BOULDER BROOK BOYKIN PUPPY TALE -WHELPING

JAVA - Whelped March 1995

Sire: Boulder Brook's Blazing Lee out of Dixie Blair and Sassie Sadie.

Thank Goodness, that is over!!

Dam: Bent Tree's Brandywine off I'm Randy's Forehand and Goose Creek Samantha

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF OUR FIRST LITTER

Pregnancy and whelping

I did some research on breeding and dog cycles. One of the better brochures I came across was entitled The Brood Bitch and Puppies from the Gaines Dog Research Center. It was written in simple non-technical language, and had most of the answers to my questions on pregnancy and whelping. Generally bitches come into season at about 8 months of age the first time. After that they have a 6 to 8 month cycle. My bitch seems to be closer to every 8 months. It is best to skip breeding the first season since the dog is young, still growing physically, and maturing, but the bitch should be bred before 3 years if you wish to breed her.

When the bitch comes into season, she starts showing signs of swelling and some discharges. During the day 11 to day 14 period, she is most fertile. Basically, when she stands still for the stud dog, she is ready to be bred. Otherwise breeding is uncomfortable and painful, and she doesn't tolerate it. Mother nature has been at it a long time and I generally just let her handle it. In 1997 Brandy went into season on about May 2 and she was standing for Blaze on May 14.

How do I know she's pregnant? You can go to a vet and spend $50 if you are really curious. They can palpate, do ultrasound, and other tests. Or you can wait until week 6 or so and watch for changes in the body. Weight the bitch every week and see if she is gaining weight. The breasts will show some enlargement after a few weeks.

Sometimes the dog will give you clues. Brandy was lying in the living room about 3 weeks after her first breeding. She stood up and uncharacteristically tossed her dinner onto the rug. Thereby announcing her situation! Some kind of doggy "morning sickness" I guess.

The normal gestation period is 58-65 days. Given the bitch may mate on several different days during her peak fertility period, even knowing an exact number of days is not helpful unless she only mates on one day. I once waited a week after I expected the pups arrival, and then had to make a trip to D.C. Sure enough, the pups were born on the N.J. turnpike at the Molly Pitcher rest area. The table is below is supposed to help. I will discuss another indiator later by use of a thermometer.

Find the month and date on which your bitch was bred in one of the left-hand columns. Directly opposite that date, in the right-hand column, is her expected date of whelping, bearing in mind that 61 days is as common as 63.

Note. In a leap year, after Feb.28 in the "date bred" column, add one day to the estimated vvhelping date. As an example, a bitch bred on February 29 can be expected to whelp May 3; one bred on May 1 can be expected to whelp July 4; etc.

calendar

WHELPING CONTINUED

CONTACT Bill at BOULDER BROOK KENNELS

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