Breeding should be a big decision
Avoid indiscriminate mating - should be planned
* There’s probably enough in this world
Raise puppies only if there is a demand
Spay
Ovariohysterectomy: Removal of ovaries and uterus
Neuter
Removal of testicles
Neuticles - product to make dog look intact
Benefits to Spaying
No pups
No heat cycles
No uterine cancer
No uterine infection (pyometra) - very common w intact females, can kill them
Reduced risk of mammary tumors - estrogen effect
Decreased roaming
* Reduced strays attracted to bitch during estrus
* Bitch won’t try to escape to be bred
Benefits to Neutering
No pups
No testicular cancer
Decreased urine marking
Decreased roaming
Maybe less aggression and dominance behaviors (?)
* Debatable
* Aggression is often not correlated
Negative Aspects of Spaying/Neutering
Risks of surgery
Slight changes in conformation
* less estrogen (Epiphysis: long bones closing needs estrogen) - can make females taller
* Increase in orthopedic problems
Bladder incontinence - increases with spaying
May be increases in some cancer rates
Decreased activity level
* obesity(?)
Best Age to Spay/Neuter
Some debate
In the past vets say - “6 months of age”
May not be best
Probably depends on breed (or size)
* Smaller breeds - 6 months may be okay
* Larger breeds - 1 year or even older may be better (better to wait longer and mature first)
Breeding the Bitch
Should wait until at least 2nd cycle
Bitches are not “polyestrous”
Make sure bitch is healthy, dewormed, etc
* Successfully carry pregnancy
* Won’t pass pathogens on to puppies (maybe?)
* May be more difficult to treat when pregnant
Selecting a Sire
- Important to choose wisely
- Can be complicated decision
Accessory Sex Glands
- Main purpose - add fluids to sperm to help them move through female tract
- Prostate gland
- Different species have different glands
Dog penis
- Has a bone inside - called the os penis
- Penis inside body, muscle retracts for erection
Live Cover Breedings
- Tend to be cheapest and simplest - but difficulties may be present
Male or female mating for first time
* May need to restrain female
* May need to position the male
Mate daily over a 4 day period
Artificial insemination
- Semen: fresh, chilled, frozen
- Insemination: vaginal, transcervical, surgical
- If bitch does not accept male, minimize the number of breedings
- Locate an experienced vet or breeding specialist
- Can use fresh, chilled or frozen
Benefits of Chilled and Frozen
- No transportation of dogs
- Shipping semen is cheaper than shipping animals
- Shipping internationally possible
- Frozen lasts indefinitely
- Frozen when dog is young and in prime
- Minimizes contact between dogs
Negative Aspects of Chilled and Frozen
- Timing is critical and adds cost - only when female is in heat
- Shipping adds cost - overnight
- Insemination requires trained experts
- Frozen semen insemination is recommended to be surgically placed in female which adds risk to the bitch
- Because sperm aren’t necessarily the healthiest when frozen, so they don’t swim well
Indications of Heat
Sexual heat in female (6-12 months of age)
Bloody discharge - not menstruation
Sexual desire intensifies
* Will receive male
* Very difficult to control dog at this time
Cycle time about 21 days
Long anestrous period - periods of time when she’s not cycling
Gestation
About 63 days from breeding
Mammary glands swell last 3 weeks
Milk leaks during last week
Body weight may increase 20-55%
* Be careful they don’t put on too much fat
Pseudopregnancy (fake pregnancy)
Not uncommon in canines
Every appearance of being bred:
* Mammary glands swell
* May produce milk
* Maternal instincts are present: Nesting, Mother inanimate objects
* Weight gain
But no pups
May want to decrease feed to speed recovery
Metabolizable Energy Requirements of Bitch
- First 30 days of gestation - 100% normal for breed and size
- When she starts giving milk and feeding pups, start feeding a lot of extra feed
- By weaning, back to 125% feed
A Place to Whelp
- Provide location 3 weeks prior to whelping
- Whelping box: Warm, Quiet, Secluded (from dogs, cats and people)
Care of Bitch and Puppies at Whelping
For most bitches a suitable environment is the only requirement - can handle well on her own
Whelping: What to Expect
Signs of whelping:
* Temp drop from 102 to 99
* Restlessness
* Desire for seclusion
Active labor
The Newborn Pup
Enclosed in membrane sac (placenta) when born
Bitch will break membrane with teeth
* Release liquid inside
* Special attention bull dogs and boxers - trouble opening placenta
Handle as little as possible until eyes are open
Newborn Puppy Care
- Born eyes closed, ears closed, no teeth (come in about 2-4 days)
- Start crawling at a week or 2, then walk
- Weight will double in first week
- At this point, female will take care of most things
