Thinking of Breeding

Information on finding your puppy, the Assured Breeders Scheme, the Kennel Club and issues relating to breeding your Schnauzer are dealt with in this section.
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zeta1454
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Thinking of Breeding

Post by zeta1454 »

As there have been a few posts recently on the topic of breeding I thought it worth putting up some information that should prove useful to anyone contemplating starting out in breeding or considering having a litter of puppies with their pet dog.

Ideally the decision to start breeding will be taken after years of experience with the chosen breed and under the guidance of an experienced mentor which could well be the breeder of the bitch you have agreed is suitable for breeding. The breeder/mentor will be able to advise and support regarding choice of sire, the practicalities of mating and whelping and possibly also with the choice of suitable homes.

However there are also resources available to help anyone contemplating breeding in deciding whether this is a path they are able to follow successfully and with the welfare both present and future of bitch and puppies as a priority. A useful book to start is The Book of the Bitch by J.M.Evans and Kay White:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Bitch-J-M- ... +the+bitch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This offers a vast amount of useful information on the health and anatomy of female dogs and the practical aspects of mating and whelping together with diagrams and explanations of the complications and difficulties that can be associated with birthing.

The Kennel Club also has a couple of guides for novice breeders with a checklist of questions to give some idea of the aspects of breeding that need to be taken into account by anyone thinking of having a litter or using their dog at stud:

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/dog-br ... -breeding/

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/dog-br ... g-at-stud/

The Kennel Club also have the Assured Breeder Scheme which a new breeder can choose whether or not to join but, even if you do not wish to be part of the Scheme formally, the requirements are in my view an absolute minimum that a quality breeder should be fulfilling:

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/dog-br ... rs-scheme/

Of course breeding does not end at the point of the birth of the pups and the on-going commitment for a good breeder is to the vital 8+ weeks when the pups are still in their care. The responsibility for the health and happiness of these young dogs is a huge one and the breeder should be committed to raising the puppies in an enriched environment to be self confident and resilient. The Puppy Culture protocol is an excellent guide to this:

https://shoppuppyculture.com/pages/puppy-culture-1

There is also the interviewing and vetting of potential new owners which can be quite stressful and does require care, tact, and also a good sense of intuition as to which people are those most likely to have the best interests of the puppy you have bred at heart, who will love and care for that dog for the rest of its life and whose passion for the breed is hopefully as great as your own. Ideally you will remain in contact with the new owners, know how your pups are developing, possibly meet up with them occasionally - and always for the lifetime of the dog be available for advice support and if necessary to re home that dog should anything disastrous happen in the lives of its owners which means they can no longer keep it themselves.

Breeding dogs is a huge commitment in time, energy, mentally, physically and emotionally. When it all goes well it is a wonderful and rewarding experience to bring new lives into this world and see them grow and develop into happy dogs in new and loving homes. Without total commitment to the health and lifetime happiness of the bitch and pups, breeding is not something to embark upon at all.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

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Eddie
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Re: Thinking of Breeding

Post by Eddie »

I've made this a "Sticky", there's a lot of good information for anyone thinking of breeding.
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Maty
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Re: Thinking of Breeding

Post by Maty »

Thanks for doing this post Leigh :-bd

The one thing you haven't touched on is the things that can go wrong, I think Elaine (Caramomo) did that in another thread so I will see if I can find it and link to it.

Or maybe someone else with experience would like to comment?
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zeta1454
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Born: 15 Mar 2012
Dog #3: Pip
Born: 21 Feb 2014
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Re: Thinking of Breeding

Post by zeta1454 »

Maty wrote:
The one thing you haven't touched on is the things that can go wrong, I think Elaine (Caramomo) did that in another thread so I will see if I can find it and link to it.

Or maybe someone else with experience would like to comment?
There are some fairly detailed descriptions of what can go wrong with a whelping in the Book of The Bitch mentioned above but you are right that it might be worth outlining them here too :)

It is important to know that the bitch you are planning a litter with comes from a line of good mothers who whelped easily without veterinary intervention and who were attentive and caring of their pups. None of these things are a given - some bitches will not be able to give birth without a Caesarian, some will not produce milk, sone will not be bothered to clean their pups or even feed them, some may become unwell and need hospitalisation, some may die giving birth or soon after. I have known of good breeders who have experienced all these events as none are entirely predictable and all you can hope for is to minimise the risks of them happening as much as you possibly can.

For anyone unaware of the immaturity of newborn puppies, it is important to know that for a couple of weeks at least they are unable to toilet independently and the mother will stimulate them by licking to pass urine and faeces and when they do she will consume both herself in order to keep the puppy pen clean. If the mother cannot feed the pups she may well not stimulate them to toilet either so hand rearing will involve both feeding every 2 hours, day and night, and stimulating the pups to toilet by stroking their abdomen with warm damp cotton wool and cleaning them afterwards. It is very labour intensive and exhausting work.

If you are lucky you may get a super mum who will take her maternal duties above and beyond and continue to feed and clean them for several weeks up to six or seven in some cases but this is rare and most bitches cease to clean the pups after about 3 weeks of age around the time they will begin to be weaned. This is when the hard work of cleaning and feeding moves to the breeder :)

It is also important to be aware that the birth process itself can be a dangerous time for both mother and pups. A large puppy which is not being born quickly enough can hold up the birth of those following and cause death before they can be saved. Occasionally a pup is a breech presentation ( we had 2 of these with our last litter) and this not only can cause intense pain to the mother as she is unable to birth easily but the pup will need turning so that it can be born the correct way without damage to itself or its mother. Rarely in whelping emergency situations is it possible to obtain veterinary help quickly enough and it will be the responsibility of the breeder to assist and control these kind of events.

If there are a large number of pups or the birth is a difficult one it can also happen that the contractions will cease for a while and although there can be a gap in time for an hour or so between births if it continues too long there is a risk that the pups not yet born will not be viable when they are finally produced. The breeder needs to be aware of how long it is safe to wait and when it necessary to rush the bitch to a veterinary surgery for expert help.

For any veterinary intervention in whelping unless you have taken out a specific insurance policy for the purpose it is worth bearing in mind that this is not covered under any standard dog insurance policy and will most certainly result in a three figure bill so you do need to have a good source of funds available for such emergencies.

Post birth the breeder will need to check that all the pups have been born without defect - cleft palate, umbilical hernia, inguinal hernia, hare lip, undershot or overshot jaw, open fontanelle, screw tail or kinked tail, dermoid cyst, hydrocephalus and also waterlogged pups where too much fluid has accumulated in their tissues - this will be fatal - and swimmers which are pups born with a flattened chest and unable to move correctly. A number of these conditions should be avoided by careful choice of quality healthy parents as they are often hereditary, and for the majority of the above mentioned euthanasia is the kindest option.

Conditions that are not life threatening but may develop during rearing are:
Breathing difficulty where the pups lungs have not properly expanded at birth or there is fluid in the lungs. Veterinary help will be needed for this.

"Milk rash " - small spots that may develop pus on the lower abdomen and groin and if on a hairy part of the coat can lead to hair loss. It is believed to be due to the mother not cleaning the pups properly. Can be treated at home.

Conjunctivitis - will need veterinary assistance.

Hypoglycaemia - low blood sugar due to stress leading to weakness and convulsions and possibly death.

Puppy Head Gland Disease. Probably due to a failure in the pup's immune system or hyper sensitivity to bacteria. A bacterial infection which affects pups between 3 weeks to 12 weeks starting with a few spots on the head leading to swollen lymph glands in the neck and a swelling of ears, eyes, nose and even the whole body. Can result if untreated in the whole body covered in abscesses. Pups will still eat and grow but need veterinary help and this may require laboratory tests as well as medication to identify the specific bacteria causing the problem.

Fading puppies. This is a condition where pups appear fit and well at birth but after a few days they fail to thrive and die before they reach 14 days old. There is very little that can be done to save these pups and the cause is not entirely clear but maybe due to a combination of low body temperature, poor mothering, a difficult birth, congenital defects, poor nutrition of the mother and a variety of different bacterial or viruses.

Not forgetting of course that the mother herself is at risk of illness and death also in giving birth. A retained dead puppy in the womb, bacterial infections due to the circumstances of the birth, shock from a traumatic whelping, and eclampsia are all risks. The latter condition can affect especially bitches of smaller breeds up to 21 days post- whelping especially if they gave a large litter. It is believed to be due to the huge loss of calcium from the body while producing quantities of milk but the exact cause is not certain.

Breeding is definitely not for the faint-hearted or squeamish and should not be undertaken without knowledge of these details and conditions as they need to be identified early and swiftly if the right course of action is to be taken and possibly lives saved. Good preparation and understanding of the process of birth, careful care of the bitch before, during and after the birth and constant attendance on the pups in the critical early weeks should result in a problem free experience but it is absolutely not guaranteed and tragedies have occurred in the best prepared and experienced homes.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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Re: Thinking of Breeding

Post by BeeBee »

Reading all this, makes me sick to the stomach thinking of the dogs doing all this unattended, uncared for and alone in puppy farms. Thank goodness there are good, decent breeders who take it all very seriously indeed and look after their dogs; sadly I know that for every decent breeder, there are many more who aren't, who may not be at the puppy farming end of breeding, but just plain ignorant, who think it would be "nice for her to have a litter" - not a lot nice about it for the mothers as far as I can see.
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zeta1454
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Dog #2: Trilby
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Born: 15 Mar 2012
Dog #3: Pip
Born: 21 Feb 2014
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Location: North Yorkshire
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Re: Thinking of Breeding

Post by zeta1454 »

BeeBee wrote:Reading all this, makes me sick to the stomach thinking of the dogs doing all this unattended, uncared for and alone in puppy farms. Thank goodness there are good, decent breeders who take it all very seriously indeed and look after their dogs; sadly I know that for every decent breeder, there are many more who aren't, who may not be at the puppy farming end of breeding, but just plain ignorant, who think it would be "nice for her to have a litter" - not a lot nice about it for the mothers as far as I can see.
I know - when you see how much is required to properly support a mother at this time, you realise just what appalling deprivation they suffer in puppy farms and anywhere that dedicated care is lacking. It is frightening to imagine how awful it must be to be alone in such circumstances especially if something goes wrong - in pain, deprived of help, comfort, reassurance and someone to clean up the blood and fluids of birth that soak the whelping area. And knowing how essential it is for the puppies' bedding to be kept unsoiled, the mother to be well fed small meals on a regular basis through the night as well as the day and able to go outside to toilet in privacy and return knowing her pups have been safely watched over, I dread to think of the silent misery of the dogs who do not have that level of support because their owners are indifferent, unaware of what is needed or think it unnecessary to offer such love and care.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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