Bitch Dog Breeding - How To Breed Your Dog - Puppy Advice - Puppies - Dog Facts

Learn About Breeding Your Dog

The Breeding Program

The genetic improvement of a herd, litter or a breed requires careful planning with regard to the choice of animals for breeding, and the mating combinations that are carried out.

Methods of Selection

Selection of breeding animals can be carried out in different ways. Among the more important are mass selection, pedigree selection, family selection, and progeny selection.

1. Mass selection is based solely on individual merit. Applied to traits with high heritability and about equal manifestation in both sexes, mass selection can be expected to give good results. With decreasing heritability the efficiency decreases, and for sex-limited traits - heritability is considerably below 0.5. , it is always inefficient.

2. Pedigree selection depends on the merits of the potential animal and its ancestors. It is valuable in the first selection among young animals, especially when the heritability of the traits is high. Relying solely on pedigree selection, however, results in very slow progress.

3. Family selection is based on the merits of collateral relatives, such as full sibs or half-sibs, and it is used mainly as an aid to individual selection. It is especially valuable with regard to sex-limited traits, for traits with low heritability, or when some animals have to be slaughtered, as for determining the carcass quality. In the selection of young males for breeding, for example, no data may be available on their individual performance; e.g., egg production in the fowl. When sib groups of pullets start laying early in the autumn, the cockerels may be selected for breeding on the laying records of their full sibs and half-sibs. Similarly, young bulls may be selected mainly on the milk records of their paternal half-sibs; that is, on the progeny tests of their sires. Individual pigs may be selected on the basis of carcass tests made on their sib groups. With regard to traits that can be recorded for all the animals alike, males and females, selection of individuals can be based simply on their family average or on an index that combines the individual's own performance and the average for the rest of the family. A simple procedure, applicable in dog and pig breeding, would be to select the best individual from the best litter.

One difficulty in the application of family selection is that systematic environmental differences may occur, especially between full-sib groups, and these tend to mask the genetic differences. When inherited defects appear in sib groups, there is a certain risk that some of the healthy animals carry a hidden gene for the defect.

4. Progeny selection has been applied with great success in dairy cattle breeding, and in general it is valuable in all types of livestock when applied to sex-limited traits and traits with low heritability. Early progeny testing of males on a sufficient number of offspring and an effective selection among those tested are very important. The disadvantage of selection of sires on progeny testing is that it means increased length of the generation interval and thereby tends to slow down the rate of genetic improvement.

In general, it is not necessary to include all the traits used for selection in an overall index; for example, all animals used for breeding should possess normal fertility, and those that do not should be excluded from the breeding program. Also, as a rule, any animal known to be a carrier of a gene for a serious metabolic or morphological defect should be eliminated even if the merits for some other traits are fairly high.

Usually selection is made in a stepwise fashion. With regard to dairy bulls, for example, selection on the basis of pedigree can be made soon after birth; a second selection can be made later based on growth rate during the first year of life and fertility in the first series of inseminations; and finally a third selection can depend on the results of progeny testing, when offspring are old enough to be judged.

breeding my dog - how do i breed my bitch - breeding my bitch -- Fleas on my little angel. Fleas on your dog - Read on to find out how to combat fleas.

Whelp - A young dog; puppy - Archaic - a cub.

An ill-mannered child or youth - a child in Old English.

To give birth to in canines.

Whad You Lookin At !!??

Brucellosis - or undulant fever. An infectious disease of farm animals caused by the bacterium Brucella abortus. Symptoms include fever weakness, cough, joint pain, and sometimes swelling of the lymph nodes. The antibiotic tetracycline usually cures the disease, which can be contracted by man from contaminated milk.


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Š Copyright Roy G Symonds BA 1995 - 2009

Making Money

Breeding your female dog, and doing it right, can be an expensive enterprise. By the time you've picked out a good animal, waited for her to grow old enough, which is a minimum age of two years before breeding, then picked out the best dog to mate her with, gone through all the health checks she needs, ensured that the stud-dog you want to use also passes the same health checks, and has an acceptable history, you have invested a lot of time and effort.

You still have to pay a stud fee, or offer the dog owners a 'pick of the litter'. A stud fee, especially for a large dog, could be as much as $1,000.00 or Ł5-700.00 - Premium Cost.

And of course you have the potential extra expenses during pregnancy. Not forgetting extra food and nutrients for your dam. You have the time and expense of whelping.

Thoroughbred - But with no Pedigree

Of course you may not have papers for your dog, the Pedigree and it might even be a proper mongrel - a dog of no definable type or breed, and you want to breed it. We will not judge or give opinion on whether this is good or bad. For the sake of dogs in general though, try to prevent your female dog from becoming pregnant if it is not what you, as an owner, has planned.

If your dog is definably of a particular breed, a thoroughbred, but without pedigree, you will not be able to sell the puppies for any premium price. Even though it would appear and be the truth, that its lineage goes back many generations, uninterrupted by any other type of dog. It would not be worth paying a premium stud fee, as the puppies would have no papers.

Prior to getting another dog of your dog's breed to mate, get a finite figure sorted out, as to what you will pay for any 'stud-fee'. This is usually the cost of one of the puppies, or a 'pick of the litter'. A thoroughbred puppy, but without papers will sell for about a third of what you could expect for a dog with documentation. A mongrel per se, maybe impossible to sell and might sell between zero to a tenth of the cost of a premium dog.

Whelping - You or someone responsible has to be at hand during this time, day or night, not to mention the possible inclusion of the Vet. You may have to take time off work, and be prepared to rush your dog into the vets, should something go wrong.

Ideally, and morally, you then need to keep the puppies for a minimum of 8 weeks before sending them off to their new homes. You need to advertise and find good homes for the puppies. You need to make sure they have had their shots before letting them go.

You possibly may have further vet bills if the puppies require extra attention. If some of the puppies die, or you have a smaller than usual litter, you may not get as much money from the sale of the puppies as you had considered.

There are even potential problems later on with dissatisfied customers, who want their money back. If any of the above go against you, breeding dogs is not quite so profitable. If all of the above go wrong, you will be seriously in debt.

Rottweiler Puppys

ROTTWEILER PUPPIES

Breeding Opportunities

Preferably, a female-dog should only be bred every other year and she should not be bred until over two years of age. The estrus show after the second birthday is a good one to start with; certainly no earlier than this. You should have noted her previous estruses and be organized. In some breeds, you may have to wait another season before commencement. By this time, she is better prepared mentally and physically for having puppies, more so than she would have been in her first few seasons. Her physical growth should be concluded and pregnancy should not endanger her health so readily, but this is provided that she is healthy to begin with.

[ In breeds with a propensity to Hip Dysplasia, many people wait until after two years of age so that the parents can be certified or checked by a Vet. ]

The rate of recurrence of breeding must be kept as low as possible. Even at most, you want to allow at least one clear non-breeding season between mating attempts. This will allow your dam to rest and recapture her strength and ability. A mother that whelps too often can produce weaker, sickly puppies who will be more likely to die before and after birth. Too many pregnancies in any animal are dangerous to general health, and if you are buying a puppy, inquire to how many litters the Dam has had.

For males, they should have all the documentation required to confirm pedigree and health, and if both sire and dam are over two years old, everything should be in place. A male can actually breed at almost anytime, unlike bitches; in nature evolution has not prevented this as generally older more mature dogs will not allow young animals, to mate, but this will not stop them trying.

Frequency for the male in most animals is not generally a problem, although high mating will reduce sperm production. If a dog mates everyday over a long period, they might not produce sufficient sperm to impregnate, as time goes on.

If you own the female, it might be a good idea, to negotiate, if practicable, that the dog mates with your dam, three times over a 7 - 8 day period. But make sure that the dog is not being mated with any other dams at this time, or any reasonable period before. This practice might add extra puppies to your litter. make it part of the deal that no pregnancy - no stud-fee.

A short period prior to mating, both the male and female must be fed extra vitamins and mineral supplements, and as much as they can eat of top quality food.

Heat Cycle

This is a litter of seemingly pure Rottweilers. But three appear to be another a different color or dog-type. This could be some throw-back from a another type of dog, entering the lineage, in the recent past, or even 100 years ago. It could even be a mutation; the start of a new type of dog, not produced through some kind of selection. In any event the brown dogs looked the same as the others they were just not coloured the same.

Temperament

Whilst we believe that a lot of temperament problems are through nurturing and conditioning, that is, caused by the lack of good training, nevertheless, there are inherent traits in some animals that cannot be trained out. And we do not mention any particular breed here. ALL DOMESTIC DOGS have members of their group who are as placid and well behaved as any other group, but then every type of dog has its rogue element as well.

Read About Wild African Dogs

So never breed any animal that has temperament problems. This has been the cause of much of the degeneration of many breed's general temperament. If you consider that your animal is untrustworthy around people; more than usually aggressive to people, uncontrollably excitable, or is a fear-biter, do not breed it. But accept also that the dog maybe fine, it has been your training regimen that is at fault.

If also it is shy or overly submissive, again do not breed this dog as you may pass on these traits. Look for a happy, confident and obedient animal, one that has a shiny coat, a wet nose, a spark in its step and is outwardly a friendly dog. Such breeds like the Rottweiler, whilst having a reputation for being aggressive are not anymore aggression than any other. ALL DOMESTIC DOGS, Species Canis Familiaris, can be vicious and aggressive.

You should bring your dog up, repressing any aggression, and promoting friendliness and obedience. Any dog's natural ability to guard and protect will come out when the need is there. Of course, some types due posses greater guarding abilities but most any dog is very much like another.

Species - A unit of classification of animals and plants. Individuals of the same species / genus can breed among themselves, producing fertile offspring that resemble the parents. Some species are divided into subspecies and varieties. Breeds of domestic animals and cultivated varieties of plants have been developed by man and are derived from wild species. All breeds of domestic dog, for instance, belong to the same species - Canis familiaris - and can breed together.

PEDIGREE

As far as pedigree is concerned you should be aware of your own dog's lineage, and you will have to decide what you want your puppies to be. Do you want the father to be of champion stock or just some run of the mill mutt.

I will not preach here about this, it is up to you. But if you have paid a premium for your dog and spent a small fortune getting her ready for this stage, now is not the time to start cutting corners. Consider all aspects, health, ailment traits like Displaced Hips etc, that might be in the sire.

If you plan to remove the dewclaws or even dock the tails. Get advise on this from your Vet, as soon as you know your dog is pregnant.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DOGS ARE BORN.

Different countries have different laws about this. If you litter is a full pedigree one, know what you have to do to register them in your own country.

Prepare the Stage.

We presume that you have checked your dates, and the size of your dog confirms this to some extent. At least a week prior to birth get prepared for the happy event. Make sure that the room is spotlessly clean and secure. Vacuum much more than usual. Lay down lots of newspaper on the floor, cover with a large plastic sheet. On top of this lay some old bed-sheets or the like, that you can throw away if you want.

A Large strong box with most of only one side cut out, giving a little bit of a roof, is good. The 'cave' effect will make the dog feel more secure. Dogs love getting into places like this, that is why the Dog-Kennel is so popular. This stems back from their Wolf-Days, when they would dig out a hole to have their pups. Wolf-mothers that found safe secluded places had a better chance of rearing their brood.

Make sure that the bed, or blankets where you would want the birth to take place is warm and very clean. Make sure that the birthing area is quite large. Have extra warm bedding available. Have warm towels ready. Expect a mess and you will be prepared. Have large black bags ready for any disposable stuff. Buy a box of plastic gloves so you can protect your hands when clearing up and to protect the puppies when you handle them.

Make sure that the bedding is safe and that no puppy could get lost under it and suffocate.

Buy some baby-bottles and ask at your pet-store what the best puppy milk is. Dogs can be intolerant to cow's milk - Lactose, and any milk-preparation should not have this. Generally the best milk powder is made from goat's milk.

Ask about your weaning food, or puppy complete food, that you will need to introduce them to as they get older.

Care to Take With the Mother

During pregnancy feed her twice her normal food intake. During puppy feeding expect to feed her THREE times what she would normally eat. Give her recommended vitamins, if you want. Vitamins, are present in the various parts of her diet. Extra vitamins are fine but do not overfeed on vitamins as too many can have the opposite result you are looking for.

Make sure that she has had all her vaccinations say in the last 6 - 12 months. Her first milk will give the puppies temporary protection from many bad diseases, or at least the ones the mother is immune to. If your female-dog has had to have antibiotics, just prior to birth, be careful.

Theses antibiotics will be fed straight into the puppies stomachs and may well kill any good bacteria that they will have in their stomachs, or expect to be given in the first few feeds. This bacteria helps to break down food, and is essential for a happy life. Talk to your Vet about this.

She will require supplementary food during the last month or so of pregnancy. In general, puppy complete food is formulated both for puppies and pregnant or nursing bitches. Read the label. Try to mix the biscuits with some tasty meat stock, and fat.

We hope that you have taken her to the vet prior to mating and then informed the vet that she has fell. Read Heat Cycle Page Then taken her for a visit in the first week and then about every couple of weeks after that. Dogs can have miscarriages. Illnesses, diseases, or infestations that the bitch picks up during her pregnancy and these can obviously can affect the puppies. When walking your pregnant dog, keep her away from other dogs, and if possible from where other dogs tend to congregate. Simple safeguards will save you money and aggravation.

Around 36 hours before the birth she will find a secluded den as dogs have done for centuries. You should have provided her with a whelping box and she should have been sleeping in it for the last two weeks. She will also start to pace around, she may look confused and anxious. She will get into her whelping box and start to build a nest or move the stuff about as if doing this. Rabbits can be seen to have a piece of straw in their mouths, your dog may collect toys and put them in her box.

She will probably stop eating and may even vomit or shiver. As the birth gets nearer you will see signs of contraction and straining. She may turn around in circles. After a while the first sac will appear and the water will break and the first pup should appear.

Try to help the birth where you can. You might pull VERY gently on the pup to give it a helping hand. Encorage the mother to lick and tend for each pup as they are born. This licking helps the pup starts breathing etc and it encourages the mother to give birth to another pup.

On most occasions your dog will give birth quite naturally and, with your help, as if she had done it a 100 times. But complications during whelping are wholly possible, and be aware that they might happen, especially in the middle of the night. Be prepared to get her to the vet quickly in an emergency.

Be also prepared for still births. Read the Heat-Cycle page. Different sizes of dogs have different numbers of newborn. Expect that you may have at least one of your puppies to be born dead, or very small or very weak, or even deformed in some way. Be prepared and understand that this is Nature's way.

When all the pups are out, the mother should immediately clean them up. This is good, and encorages not only the puppy into life, but it urges her on to have another puppy.

Give her the opportunity to lick her pups but be careful, even the friendliest dog may be a little tetchy and protective here so be careful, the most loving dog may give you a nip. Try and keep a vigilant eye on them for the first week as they can be crushed under her weight, or left out in the cold, away from the rest, or even bullied by the others.

During the time whilst the bitch is nursing the puppies, she will require about three times the amount of food she normally eats. Leave food down for her all the time, and of course as much clean water as possible. Feed her some of her favorite food to encorage her. In the early days of the litter, if she goes off for a feed, or for some fresh air etc., be prepared to have a hot-water bottle wrapped in a thick towel to help the puppies stay warm.

We recently received an email telling and asking us, about a mother who had apparently eaten three of her puppies. In any event they had mysteriously disappeared. Be prepared for ANYTHING in nature. Some might say that a dog will eats its new-born young if it instinctively feels that it should cut the numbers down to give the other a better chance.

It has been recorded that a mother, or indeed a father will eat one or more puppies, it can happen in many different species. Perhaps 99% of the time, everything will be OK, but then something will go wrong. Consider, all eventualities that you can imagine, and try to avoid them or take steps to stop them.

Be Prepared.

Heat Cycle

The Puppies

After the puppies are born, to around 10 days old, they are blind and cannot comprehend sounds very well. They rely on their other senses, like smell and touch, and instinct to discover their environment. When they are just a few days old, gently cuddle them and allow them to smell you; they will tell you if they are stressed. As their eyes open, so sounds become more audible and they become much more aware of their surroundings, and they remember what they felt and smelt.

Every day they will be able to move about better, and you need to add stimuli into their worlds. Like toys and things they can play with and get inside. They like cave-like places to hide in, and they will be very inquisitive. The more stimulus they get at this age, will make stronger their senses and intelligence, later in life.

As soon as they can get about, if you can, and it is safe, allow them to go outside; always supervise these excursions and praise them when they go to the toilet outside.

Consider that you will have between 1 - 15 little monsters, that all want to eat as much as they can and then make as much mess and wet as they can. There are many strategies for lining and protecting the birthing area. Whatever you use, prepare to use a lot.

The mothers first milk, the colostrum, is important as it contains much goodness and anti-bodies. Try to make sure hat all your puppies get a first feed.

All newborns MUST be kept very warm. Do NOT let your puppies get cold. A young baby needs as much help in the first few weeks as possible. It will use up valuable energy keeping itself warm, the less the need for this, will put it in good stead for survival. Therefore, the room must be heated to, but no more than, 90 degrees F and 33 degrees C, at first. This can be brought down to normal as the pups grow older and stronger. As they all get bigger, they will become bigger handfuls and you may even have to expand your puppy area.

If they ever become cold, and they will show signs like tail between legs, and huddling. Do not feed them, but warm them up with cuddling or by laying them temporally on something like a electric-blanket.

But at all times, watch them like hawks, make sure that they are safe and well away from anything that could hurt or poison them. This does include the mother; many babies are squashed or rejected by the mother; watch her as well, watch any unusual reactions by her. make sure that they cannot escape the confines of the delivery room.

As soon as possible, look at all your pups closely, you will know the ones that are not as healthy as the others. At first they will be just balls of fur, eyes closed like little rats slowly scampering about, not knowing where to go, or be, unless they are feeding off mother.

But as soon as they get a few days older, they will soon buck up. Their tails must be pert as they should be, running and playing and fighting. If one is up the corner, take concern over its wellbeing. Or if they are all packing together the room might be too cool.

At every opportunity, handle your little dogs, cuddle and play with them, touch them on every part of their body, checking not only to see if everything is OK but to reaffirm to it, that humans are OK. This association or socializing is paramount. It must learn that humans are friends.

Larger litters will require supplemental feedings if you want the smaller ones to survive. The mother might not be able to produce sufficient milk to go round. You will need to rotate the pups making sure they all get a chance. Make sure you know what dog, is who. You do not want to stop the mother producing but every calorie of food at this early stage is valuable. If any of the pups refuse to or cannot suckle on the mother, and also will not suck on your baby bottles, you may have to tube feed it, just past the back of the mouth. But be very careful and take it slowly as you might drown the poor little thing.

If you have a full-blooded litter, you must keep a record book. Record the date of birth, and all of the puppy's initial given names. This includes any still-births. Then fill out and send in your litter registration forms, as soon as possible, since many registries can take up to 6 weeks; any new owner will want to see these prior to any purchase.

When they are older than five weeks start them off on solids. Mush it up at first and ad warm water, or goat's milk. Read the labels carefully. Any that has been untouched for more than two hours remove and throw away. Puppies need to be fed very well but do not allow them to over-feed. Watch for those that are getting fat and those that are not and balance things up.

At week six you should vaccination and worm the pups, and have them checked for heart murmurs, hernias, males for testicles, deafness, and eye problems. But as you have been already looking at your new dogs, this should be OK. Get the vet to fully check the mother.

Always be prepared with something going wrong, and things might just be OK.

There is a tiny mite, Demodex Canis, and it is present in most dogs, but 95% of the time the dog will only suffer its influence during the first few days of puppy hood. The puppy's natural immune system will then suppress this thing and it will lie dormant from then onwards. The mite may only come back if the adult dog is very ill, and its immune system falters at a later age, or it is given drugs that do the same.

Demodectic Mange is passed onto puppies by close contact with the mother. Dogs that are hand reared do not suffer this and do not have the mite at all.

But in some dogs there is a fault in their genes that bring about a propensity in their immune system, to not be able to fight this creature, as normally occurs. The mite therefore flourishes.

Recap

Speak to Vet and others who have bred their dam.

Speak to Vet, Pet-Store owners, friends who have bred in the past; people are always willing to give over information they know.

Consider that breeding may cost you money.

Only puppy factories breed conveyor style to make money, never be accused of this.

Look into Spaying should you never wish to breed.

By far, the majority of female dogs will never have puppies.

Make sure your Dam and the Sire are as fit and healthy as possible.

Having progeny can be a traumatic and harrowing, give your dog every opportunity to be safe and sound.

Check for the other dog's temperament and overall demeanor.

Traits can be inherited, get the best parents for your puppies.

Check all documentation / pedigree papers / injections.

Check thoroughly, that the dog or dam has the lineage that the owner say they have.

Check that the sire's owners know what and when you will pay.

Negotiate everything before you do the deed. Write it all down if need be, and all sign it.

Prepare for the birth in every way.

Prepare your dam, prepare the Vet, prepare the birthing area, prepare all the things you will need after the birth.

Look after your puppies as if they were your own.

At the end of the day, this has all been to produce fine healthy little pups. Watch them, watch the mother.

ABOVE ALL, BE PREPARED

A Picture of Romulus II, the Rottweiler - Taken about ten miles South of a California Beach. A muscular brute, by no means fat, but still weighing 135 pounds, 62 kilos, or 10 stone. But still as gentle as could be.

Benefits of Spaying your Dog