Facts About Canine Reproduction.
I bred my bitch but she did not conceive this time...I am sure my bitch conceived, but she absorbed the foetuses...my bitch seems to only ever conceive a small litter...my bitch had to have another caesarean, it has to be a problem in the breeding lines, I am not going to breed from her again. My bitch had weak, small for date, puppies and I lost them…there was nothing I could do. My bitch has not produced enough milk to feed her litter…and so it goes on and on and on. How many times have we, as breeders, said the above, or heard it from another breeder. Not, as uncommon as some would think. And who said breeding dogs was easy?
Before I begin, let me tell you, I have been on both sides of the fence, so to speak. Yes, I have encountered the above problems over the thirty odd years I have been breeding, but have also found a vast improvement with changes I have made and a heck of a lot of research and study. What you are about to read, is all based on my own personal experience and data I have kept on my own breeding records. You will find information such as this and more in my book "Lets Talk Dogs".
Now, in my opinion, you can only improve, not totally eliminate all problems that may arise all of the time. I have, however, in point form stated what I have found to have a positive or negative effect on pregnancy and out come. Perhaps, I may have given rise to some points here you may not yourself have considered and as such, making alterations could mean your next litter could be vastly different to the rest.
To optimise maximum fertility, both the bitch and the dog should be in optimum health. This means being free of disease, worm infestations, and external and internal parasites. They should be fed the right food and have the appropriate vitamin and mineral intake. Water should be fresh and readily available all day every day. The dogs should have ample access to fresh air, exercise, sunshine, and plenty of room to run and interact with in house canines. Hygiene is important from the kennel area, dog runs, bedding and feeding utensils.
Dogs, in my opinion, must be allowed to be "dogs". Of course you can pamper them and spoil them if you wish, lavish them with a lot of love and TLC, but they still must be allowed to be "dogs". As such, they should be allowed to have an area where they are free to be themselves. Free to do what comes naturally without restrictions. This, promotes a stress free life. STRESS, yes, STRESS, can have an influence on reproduction and dogs do get stressed just the same as every other species on this earth.
What stresses dogs? Life style is a major cause, just as it is with humans. A stress-less life style would be one where a dog is not under pressure such as ...not to dig the garden, not to soil inside the house, not to jump up on visitors, not to pull at the washing on the line, not to…not to...NOT TO.
If dogs have an allocated area which is safe, secure, which is fenced off from all the "out of bounds" areas outside, they can run, they can exercise, they can play, they can get their fresh air and sunshine which is vital to good health and reproduction. They can be themselves. Of course, you should provide them with shade, with outdoor beds where they can take a snooze and enjoy the peace and quiet. I provide ample toys and things they can entertain themselves with, such as logs to climb, tunnels to run through etc. to relieve boredom...boredom can lead to stress too. My dogs are not penned separately, they are allowed to co-inhabit and interact together. The only time one is separated is if one is in season.
The bigger the area, the more room to move, the better. My dogs have a ¼ of an acre devoted to their needs with ample shade from huge trees, solid fences surrounding to keep predators out and dogs in. This area is grassed and is used during Spring and Summer. Winter, dogs are less active and need to be kept dry and warm, so I have a sheltered area which is concreted and weather proof, but they can still get their fresh air, interaction, and play time. Both areas have ample day beds. Dogs that are forced to live most of their lives indoors, yes, even inside your own home, are stressed and you are depriving them of life of no stress.
Dogs love routine and any change to their routine often results in stress. They need to be fed at the same time, they need to be let out for their play and exercise at the same time, and they need to know this routine is stable. They need an area where they can sleep either in pairs or alone, with their own bed, bedding, and to be fed without having to compete for their food.
An ideal set up would be to have a kennel room which is allocated solely for the purpose of housing your dogs. This room will be where they sleep and eat their main meal of the day. As they will not be spending a great many hours in this room, compartment type accommodation depending on the breed, should suffice for small breeds, for large breeds, penned areas are needed. The room should be insulated to protect against the elements of the weather. With the use of this method, a breeder can easily take notice of which dog is eating, which is not, etc. This room can also double up as a grooming room also.
As my dogs are of the Toy breeds, all my girls are brought into the house to whelp and raise their babies. They are put into exercise pens, together with their whelping bed etc. These pens are placed on their own floors, which is a simple matter of placing a large sheet of waterproof plastic sheet or similar which can then be covered with newspaper, in case they do need to eliminate but for some reason I have not been their to let them outside. They are fed there and also have access to fresh water. They do not spend all their time in there, they are mainly still living their lives as before up until birthing time. The rooms where they are kept, no other dogs have access to them and nor do people. They have their peace and quiet and once again, I am minimising stress for them.
So, now we have covered what would be considered a stress free life style for your dogs. As a breeder trying to produce the best possible progeny with view of the resulting progeny being an improvement and a good contribution to your selected breed, it is a must to have a vet you can work with that understands your needs as a breeder. Depending on the breed and what known genetic disorders are associated with the breed you have decided to work with, it is wise to be familiar with these and where possible to screen the breeding adults for such disorders. As breeders, we can only do our best, but nothing is foolproof and therefore, to state that with careful screening, knowledge, etc. we will breed genetically sound dogs always and only, is a fallacy. We, as breeders, should be content knowing we are doing everything possible to decrease, minimise, or eliminate as much genetic predispositions to disorders, but personally I feel it is a high call to state all dogs, bred by any individual breeder will be genetically sound always.
It is a good practice to maximise optimum conception to make sure the stud dog is also in good health, condition, and has ample viable sperm. If you have any doubts, you can ask your vet to do a sperm count to be sure.
When having bred our selected pair, we should make every effort to ensure the breeding produces viable, healthy, whelps. If we have followed the above regimen stated, fed our dogs correctly with the correct supplementations the next most important fact is not to make any radical changes the bitch may not be accustomed to. Keep her routine as much as possible to the original routine pre pregnancy with perhaps these additions.
Developing foetuses are susceptible to outside stimuli of a negative effect. Temperature change can certainly affect a pregnancy or even terminate it in some cases. If your bitch for any reason becomes overheated, whether it be through her own body temperature, such as running a fever, or overheated from harsh Summer heat, there is a real risk the foetuses can be harmed or even lost. In extreme heat, take measures in ensuring your bitch is kept cool and comfortable. Blood calcium levels can also be affected by heat and predispose your bitch to Eclampsia, so during very hot weather, if your bitch is panting excessively, salivating, acting restless, or shivering, please administer liquid Calcium at the recommended dose at least until the crisis has passed. In any other circumstances, there is no need to supplement with Calcium at least not until a few days prior to whelping. Personally, I try and avoid breeding my girls if they are going to be due to whelp during the severe heat of Summer.
Fly sprays and other insecticides have also been linked to birth deformities such as cleft palates and hare lips, plus whelps being born dead. Make sure as far as possible to keep your pregnant bitches well away from such insecticides including any that may be used on gardens and also fertilizers.
During the birthing process, be present but try to keep interference to a minimum. Let the bitch and her natural instincts do all the work and interfere only if the bitch runs into problems. Over fussing and interfering heightens her stress levels and could do much more harm than good.
I do not allow my girls to eat the placentas but if you decide you would rather she did, there is no harm in allowing her to, neither is there any harm in taking the placentas away.
Once the birthing is over, the bedding changed to clean, dry bedding, I generally drape a blanket over the part of the exercise pen where the whelping bed is, in order to give the bitches the feel of a cave like enclosure and I find this helps them settle down with their babies much easier.
The above is a summary, but over all, with reading this article, you can understand the importance of a stress free life and the impact it can have on your dogs general health but also what a big role it plays in reproduction.
Written by Anne Roditis (Formerly Muscat)
(C) copyright 2006
I bred my bitch but she did not conceive this time...I am sure my bitch conceived, but she absorbed the foetuses...my bitch seems to only ever conceive a small litter...my bitch had to have another caesarean, it has to be a problem in the breeding lines, I am not going to breed from her again. My bitch had weak, small for date, puppies and I lost them…there was nothing I could do. My bitch has not produced enough milk to feed her litter…and so it goes on and on and on. How many times have we, as breeders, said the above, or heard it from another breeder. Not, as uncommon as some would think. And who said breeding dogs was easy?
Before I begin, let me tell you, I have been on both sides of the fence, so to speak. Yes, I have encountered the above problems over the thirty odd years I have been breeding, but have also found a vast improvement with changes I have made and a heck of a lot of research and study. What you are about to read, is all based on my own personal experience and data I have kept on my own breeding records. You will find information such as this and more in my book "Lets Talk Dogs".
Now, in my opinion, you can only improve, not totally eliminate all problems that may arise all of the time. I have, however, in point form stated what I have found to have a positive or negative effect on pregnancy and out come. Perhaps, I may have given rise to some points here you may not yourself have considered and as such, making alterations could mean your next litter could be vastly different to the rest.
To optimise maximum fertility, both the bitch and the dog should be in optimum health. This means being free of disease, worm infestations, and external and internal parasites. They should be fed the right food and have the appropriate vitamin and mineral intake. Water should be fresh and readily available all day every day. The dogs should have ample access to fresh air, exercise, sunshine, and plenty of room to run and interact with in house canines. Hygiene is important from the kennel area, dog runs, bedding and feeding utensils.
Dogs, in my opinion, must be allowed to be "dogs". Of course you can pamper them and spoil them if you wish, lavish them with a lot of love and TLC, but they still must be allowed to be "dogs". As such, they should be allowed to have an area where they are free to be themselves. Free to do what comes naturally without restrictions. This, promotes a stress free life. STRESS, yes, STRESS, can have an influence on reproduction and dogs do get stressed just the same as every other species on this earth.
What stresses dogs? Life style is a major cause, just as it is with humans. A stress-less life style would be one where a dog is not under pressure such as ...not to dig the garden, not to soil inside the house, not to jump up on visitors, not to pull at the washing on the line, not to…not to...NOT TO.
If dogs have an allocated area which is safe, secure, which is fenced off from all the "out of bounds" areas outside, they can run, they can exercise, they can play, they can get their fresh air and sunshine which is vital to good health and reproduction. They can be themselves. Of course, you should provide them with shade, with outdoor beds where they can take a snooze and enjoy the peace and quiet. I provide ample toys and things they can entertain themselves with, such as logs to climb, tunnels to run through etc. to relieve boredom...boredom can lead to stress too. My dogs are not penned separately, they are allowed to co-inhabit and interact together. The only time one is separated is if one is in season.
The bigger the area, the more room to move, the better. My dogs have a ¼ of an acre devoted to their needs with ample shade from huge trees, solid fences surrounding to keep predators out and dogs in. This area is grassed and is used during Spring and Summer. Winter, dogs are less active and need to be kept dry and warm, so I have a sheltered area which is concreted and weather proof, but they can still get their fresh air, interaction, and play time. Both areas have ample day beds. Dogs that are forced to live most of their lives indoors, yes, even inside your own home, are stressed and you are depriving them of life of no stress.
Dogs love routine and any change to their routine often results in stress. They need to be fed at the same time, they need to be let out for their play and exercise at the same time, and they need to know this routine is stable. They need an area where they can sleep either in pairs or alone, with their own bed, bedding, and to be fed without having to compete for their food.
An ideal set up would be to have a kennel room which is allocated solely for the purpose of housing your dogs. This room will be where they sleep and eat their main meal of the day. As they will not be spending a great many hours in this room, compartment type accommodation depending on the breed, should suffice for small breeds, for large breeds, penned areas are needed. The room should be insulated to protect against the elements of the weather. With the use of this method, a breeder can easily take notice of which dog is eating, which is not, etc. This room can also double up as a grooming room also.
As my dogs are of the Toy breeds, all my girls are brought into the house to whelp and raise their babies. They are put into exercise pens, together with their whelping bed etc. These pens are placed on their own floors, which is a simple matter of placing a large sheet of waterproof plastic sheet or similar which can then be covered with newspaper, in case they do need to eliminate but for some reason I have not been their to let them outside. They are fed there and also have access to fresh water. They do not spend all their time in there, they are mainly still living their lives as before up until birthing time. The rooms where they are kept, no other dogs have access to them and nor do people. They have their peace and quiet and once again, I am minimising stress for them.
So, now we have covered what would be considered a stress free life style for your dogs. As a breeder trying to produce the best possible progeny with view of the resulting progeny being an improvement and a good contribution to your selected breed, it is a must to have a vet you can work with that understands your needs as a breeder. Depending on the breed and what known genetic disorders are associated with the breed you have decided to work with, it is wise to be familiar with these and where possible to screen the breeding adults for such disorders. As breeders, we can only do our best, but nothing is foolproof and therefore, to state that with careful screening, knowledge, etc. we will breed genetically sound dogs always and only, is a fallacy. We, as breeders, should be content knowing we are doing everything possible to decrease, minimise, or eliminate as much genetic predispositions to disorders, but personally I feel it is a high call to state all dogs, bred by any individual breeder will be genetically sound always.
It is a good practice to maximise optimum conception to make sure the stud dog is also in good health, condition, and has ample viable sperm. If you have any doubts, you can ask your vet to do a sperm count to be sure.
When having bred our selected pair, we should make every effort to ensure the breeding produces viable, healthy, whelps. If we have followed the above regimen stated, fed our dogs correctly with the correct supplementations the next most important fact is not to make any radical changes the bitch may not be accustomed to. Keep her routine as much as possible to the original routine pre pregnancy with perhaps these additions.
Developing foetuses are susceptible to outside stimuli of a negative effect. Temperature change can certainly affect a pregnancy or even terminate it in some cases. If your bitch for any reason becomes overheated, whether it be through her own body temperature, such as running a fever, or overheated from harsh Summer heat, there is a real risk the foetuses can be harmed or even lost. In extreme heat, take measures in ensuring your bitch is kept cool and comfortable. Blood calcium levels can also be affected by heat and predispose your bitch to Eclampsia, so during very hot weather, if your bitch is panting excessively, salivating, acting restless, or shivering, please administer liquid Calcium at the recommended dose at least until the crisis has passed. In any other circumstances, there is no need to supplement with Calcium at least not until a few days prior to whelping. Personally, I try and avoid breeding my girls if they are going to be due to whelp during the severe heat of Summer.
Fly sprays and other insecticides have also been linked to birth deformities such as cleft palates and hare lips, plus whelps being born dead. Make sure as far as possible to keep your pregnant bitches well away from such insecticides including any that may be used on gardens and also fertilizers.
During the birthing process, be present but try to keep interference to a minimum. Let the bitch and her natural instincts do all the work and interfere only if the bitch runs into problems. Over fussing and interfering heightens her stress levels and could do much more harm than good.
I do not allow my girls to eat the placentas but if you decide you would rather she did, there is no harm in allowing her to, neither is there any harm in taking the placentas away.
Once the birthing is over, the bedding changed to clean, dry bedding, I generally drape a blanket over the part of the exercise pen where the whelping bed is, in order to give the bitches the feel of a cave like enclosure and I find this helps them settle down with their babies much easier.
The above is a summary, but over all, with reading this article, you can understand the importance of a stress free life and the impact it can have on your dogs general health but also what a big role it plays in reproduction.
Written by Anne Roditis (Formerly Muscat)
(C) copyright 2006
