should also have a low front to allow her access. Line
the box with a suitable litter: this
can be a few sheets of clean newspaper, which you can change as the need
arises, or else a blanket or blankets, which can be washed frequently.
Whelping is a messy business, so start collecting a supply of
newspaper well in advance, to be sure you have enough to cope when the
time comes. The
hair at the bitch’s rear should be clipped quite short during the last
week. from The Practical Guide to Dog & Puppy Care - Andrew Edney and Roger Mugford |
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