hi all ive a question for anyone that can answer it for me.ive got 3 dogs (terrier breed), 2 r deaf a dog n a bitch and the other bitch i have is totally fine but is 5 weeks pregnant,my friends looked after my boy dog for 3 weeks whilst the 2 bitches were in season,wich was very destressing for him going to another home and i had to go get him bk as hed lost so much weight too.but the problem now is the bitch that is 5 weeks pregnant is due very shortly i need to know if i have to get another place for my boy dog to stay whilst the bitch will be giving birth.do i have to remove my other bitch too.if so when should i roughly do this and for how long as i read on a site that keeping the male around could prolong her birth.the thing is i dont reallly want to put my dogs in another home not after the last experience i had.i did think about kennels but even that i dont want to do as he is deaf and will confuse him even more.any advise is greatly appreciated.many thanks for anyone who can help.babygaldee.x

so does this mean you have bred from a dog with a medical condition?

have you got homes lined up for the pups?
what if some are deaf?
did you know there are hundreds and thousands of your breed in rescue throughtout he whole country, many that get put to sleep due to lack of homes?
and due to the recession, some breeders are finding it harder to find homes for pups at the moment?

just some food for thought.

NO I HAVENT BREAD MY DOGS BECAUSE OF THE MEDICAL CONDITIONS OF 2 OF THEM.MY FRIEND BREAD HER DOGS AND COULDNT SELL 2 OF THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH DEAF,SO I FELL IN LOVE WITH THEM AND BOUGHT THEM BOTH.NO ONE SEEM TO WANT THEM.YES I HAVE HOMES FOR THEM ALREADY,  THERE WONT BE ANY DEAF PUPPIES AS THE THIRD dog IS NOT FROM THE SAME LITTER.YES I DON KNOW ABOUT THE DOGS PUT INTO HOMES THATS THE EXACT REASON WHY I BOUGHT THE TWO I HAVE NOW FROM MY FRIEND.I APPRECIATE WHAT YOUR SAYING THO.I AM ACTUALLY A SPONSER OF DOGS TRUST.I DONT SUPPOSE YOU COULD HAVE THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION ABOUT TEMPORARILY HOMEING MY BOY DOG WHILST THE BITCH IS DUE TO GIVE BIRTH PLEASE ANY INFO WOULD HELP.MANYTHANKS.

DO U HAVE ANY INFO TO MY ORIGINAL QUESTION ANY ADVICE GREATLY APPRECIATED.THANKS.BABYGALDEE

Hi Donna no you dont have to move your other dogs if you have a nice quiet place for the bitch to whelp. Idealy this should be a room where your other dogs cant get to as bitches need privacy while giving birth,also for the first few weeks of nursing. I must say though that you should have thought all this out before you mated her. Have you got the whelping box ready for your girl yet? she should be getting used to sleeping in there now so that when puppies arrive she feels its a safe place. Please dont post in capital letters.

Oh ok, im a bit confused though, as i thought you said you said you male dog is deaf and also the father?
Im not a breeder, so thats why i wondered if breeding from a deaf father would be a problem.
Especially as you arent really meant to breed without the parents being tested for breed related conditions with the vet first.
Its great to hear you are a supporter of the Dogs Trust, and you helped these 2 dogs by taking them from your friend instead of them going into rescue.
Although, with all due respects, i would say that when aware of your breed's over-population issue in this country, and to help with the situation in general, the best thing that folks can do is spay and neuter their dogs until the situation gets back to normal.
This is because there are far more of your breed than homes available, many that many get put to sleep.

I dont know if a pregnancy is extended due to the prescence of the father?
However, regarding fostering, that's just a case of finding someone you can trust.
You could try pet siting businesses?
Although, if he has already lost weight due to stress last time he was fostered with your friend, wont he have this problem again?

Firstly sorry for the capital letters,i have thought it through and yes my dog is in her whelping area i built it in under the stairs where i used to have a big cupboard, i do apprecitate your advise and im glad that i dont have to remove my other dogs from their home.its just i read on one site that i would have to make alternate arrangements for the other 2 dogs,she has taked to her room under the stairs really well and often goes in there to have a bit of piece away from the other two.many thanks.

no my boy dog isnt the father,the father is kc registered.sorry for the confusion,you should never breed a dog with another dog with medical conditions coz i think it would be fair to say that there would be at least 1 pup with the condition thats why my friend couldnt get homes for the 2 i had off of her,i do have homes for all the pups already.wouldnt dream of mating her without being able to home the pups first,i think iwill keep my boy dog with me  as i dont want to put him through any more stress as hes already been through,its not fair on him,also because of his deafness,he is only just started to put his weight back on now,looking alot healthier now hes bk home with me.i am so gratefull for you reply to me,many thanks once again.babygaldee

thanks lorraine for ur quick reply.babygaldee.

hi there again lorraine i just want to double check that most first litters can come aprox 5 days early.ive been reading a book i bought called ,The book of the bitch,it tells you everything you need to know.Donna.

Hi Donna,
pups can be viable from 57days so could be born anywhen from then to 70 days, although I wouldn't let a bitch go over 63 days without alot of supervision and veterinary influence.your other dogs do not have to leave your home, but I must say that they shouldn't be able to gain access to your in bitch when she is whelping and definately no access to the pups for about 4 weeks.....Although your bitch may want to come and play with her friends before the 4 weeks. Your bitch will be fine to stay with the dogs for now, but I wouldn't let them near the whelping area as she may not find it a safe place if there are intruders.
Good luck with your litter :-)

hi emz .i have taken all or your information in and will keep in mind thank you for you response and help,i must say its nice of people to help me.thanks again donna

> hi there again lorraine i just want to double check that most first litters can come aprox 5 days early.ive been reading a book i bought called ,The book of the bitch,it tells you everything you need to know.Donna

Hi Donna, only just seen your question as your post disappeared for a while. Some first time moms can whelp early,a lot whelp on time though. They can arrive a few days late as well and as already mentioned close supervision is the order of the day. The Book of the Bitch is excellent,its the dog breeders bible.

I've never had a first litter come early, they've always been on time, 63 days from the first mating.

I would just make sure your girl is away from your other dogs when she whelps and probably for the first weeks as mum will be very protective towards her babies.

I've never had a first litter come early, they've always been on time, 63 days from the first mating.

Opposite here, I've never had a first litter go as long as 63 days, it's been 58 to 60.

There is a difference from away and in seperate quarters. Your post is not very well explained.

The bitch should have an area to herself, IE where dogs are not walking by, cannot get to the pups or her and really if possibly as quiet as possible. A spare bedroom is ideal.  When you say under the stairs  do the other dogs pass or have access to this area?

Same here .   Generally between 60 and 62.

We've just had our first litter which turned out to be 10! She whelped 61 days after the first mating. I also have a male dog in the house, but I kept him well away from where she was whelping. It was a couple of days before I let him anywhere near the room, which has a dog gate across the doorway (between kitchen and dining room). She has not shown any aggression towards him, and will even let him into the room, although for cross infection risks I've not let him actually touch or get too close. I could be lucky with my bitch, but if the dogs are really close normally like my two, then it shouldn't be a problem.

In fact, a friend's bitch would only start whelping when they brought her male into view of her... albeit the other side of a stairgate. You need to see how your bitch is with his presence.

Also agree that the whelping area should preferrably be a room away from other noises/disturbances in the house. Fairly difficult, but the easiest way to keep her quiet and calm.

I just want to add to the person who questioned reasons for breeding, although in principal I agree with what you're saying, I thought long and hard about whether to mate her at all. As it turned out, my litter (all 9 surviving pups) were all sold BEFORE they were born, nobody has as yet pulled out, and I had a waiting list of 8 by the time they were born. Even though I've dismissed these people now, I could honestly have sold the litter twice over. I know the same can't be said for some breeds out there, a very difficult situation for some I know.

thanks lorraine for your comment.my friend fills me in on alot of what i need to know as she studs her dog out and knows quite alot about the pregnant dog and my friend is the one who lent me the book of the bitch which is great i think ive read it from front to back 3 times now lol just making sure everything sinks in,im a bit nervous opbviously that she has a safe and calm birth.but fingers crossed all will be ok.
donna.x

thankyou sharonm much appreciated.ive got so much feedback and emails this is a very good site for people helping when in need of it many thanks.
donna.x

thank you i will keep a close eye on my dog.thanks donna

thanks for your reply and anxiously await a reply to this post.ive built a cupboard under the stairs which has a door on it and no possible way for the other 2 dogs to get in to the cupboard my over 2 dogs will have to go down the hall way to get to the garden and the front door do you think this will be a problem if so i will change this and put my bitch in my bedroom with me.i have a built walk in waldrobe and if i clear that out i could always put her in there with me so its private quiet and closed off and the other two dogs cannot get upstairs as they are not aloud anyway plus ive got stairgates and bedroom doors what do you think?thanks donna

well thanks for the information and was very interesting to read.donna

The hall would be a definate no for me. Bedroom only.

how can you get under the stairs and lay beside her? whelping can take 12 hours and the panting stage 12 hours before that? once born you need to sleep beside the litter for 2 weeks so they dont get crushed. is there room under the stairs? as someone said, a quiet bedroom is best, just keep other dogs out until she will let them in which is when pups about 2 weeks old

thank u im will be putting her in my bedroom now deffinatly  many thanks.

once your bitch accepts other dogs around the pups, you can always move them back downstairs.....this will make it easier for when they are going to be out in the garden etc and easier for you to socialise them more. But that very early stage needs to be in peace and quiet. I have my litter in the garage in a converted shed, I have heat lamps and pads out there and it is so much easier for mess, it is a quiet area away from the rest of the household and has access to the back garden and direct access to my kitchen (doorway into garage) this is now lwft open all day long so pups can hear all the goings on in the house and they are brought into the house to socialise for limited periods (10 pups can cause so much chaos lol) this also allows my bitch to now choose when she wants to spend time with them and time with us. After about 2 weeks they tend to relax a bit and want to share more time with the family again.

thankyou for your info i have been putting my dog in my bedroom  as i have a massive bedroom wich is quiet many thanks donna