Info On Having Puppies Etc

Letting your beloved Silver have a litter is a lovely idea but have you thought it through completely?

Will you be able to find homes for up to 10 puppies?

By this I mean homes that are as good as the home that you give Silver and would be happy with.

Have you considered the risks to Silver?

'C' sections are not uncommon and sometimes bitches die?

Have you considered the cost?

Vets bills, whelping boxes etc.

I used to think I would love my Lilly to have a litter so that I could keep a puppy. Her pedigree is up there with the best and with a top quality show stud, her pups would probably be easy enough to find homes for.

I decided in the end that Lilly was to precious for me to take the risk. :wub:

I would also spend the rest of my life worrying about the welfare of her pups. :sweating:

Experiencing 'Motherhood' for Silver is taking risks withher health to produce puppies that are then taken away from her.

Sorry to sound negative but working with a rescue, I see too many whippets needing homes already.

Personally. I feel that breeding is best left to those who have the experience.

 

Theres loads to consider when breeding a litter ...... What has the dam got to offer as in showing, racing, working qualities? .....There are plenty of "pet" Whippets being bred nowadays and the market seems to be flooded ..... Rescues are over run now not just with staffy types like everyone thinks, but Whippet types too ...... Years ago you could rarely buy a Whippet pup as most were sold before they were even concieved but sadly this isn't true anymore ....... I've owned Whippets for 18 years now and only ever bred 4 litters in this time ...... You have to know whats in your bitches line and whats behind it, be it heart problems, auto immune probs, nervy, sharp, feet probs etc .... cos use the wrong stud dog and you could accidently double up on problems .....I know the people my pups go to and keep in contact with them ......I will have any I've bred back regardless of age .......and then theres the cost .....It must cost over £1,000 to breed and rear a litter correctly and this doesn't include the time put into house traing 6-10 puppies through out the day and night, training, cleaning, washing, playing, socialising etc ......

 

Good post. Lots of helpful info to consider :thumbsup:

 

Another thing you need to consider is whether you are competent to give advice to the puppy owners throughout the lives of their dogs and be prepared to take them back if their owners die or fall on hard times. When there is no knowledgeable breeder to help first time whippet owners (like yourself), it is the dog that suffers. You really need more years in the breed to gain the knowledge and experience a breeder should have.

Gay

www.moonlake.co.uk

 

Hi, im an infrequent visitor to this forum these days but thought i would post some information you might find useful.

Firstly, don't think Silver is going to some how miss out on one of lifes experiences if she doesn't have a litter. The majority of bitches are not bred from. If you do decide to go ahead and breed you are right to think about everything carefully as it is a huge commitment to undertake when done correctly.

Be prepared to lose money on a litter and have funds available in case of emergencies. Luckily most Whippets whelp easily, but c-sections do occur and are very costly. Basic other costs include;

* Stud fee (which will not be far off the price of a puppy) + fuel to get to the dog

* Health testing of bitch prior to mating - if you decide to do it

* dew claw removal

* worming of puppies, bitch and other dogs in household

* food - my goodness you get through a lot!! My bitch got through at least 4lbs of meat a day plus biscuits and other bits whilst feeding the pups and by time pups were leaving they were eating 1lb a day each +

* plentiful supply of bedding - good quality vet bed

* whelping box / pool

* puppy pen - v expensive

* heat pad

* heating - i've just had a January litter and the heating in the room the pups were in was on 24/7, which isn't cheap to say the least

* time off work if applicable

* other bits and pieces such as scissors, clamps, hand gel, etc etc

* KC registration of pups

* microchipping of pups - if you decide to do it

* washing machine on constantly!

Finding good homes is obviously extremely important. Whippets can have large litters (my last have been 9, 10 & 9) and there are plenty of Whippets about for prospective buyers to choose from. I have been lucky to get a good number of enquiries and the majority of pups booked before whelping, but you have to be fully prepared for people to drop off your list etc. There are also plenty of people we've said 'no' to as our pups are very precious to us and we only want the best for them. Where will your homes be coming from? When they leave home you worry about them and as Gay said, a good breeder should always be prepared to take the dog back at any point in its life.

It is very hard work looking after and raising a litter properly. Up early every day for weeks to make sure they are fed, pen cleaned etc. Need to make provisions for them when you go out. I also like to make a good start with their house training and of course handle and socialise them constantly.

Stud dog depends on why you are breeding and what you hope to achieve from the mating. What are SIlvers strengths and weaknesses in her conformation? Are there any health issues? Temperament is very important to consider too. I made two 7 hour round trips to use the dog we did for our last litter; it wasn't fun, but he was the dog we wanted so travelling was essential.

There are obviously things i'll have forgotten, but i hope this is of some use to you.

 

Hi, im an infrequent visitor to this forum these days but thought i would post some information you might find useful.

Firstly, don't think Silver is going to some how miss out on one of lifes experiences if she doesn't have a litter. The majority of bitches are not bred from. If you do decide to go ahead and breed you are right to think about everything carefully as it is a huge commitment to undertake when done correctly.

Be prepared to lose money on a litter and have funds available in case of emergencies. Luckily most Whippets whelp easily, but c-sections do occur and are very costly. Basic other costs include;

* Stud fee (which will not be far off the price of a puppy) + fuel to get to the dog

* Health testing of bitch prior to mating - if you decide to do it

* dew claw removal

* worming of puppies, bitch and other dogs in household

* food - my goodness you get through a lot!! My bitch got through at least 4lbs of meat a day plus biscuits and other bits whilst feeding the pups and by time pups were leaving they were eating 1lb a day each +

* plentiful supply of bedding - good quality vet bed

* whelping box / pool

* puppy pen - v expensive

* heat pad

* heating - i've just had a January litter and the heating in the room the pups were in was on 24/7, which isn't cheap to say the least

* time off work if applicable

* other bits and pieces such as scissors, clamps, hand gel, etc etc

* KC registration of pups

* microchipping of pups - if you decide to do it

* washing machine on constantly!

Finding good homes is obviously extremely important. Whippets can have large litters (my last have been 9, 10 & 9) and there are plenty of Whippets about for prospective buyers to choose from. I have been lucky to get a good number of enquiries and the majority of pups booked before whelping, but you have to be fully prepared for people to drop off your list etc. There are also plenty of people we've said 'no' to as our pups are very precious to us and we only want the best for them. Where will your homes be coming from? When they leave home you worry about them and as Gay said, a good breeder should always be prepared to take the dog back at any point in its life.

It is very hard work looking after and raising a litter properly. Up early every day for weeks to make sure they are fed, pen cleaned etc. Need to make provisions for them when you go out. I also like to make a good start with their house training and of course handle and socialise them constantly.

Stud dog depends on why you are breeding and what you hope to achieve from the mating. What are SIlvers strengths and weaknesses in her conformation? Are there any health issues? Temperament is very important to consider too. I made two 7 hour round trips to use the dog we did for our last litter; it wasn't fun, but he was the dog we wanted so travelling was essential.

There are obviously things i'll have forgotten, but i hope this is of some use to you.

 

Good sound advice above.

I would like to add that the puppies all need to start their socialisation with the breeder. They need to be handled by different men, children, different women etc. They need to have trips in the car. The breeder should provide a stimulating environment with lots of different toys, surfaces, noises etc.

I think every owner of a bitch has thoughts of breeding a litter from her. I certainly do but then talk myself out of it when I let myself think of all those poor dogs in rescue. In fact I would go so far as to say that I would like to see a complete cessation of dog breeding until the rescue centres are empty.

As has been said a bitch knows nothing about motherhood until the puppies pop out (w00t) . Some bitches do not like the experience at all

 

And some bitches hate motherhood .....

 

I would recommend buying/loaning from the library 'The House Lurcher' by Jackie Drakeford and reading the chapter on raising a litter; it will give you a good idea of the sheer amount of hard work involved.

Other things to consider:

Your bitch dies and you are left to hand-rear the litter;

Your bitch can't feed the litter and you need to hand-rear them;

There are too many puppies for your bitch to feed herself and you need to help bottle feed them;

Parvo;

Fading puppy syndrome;

Cleaning-up the waste that 6-10 puppies will create;

Vet bills e.g. c-section, broken limbs (puppy bones break very easily);

What do you actually know about pregnancy, whelping, lactation, rearing, socialisation?

How would you feel if one of the puppies ended-up bearing litter after litter on a puppy farm? (It has happened.)

Experienced breeders develop a 'nose' for distinguishing between genuine puppy buyers and rogues. How will you know the purchasers of your puppies are genuine?

What will happen if you can't find suitable homes for all of the puppies by 8-weeks-of-age? You will have to feed, socialise, house-train and obedience train the puppies until you can find good homes for them - this could easily be until they are 5-months-old. This is already happening to experienced, well-known breeders - if they are struggling to sell their puppies, then being left with surplus puppies could very easily happen to you.

 

We aren't trying to sound so negative, but it really is a huge responsibility as has been said ...... I've refused people pups of mine in the past, nearly lost my one bitch during whelping and brought one of my pups back, paying to get him back ..... Only bred 4 litters in 18 years of owning Whippets and though it is rewarding its the hardest thing too with 2 hourly house training through the night etc ... Enjoy your lass and ask Lilah what she thinks :thumbsup:

 

Hi Rachelle
It is a bit disheartening that people are so down on people who would like their beloved pet to have a litter.
Dont get me wrong, our last dog was a staffy cross rescue who we had for 13 yrs so i know there are lots of dogs needing homes....however if you have decided to have a litter there should be support for you for the wonderful road you are about to take and you are being very responsible in seeking advice.

My beautiful Poppy is with pup and ive read and read and read and have been slowly collecting all the things we will need over the past 6mths.
Poppy was mated with her boyfriend who we see regularly and is a blue, and i have to say the actual mating was a little more stressful and involved than we thought, i think this is as it was a first for both sets of dog parents lol.
And the fact that books tell you day 9 onwards is the best time but with us it happend on day 18, 19 and 21.
I am happy to offer advice on our experience but i am not an expert.
Pp

 

You can tell im new to this lol ..didnt see when it was posted x ty for the lovely welcom x

 

You can tell im new to this lol ..didnt see when it was posted x ty for the lovely welcom x

 

hello and welcome

 

Ty Hemlock x