Cynologist
Cynology: Puppies DogsArchive for the ‘Breeding Dogs’ Category
Whelping
If you are certain of the date of the last possible mating, don't worry if your bitch goes over the prescribed sixty- three days by a few days, provided that she is eating and is generally well, has no colored discharge from the vulva, and has not been seen to strain on any occasion other than when passing a stool. But if any pups have not appeared within two hours of straining, consult your vet immediately. When birth is imminent, the bitch's temperature drops by a couple of degrees. She becomes restless, may go off her food, pants fitfully, and prepares her bed. This means she wanders about, chooses a site quite different from the one you had chosen, may paw fret-fully at the bedding, and turns round round in circles before lying down, only to be up again in a short while. This state of pre-labour usually lasts about twelve hours, but it can be much briefer or continue for a day or two, sometimes with intervals of normal behaviour. If there is no straining, no colored discharge from the vulva, and the bitch is otherwise well in herself, all is in order. Labour proper can be regarded as beginning when you see the first strain by the bitch or the appearance of a colored (often bottle- green) discharge. Count Read more [...]
Provided the bitch is normally fed on a sound, balanced diet and is generally in good condition, no special dietary changes are required before mating. If she is obese, she should be slimmed to the appropriate weight and dimensions. The gestation period is about nine weeks, and for the first six weeks of pregnancy the daily diet needs little change or supplements apart from possible minor modifications necessary to maintain stable condition and body weight. During this period, the foetuses are so small as to have only a negligible effect on the bitch's resources - the weight of each foetus of a Beagle bitch is less than half an ounce (ten grams) after six weeks' gestation. During the last three weeks the food intake may be increased by about ten per cent each week, so that in the last week the bitch may be receiving about forty per cent more than in early pregnancy. These increments are broad guidelines which may be modified up or down according to body condition, breed, temperament, and (unquantifiable) number of puppies. Regardless of the amount of increase, food in the last two weeks should be given in two or possibly three meals per day. By this time the developing uterus and its contents of rapidly growing foetuses, Read more [...]
In the wild, a mature female will almost certainly be mated, perhaps several times, when she comes in heat and will then progress through pregnancy and the rearing of her young. In the companion animal, mating should only be allowed after very careful consideration. First-time breeders should consult their veterinary surgeon, who will give comprehensive advice; most breed clubs are also helpful and often know of suitable stud dogs. Bitches will continue to have heat periods until they are quite old, though their fertility and fecundity diminish after five or six years of age. They do not experience anything comparable to the human menopause. The frequency of breeding from a bitch is dependent on litter size and the health of the bitch, and although she can in theory manage to produce two litters annually, most breeders would consider one litter a year enough. Before embarking on the mating procedure, a number of important factors should be carefully considered, including the following:
Pros and cons of mating: There is no evidence for the popular view that having a litter is 'good' for a bitch, and that if not permitted the bitch is more likely to contract certain illnesses. Although the normal course of pregnancy, Read more [...]
Although most pedigree dogs are bred by professional breeders, the owner of an individual pet bitch may wish to breed from her, perhaps only once, to ensure succession or companionship for the existing animal, or just for the experience and satisfaction. Before embarking on such a course, two major responsibilities must be fully appreciated the care of the bitch and puppies over the period of pregnancy and lactation, and the disposal of the puppies to good homes. Timing of the pregnancy must also be considered; it would be foolish to have a bitch mated three months before a planned family holiday. A bitch with a litter of pups requires a great deal of attention and commitment and cannot be fostered off to boarding kennels or neighbours, however friendly. A pregnancy requires careful planning to ensure that time and facilities are adequate to the undertaking; to ensure a healthy litter, special nutritional considerations must be given to the bitch during and after the gestation period.
At the beginning of the heat period, known as the pro-oestrous phase, the lips of the sexual orifice, the vulva, begin to swell and become more obvious, and the bitch will lick the region frequently. The swelling is followed in two to four days by a bloody discharge, and drops of blood may be the first obvious sign.
The pro-oestrous phase may last for eight to ten days during which time the bitch is often restless and excitable; she may drink water and urinate more frequently; even a perfectly house-trained bitch will occasionally have an accident indoors. She may also become more finicky with her food. Her attractiveness to male dogs will increase, but she will not permit mating to take place. Towards the end of this phase, the vulval discharge becomes less blood- stained, often quite clear, and the lips of the vulva become tense and hot, hence the description, in heat. This marks the beginning of the oestrous phase, when mating can and will take place, given the chance.
The combined length of the pro-oestrous and oestrous phases when the bitch is in heat or in season is usually about three weeks, with oestrus lasting on average nine days, but having a range of three to twenty-one days. Mating is permitted by the Read more [...]
The pattern of sexual activity varies greatly among animals, frequent short periods of intense sexual activity being normal in some domestic species such as cows and sheep, while the dog (bitch) usually only has two periods of sexual activity in a year. Occasionally there is only one or as many as three. Such a period is generally described as the bitch being in heat or in season; the physiological term is oestrus, from the Latin and meaning a gadfly and therefore frenzy. The bitch will permit mating to take place only when she is in season.The physiological and behavioural changes which take place during the oestrous cycle of the bitch are controlled by the cyclical release of hormones acting on the ovaries and causing the release of the sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. Surgical removal of the ovaries (spaying or neutering) abolishes these cyclical changes and prevents mating and conception. They can also be prevented by the administration of synthetic hormones – the canine equivalent of the contraceptive pill – which interfere with the normal sequence of events leading up to oestrus.
The sex glands become functional, and the first heat period may occur from the age of six months in the smaller breeds to twelve months or more in large and giant breeds. The timing of heat periods is to some extent influenced by the season of the year, the majority occuring during spring and autumn. A heat is generally eighteen to twenty- one days long although the bitch will only accept the dog and conceive during a few days around the middle of the heat period. The first stage of heat is indicated by puffiness of the lips of the vulva. Soon, bleeding begins (this is not equivalent to the menstrual period in human females). While she is bleeding, which may last from four to fourteen days (ten days on average), the bitch is highly attractive to dogs but will not accept their advances.Following this stage, the bleeding diminishes or ceases altogether, the vulva attains maximum enlargement, and the bitch will accept the dog. This is the fertile period, and it lasts from five to twelve days, with sexual desire at its height during the first two or three days. This is the time to let mating take place if you are planning to have puppies. Mating should be repeated two days later to increase the chance of a successful fertilization. Read more [...]