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PURPOSEFUL AND RESPONSIBLE BREEDIN G

begins a decline when she has reached five years of age”, states The puppy will also need to spend time with every other dog
Dr. Hess. And she added, “The age is dependent on a number of you have in the home or kennel. That will help him learn his or
factors including previous breeding history, the number of heat her place in the pack.
cycles she has had, her general health and genetics.” It should
also be noted that a bitch living with chronic pain, from age or Don’t Go It Alone
injury, will likely experience difficulty conceiving. Older bitches
also experience difficulties carrying a litter to term. Just because Last, but not least, it is important to plan every step of the
your world-class bitch is retired to the whelping box does not way with your veterinarian to ensure the good health of the bitch
mean she can give you your next show ring champion. before breeding, during the pregnancy, and after whelping.
The selection of just the right sire can take months. Two to
six months is not at all uncommon depending on just how con- Take-Home Message
centrated the effort is by you.
Dr. Hess told me, “This is not an inexpensive hobby. Add to
Setting Up a Nursery it the stud fee, the shipping of semen, fees for insemination,
maybe travel expenses, and everything from the whelping box
The whelping box should have sturdy walls, be draft free and to the scale to weigh the puppies. Good breeders invest thou-
very easy to clean. The size of the whelping box is dependent sands of dollars before the litter is even born, and with no guar-
on the size the dam and the number of puppies expected. The antee the dam will produce a litter.”
dam will spend long periods of time in the box especially when Responsible breeders perform their due diligence in all areas
the pups are first born. This allows her to keep them warm and of breeding program management, including financial planning
to allow for what will seem to be almost constant nursing. A and market research. The investment of hard work, homework,
whelping box that is too large may allow a pup to crawl too far record keeping and proper care will be realized when the pup-
away from the dam or littermates and get chilled. A litter box pies you bred reach their full potential.
that is too small will likely result in a puppy being injured or
worse. And, having found a suffocated puppy under
his mother, let me strongly suggest the use of “pig
rails” in your whelping box. The pig rails provide a “The investment of hard work,
space for a puppy to crawl into should the dam lay homework, record keeping and
on them. proper care will be realized
The whelping box should be constructed of solid when the puppies you bred
materials that do not absorb odors and are easy to reach their full potential.”
clean. For those who have not bred their first litter,
there will be a great deal of cleaning. Many breeders
use shredded newspaper, towels and sheets to serve
as bedding in the whelping box. Newspapers are ab-
sorbent, but create a great deal of waste. Towels and
sheets can easily be pulled out and run through the
washer and dryer, and are much more comfortable
for the mother and her little ones.
The whelping box is so very important as it serves as
your puppies’ primary residence for five to six weeks or
until they are big enough to climb out of it. A whelping
box that is the correct size and safe and easy to clean
will make caring for the litter much simpler for you. The
difficult part will be saying goodbye to the pups when
they are ready to go to their new homes.
As the puppies grow, it is important to ensure that
each is consuming enough food prior to weaning to
meet their nutritional requirements. If you are keep-
ing your pick of the litter (and I hope you are), he or
she will need time with the dam and she will need
time apart from the puppy. It is important to have a
good schedule for companionship and for separation.

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