Dogs

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REPRODUCTION

Bitches reach sexually puberty at 6 - 12 months (the larger dogs are later than the smaller dogs). At this time the bitch will come into season, also known as coming into heat. The bitch will start to bleed and become very attractive to male dogs. She will ovulate and, if mated, will conceive. As the cycle progresses the discharge will turn straw coloured. On average the cycle lasts 18 days to 3 weeks. Ovulation occurs at about day 9 or 10 and she is most likely to become pregnant if mated from day 5 to day 17 however she is most fertile the day after ovulation. Usually bitches have two seasons per year. Every dog is slightly different and some breeds like Greyhounds and dingoes cycle later and may have one season per year.

After ovulation bitches go through a period where her sex hormones are dominated by progesterone. This is to maintain pregnancy; however these hormones will be present even if she hasn't been mated. Progesterone causes weight gain and decrease of activity. It also may causes mammary development. We call this a false pregnancy when it occurs without puppies being present. It is more common in older bitches and usually lasts about 40 days. Bitches can even go as far as nesting as these hormonal levels change and go back to normal. It can make it difficult to tell if a bitch is pregnant but should be considered normal. Decreasing food intake helps to stop milk production if it becomes excessive.

If you decide to breed with your dog you should research the subject. Go to your local library, talk to professional breeders and to your veterinarian. Breeding is time consuming, costly and if done without knowledge and understanding can result in the loss of pups or bitch or both. Below is an overview but is not enough information to allow you to breed your bitch.

If your bitch is mated the gestation period is 63 days and the litter size is smaller in toy breeds than the giant breeds. If multiple matings occur the pups are born 57 days from the day she comes off season. Chihuahuas are thought to have shorter gestation periods and I have seen 59 to 61 days suggested. Bitches under 12 months of age should not be bred.

Giving birth to puppies is called whelping. Bitches will normally seek out a quiet location up to 24 hours before the first puppy is born. She will make herself a nest often ripping up paper or blankets to line it. She will be restless and may seek attention from a person if she is strongly bonded to that person. It is a good idea to supply her with a whelping box. These can be purchased or made and have a special lip to allow the pups to be pushed away from the bitch when she moves around. Bitches can get into trouble whelping and should be watched closely without disturbing them. Bitches that have had multiple litters show fewer behavioural changes. Most bitches will whelp at night.

Puppies can be born head-first or tail-first. Each pup has a placenta but several pups may be born before the first placenta is passed. It is recommended to count the placentas as if one is retained it can lead to infection. It is the air hitting the face of the puppy that stimulates it to breathe. Generally the bitch will remove the sack and clean the pup. She will also eat the placenta. Some new mums don't do things correctly. If the bitch is not caring for the newborn then you should open the sack and remove it and rub the puppy gently with a towel to stimulate it. Don't cut the cord. However if the bitch is coping don't interfere. The more a bitch is bonded to a person the more likely she is to have problems here. Just having that person present is often enough to allow her to cope. Reassure her when she is doing the right thing. Some bitches will eat their pups if they feel threatened so a compromise needs to be reached.

Bitches do get into trouble with the small dogs having more problems than the bigger breeds. For instance over 90 % of Chihuahuas give birth by caesarian. The commonest problem is when the pups are too big for the bitch to push through her pelvic canal. We strongly recommend when choosing a sire for a small bitch that the sire is smaller than the bitch. However even when the bitch and sire are the same breed, or even when the sire is the same size or smaller than the bitch, puppies can be too big to be born naturally. Another common cause of problems is insufficient blood calcium, so care should be taken with the diet. Too large a litter over-stretches the uterus so it doesn't contract correctly. We recommend you seek veterinary assistance if the bitch has been straining for up to 2 hours with no results either prior to the first pup or between pups. If a puppy is partially out and the bitch can't move it any further then you should ring your vet immediately. Other reasons to seek advice would be if the bitch or puppies appear ill or if the amount of blood seems excessive. Remember if your bitch needs a caesarian it is best to do it early so that the bitch is not exhausted and the pups are not distressed inside of her or have died.

Keep the bitch in a quiet draft free area. Avoid disturbances by people and other animals. Try to resist handling the puppies a lot initially but you should check each pup over, count toes, open the mouth (cleft palates are common) and look for any abnormalities. Ideal ambient temperature is 24 - 27 Celsius (minimum temperature when the pups are with their mother is 21 Celsius) the first three weeks then it decreases. Cold pups breathe rapidly, cry and are more active but if hypothermia is severe they become inactive, unable to feed and die. Change the bedding as necessary to keep it clean and free of fleas.

The eyes and ears open between 8 to 16 days though around 10 days is the commonest. The teeth start to appear at 3 weeks (These are the baby teeth that are replaced by adult teeth between 4 - 7 months).

The socialization period for puppies is between 4 and 12 weeks. During this time it is important to handle the puppies as much as possible and introduce them to cats, dogs, children and adult humans.

Pups are born throughout the year. Pups can be removed from the bitch from 6 weeks of age but often it is better to leave them with their littermates till 8 weeks. Pups need to be wormed from one week of age. Please see the health care pages and feeding pages for more details.

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