If you are thinking about breeding puppies from your bitch, we have created a useful article about responsible dog breeding for you to read below which will give you all the facts :

Breeding puppies from your bitch - Pet Encyclopedia

Thanks
Mark

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This is an article I wrote for the East Anglia Border Terrier Club's website. (long)

Thinking of Breeding from your Dog?

If you have to ask your self this question then the answer is almost certainly “DON’T”.

The main reason to breed a litter is if you are into showing and want to establish your own line. If you just want to have a puppy to keep your present bitch company why not just buy another puppy? The idea that it is good for a bitch to have a litter is just an old wife’s tale.

If you are really considering breeding from your favourite bitch here are a few of the hurdles which need to be overcome. First, is your bitch good enough to breed from; is she a good example of the breed and doesn’t have any obvious faults like a bad mouth? Next you have to decide on the stud dog. It is not a good idea to go to the dog down the road. One should choose a dog which complements the good points of your bitch and doesn’t have any of the faults. If you are really determined then consult the breeder of your bitch or go to a few Border Terrier shows. It may be that the stud dog you choose lives many miles away, which will involve a long journey. Do you know how to decide when the bitch is ready to mate? If not, this may involve a fruitless journey or several return journeys. Also is the owner of the stud dog willing to service your bitch? One should arrange this several months before hand. Border Terriers are not always easy to mate. Even a well tried stud dog may fail to mate, or be put off by an uncooperative bitch, particularly a maiden bitch. What if the bitch comes into season unexpectedly, upsetting holiday plans, or the puppies would be born at an inconvenient time. Remember from time of mating until the puppies go to their new homes is seventeen weeks.

Once you have mated your bitch, you have to look after her for the nine weeks of her pregnancy. It can be quite traumatic waiting to see whether she is pregnant. When the time comes for her to give birth, do you understand the signs of labour and what to expect? Border Terriers have a nasty habit of whelping in the middle of the night. If something goes wrong, or a caesarean operation is necessary, do you have a vet who you can trust? Once the puppies are born, you will have to keep an eye on both them and the bitch. Some bitches will reject their puppies; others may not produce enough milk. If the worst should happen and the bitch die in labour, and it does happen, then you will have several weeks of hand rearing the offspring. Weaning starts at about three weeks, at which time the puppies become very messy, and a litter of puppies between five weeks and eight weeks running around loose is a real handful. At eight weeks, you will have presumably chosen the puppy you are going to keep, you will then have to find homes for the remainder of the litter. Do you have prospective owners, and if so are they ready to take a puppy at this time? To keep several puppies over eight weeks old, because you haven’t found homes for them, is not recommended.

To all this one has to consider the costs involved, such as the stud fee, any veterinary fees, such as for an ultra scan, and particularly if a caesarean operation should prove necessary. Weaning food for the puppies followed by puppy food, extra food for the bitch, extra heating to keep the room warm enough. The list goes on and on.

Bitches do not always conceive, or may reabsorb the foetuses, so no puppies, or the puppies may not survive. And remember pregnancy and labour are not without dangers to the bitch.

If after all this you still decide to breed from your bitch, then read as much as you can beforehand. There is a good chapter in Anne Roslin -William’s book ‘The Border Terrier’, and there are many books just devoted to breeding

Hi, I would just like to say that above all you should be concerned about the stud dog's health. Every breed has it's problem you should focus on but there is one general issue that should concern all breeds and that's Herpes - especially if you decide to breed with a popular stud dog that has been bred with many different bitches. My friends bitch died of Herpes after giving birth. None of the puppies survived. She had autopsy done that proved the cause of death as Herpes. The thing to know is that you can prevent this by vaccinating your bitch before mating her. There is a particular vaccination scheme for this you should check with your vet. Usually the male dog doesn't even have to have any symptoms of Herpes and could be just carrier.

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If you plan to breed from your bitch then make sure that she is fit before you start. Any on-going problems should be cleared up, especially ear or skin infections that may transmit to the puppies. If in doubt, then check with your vet who will also be able to advise you on vaccination policy. It would be unwise to mate your bitch under two years of age or before the third heat.

You will also need to determine the best time to mate your bitch. A basic knowledge of the bitch's oestrus cycle is vital for this. There are four distinct phases to the cycle:

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