Breeding

We have our first litter due in a few weeks time. Its very exciting as this litter has been four years in the planning. My boy who is the dad has been showing for quite a while with many lalcings and wins to his name including a recent Best in Show at a Stafford Specialty. He also does training in agility, flyball and obediance and is sitting Gold Canine Good Citizen next weekend. My girl won a Baby Puppy in show at a specialty when she was younger then went to a home where she was a wonderful companion, unfortunately that person was no longer able to care for her so i have her now. She has started training in obediance and canine good citizen and will do some agility once the pups are weaned and she is again fit. Both are clear for L2-hga and HC and had their eye tests both passed unaffected. Their temaperaments are wonderful and all 4 of my staffords run free happily together on a daily basis.

My question is fairly broad, i would like to know if there is anything unusual i should be looking out for during the next few weeks and into whelping? or even with the pups themselves in the first few minutes/hours.

We have an xray booked during the last week so i should have some idea of how many we are due.

I have done MANY hours of study etc on pregnancy in bithes/whelping/lactation/nutrition etc!

But im sure there will be some of you who have come across oddities and could have info that may be helpful

Any xtra info is much appreciated.

Well, good luck with the birth! Do you have homes lined up?

The only advice I can give you (it's been many years since I bred a litter!) is "Expect the unexpected!" Is your vet aware of the due date?

I would only rescue, but good luck xXx

Awwww puppies! You sound like a good breeder, i'm glad you have oined. I can't wait to see puppies!!! Sorry i'm not helpful in the breeding part at all, only had one litter in my life haha

Sorry I can't offer any advice , but good to see you are taking all the right steps , not sure how the staffy situation is in NZ so hope it's good and you have homes lined up.

But anyway good luck with your future litter

Yep got Homes in fact prob going to have to put people off as i want to run on two myself!! The vet knows the due date but will be seeing him 5 days out from then for the xray anyway. Hes such a good vet, my good friends litter was born a few weeks back and she was really unfortunate to have to have a c sect for the last pup. First 5 came through well but last was VERY stuck! So there we were at 4am at the vet and i was able to vet nursee for him. Very interesting although would obviously rather the dog and owner had not had to go through that at all. The pup was very big and had died but all the other 5 are thriving and doing fantastically well and 12 hours later you would not have known the bitch had had its first litter and a C sect! Such a good mummy. I will get pics up once i figure out how to do it!

Takoda wrote:The pup was very big and had died

Aww, that's sad!

We have a Mod here who's an experienced breeder (Denise - http://www.dardanians.com/ ) & hopefully she'll be on soon & will give you a few hints on what to look out for!

Hi

Good luck with your planned litter.

Each females pregnancy is different, but most do follow the same similarities. Reading up on breeding will help and prepare you some what for the birth, but its nothing like real hands on experience. If this is your 1st time whelping a litter, then if you can and you have an experienced breeder friend ask them over to help assist you with the whelp.
The run up to the birth the female may slow down, sleep more, the days leading upto the birth she will sleep alot so let her its perfectly normal.
Some females will lose the mucus plug a few days before the birth some on the day. You may or may not see this part ( Me i've only seen the mucus plug once)
Hopefully you have a thermometer, as a drop in temperature is the 1st indictation the 1st stages of labour has started The female may shake, pant, dig and sleep deeply during this period. The closer she gets to the 2nd stage and the pushing she may need to toilet more as the pups are pushing on her bladder as they move down the birth canal. She will also clear her bowls out and this could be soft ... all indications the pups are nearly here.
When the 1st pups born, theres gunk and blood, all normal. When the 2nds born your notice green muck this again is normal with each pup thats delivered after the 1st pups out. Its a bad sign if green gunk is seen with the 1st pup only, as this means the placentas are breaking away before there ment too, so putting the rest of the pups lives in danger.

I hope all the homes you already have are loving, caring homes and respectful of the breed.

Good luck - I hope Denise's post is of help to you!

So many times people come on here talking about breeding and have lots of ridiculous reasons for breeding, like giving their girl the opportunity to have this wonderful experience!! Bollo#ks!!
Thankfully you seem to have done your homework and are a serious owner/breeder who, as you have said, has taken the time to secure homes for the pups. You also seem to have taken the time to enhance the quality of your dogs.
What Denise says is good advice and I have nothing to add except good luck and I look forward to hearing how things go!

Hope it all goes well for you , make sure you keep us posted , we give you advice , you send us pictures fair deal in my book

Hi everyone, thanks for all the positive and helpful comments.

I agree totally that breeding a bitch so she can have the experience is Boll... rubbish!

This has been in the palnning for along time, we are very excited.

I have been involved in quite a few litter whelpings so things like, thermometer, temp recoring sheet, whelping kit, vet sonstandby etc is all sorted.

My girl is looking sooo well, eating well, enjoying her three short walks a day, very relaxed and sleeping soundly (in the whelp box now though as the crate is getting a little too small for her to strech out comfortably)

Still having probs loading pics to the post? or in an album as such? BUT did manage to load one to my profile so thats a big step forward :-)

I think i have done it!!!!

If so this is a pic of my girl Skyy on 4/11/12, due date 16th nov.

Wow she looks big!! Do you have any idea how many puppies yet? Ohhh I cant wait for brand new puppy pics

I'm sure that they will be very cute.... Why have you decided to have a litter?

She's a beauty! Looks very heavy!

You do realise that we'll expect loads of puppy pics now you know how to post them!

Ooh exciting stuff, lovely bitch Looks like a fair few in there I reckon 4 or 5 at least! Make sure you let us know how the birth went and LOADS of photos please. Can't add anything else to denise's post apart from maybe decided now where you want her to have the pups and start her off sleeping there asap. You want her to automatically go there when the time is right. You also want to be able to keep her in there and your other dogs out to avoid problems!

Nosipho wrote:Can't add anything else to denise's post apart from maybe decided now where you want her to have the pups and start her off sleeping there asap. You want her to automatically go there when the time is right. You also want to be able to keep her in there and your other dogs out to avoid problems!

I think that's already done.....

Takoda wrote: very relaxed and sleeping soundly (in the whelp box now though as the crate is getting a little too small for her to strech out comfortably)

Dan330 wrote:I'm sure that they will be very cute.... Why have you decided to have a litter?

The decision for a litter was primarily for myself and decision was made 2 yrs ago.
I do obediance and agility with my staffords and my Boy Loki is sooo good at Obediance that i want more of his brain, My wee girl Diva is fantatic at agility as she is the lighter type and very fast. This litter combination has the great traits of both.

I also have many people who have been in contact with and love my staffords who want a pupp from this litter, the list will probably cover another litter in the future too!!

My only concern is that my bittches mum had 10 in her first litter and Skyy is looking pretty big! Im prepared for a big litter if it happens (ie extra feeding every 2 hrs for a few weeks etc) but hope thats not the case as its a LOT of pressure on a maiden bitch.)

Yes she is in the whelp box already and no probs with the other dogs. They all get on really well anyay and run free to gether al the time, but will keeping her much quieter over the next few weeks.

Not long now.......get your camera ready!

Oh I swear I never pay attention! Too much crammed into my head things keep spilling out. Really excited about your litter!

Oh wow so excited for you cant wait to see the pics.
I have never had a litter I tried to breed my girl many years I would of loved a puppy from her but she was having none of it I had my reasons and know she would have been a brilliant mum sadly gone to rainbow bridge now)
My boy has produced puppies ive been lucky to see them grow and see pics its a amazing thing to help create life if done for the right reasons of course