My long awaited litter is 11 days old, the one I had dreamed about for years.  Travelled the end of the country for the Mum back in 2007, got all health tests done, waited with baited breath for the results.  Mated her to a beautiful sire who has had great success in the showring.  Got my kennel name from the kennel club, looking forward to ringcraft classes with my chosen pup.  My dream was taking shape. 

My girl had her puppies, 4 beauties, had teething problems but we're still going.  Now Mum of pups although a good Mum isn't the most careful, she will lye and sit on the pups oblivious to their cries, and when she does this the cries are muffled and I highly doubt loud enough to wake anyone for help, pups have been rescued many times!  I knew it would be hard work, weeks sleeping on the sofa, I didn't expect that someone would have to be watching and listening to Mum and pups 24 hours per day! day in day out, they can't be left for a minute.  Exhaustion isn't the word!  It has been made possible by family helping out, but I have been told - understandably - never again!

My dream appears to be over! as I cannot comprehend how I could ever manage breeding on my own going without sleep for what looks like is going to be at least 3 weeks.

How on earth do other breeders cope? am I unlucky with my bitch? 

I hope things soon get better for you, it must be very hard to cope but hopefully you are through the most gruelling bit.  I have three dogs and have never and will never breed a litter. I'm reminded though of a neighbour of mine though--who has horses and dogs, therefore should know better! On seeing my three said to me, "well, you've missed a trick haven't you? You should have got a bitch, then you could have sold the puppies!" I muttered something about not having either the experience, time or the dedication needed--and got the airy reply "oh, the bitch does all the work!"

grrrr... 

I didn't expect that someone would have to be watching and listening to Mum and pups 24 hours per day! day in day out, they can't be left for a minute.  Exhaustion isn't the word!

Yep, exactly that.  I've done it on my own for 30 years.  I sleep by the whelping box from a week before to about 4 weeks afterwards, although once the pups' eyes are open, then I do go to the kitchen and bathroom on my own instead of taking Mum, but I still sleep by the pups. :)  For real dog breeders it's a way of life.

............... and breath ;-) . You are tired and emotional because you are exhausted, yes its bloody hard work but you are doing your best so don't give up , it will get easier when the pups are a bit more robust and can wriggle if mum lays on them.
Its a huge learning curve for both of you , some mums are just clumsy , she is tired too remember. Yes it is 24 hrs a day for a few weeks but you will get through it. Your dream is not over , reality has kicked in , its bloody hard work. Try and get some rest when you can , sleep by the box so that if she lays on one you have a better chance of hearing it.
((HUGS)) Lucy x

You get used to it!

Some mums are great, effortless seemingly and do everything so well....
and then there's the 'special care' litters.

I stay with mine for 2 weeks full time then carry a baby intercom around with me if I have to hang out washing or have a bath.

Hard work for sure.

Hope we can highlight your post so others considering a litter can see it - this is what being a breeder is like, lack of sleep, sleeping (or resting rather) in wierd places beside the whelping box.  You need to be on hand 24 hours per day for at least 3 weeks.  LAck of sleep, aching bones, lack of interaction with other humans are only a few of the things we accept as the norm.

And people raise an eyebrow (or several!) at the price of a well-bred well-raised puppy?

You deserve every penny. Makes me incensed at the puppy farmers, bankbook breeders et al who do the bare minimum yet charge the full amount.

There should be an elite club and organisation for ethical breeders.... if only like AA.... how the heck do you keep going like that litter after litter...lol

how the heck do you keep going like that litter after litter...lol
It's down to the feeling of dedication, being the custodians of your breed, for the next generation. :)

> It's down to the feeling of dedication, being the custodians of your breed, for the next generation. :-)

I did know.... but needed to hear it :)

Jasmine, as others have said the worst is probably over but you will care and fret about these pups for the rest of their lives, that's what makes us decent caring human beings.
Sometimes life is not fair and those who do no health tests and don't really care get away scot free with no problems. I had a bitch who did not make a good mother and it was hard, never bred from her daughter due to health issues.

I ummed and arrghed about breeding again from my youngest girl, she had been a brilliant mum but I knew I would not be in a position to keep and go up to 5 dogs so I decided to be selfish and spare myself back ache, fatigue etc etc and I had her spayed.

I think it is like childbirth, sometimes it can be a loveley experience, sometimes really hard but in time you forget the bad bits and just remember the good.

Be proud that you are raising pups for someone to cherish and at the end of it book yourself a nice treat somewhere because you will deserve it :)
Chin up, you'll get there.    

> How on earth do other breeders cope?

Live alone, so have to cope!  And if I'm honest, I adore watching them develop and grow in confidence as I introduce them to everything.  Personally, I find it very rewarding, especially when I see the improvements that I am working on.

Not for everybody, I agree.

Perhaps some people do ZOMBIE better than others!   

remember if you need to take a break take mum out with you for short periods ..puppies will be fine as long as warm and fed.
I sleep on a bed right next to the whelping box , have a tv on , my laptop , books , etc luckily my hubby works shifts so get breaks inbetween , during the night  we do a split shift one on the bed sleeping other watching the tv then changeover so at least some sleep is had.

It is very hard work ..I had a friend who had a litter on the phone crying on a number of occasions throught sheer exhaustion ..she also said never again , unfortunately lived in Scotland so I couldnt help her out.

> How on earth do other breeders cope?

Live alone, so have to cope!  And if I'm honest, I adore watching them develop and grow in confidence as I introduce them to everything.  Personally, I find it very rewarding, especially when I see the improvements that I am working on.

Not for everybody, I agree.

Perhaps some people do ZOMBIE better than others!    

Glad I am not the only one :-)

Breeding and rearing puppies properly is utterly, utterly exhausting. The responsibility is life long and there are lows on the way. But there are highs too. The joy of passing on a beautiful puppy to its carefully vetted home. The pictures and news as they grow up and the shared sorrow on their demise. But there is the real joy of contributing something to your breed and seeing your breeding go on to produce typical, sound and healthy "stock" for others for years to come.

Jasmine, anyone committed enough to breed your breed these days with mitral valve, syringomyelia and eye testing AND finding a similarly tested stud dog with the right qualities to complement their bitch, deserves a blooming medal for even thinking about it today! :)
Imagine the satisfaction of handing over your health tested, carefully reared puppies to deserving families?  You will look back on the experience with a smile on your face in time. :)

Yes it is physically and mentally exhausting and a lot of breeders have a few other dogs to cope with at the same time. Recently I had to take a new mum to the vets for a checkup along with pups for dewclaws to be taken off, bring them home & go straight back with another dog who had suspected pancreatitis. I was on my own at the time so had no choice - that's when the stress levels hit the roof.

As everyone else has said it's completely normal....
I celebrate to myself when I have got to the stage of being able to cat nap
for more than an hour when being bedded down next to the whelping box.

All consciencious breeders do go to these extremes.
Having a litter is a real rollercoaster of emotions especially if you have
pups that aren't thriving or a mum that's not overly maternal.

Personally I know I wouldn't have the energy nor the inclination to breed
every year or every other year as I want the internal human batteries to recharge.
As I work as well all I have to make sure that I do have assistance/back-up from family
before even considering a litter. I use some of my annual leave and then have
a trusted (by me and mum of pups) family member in situ for daytime work hours and then when I arrive home I take over..
It's quite demanding especially when you need the grey matter at work, I am totally shattered and exhausted at the end of it.

That's why on I only breed when I really want a puppy myself...so that's only once every 3 or 4 years...
and even then I get asked surely it would be easier and less stressful buying a puppy in by my OH...
The answer to that from a sane person would be yes!!

Alot of thought, time, energy, committment, love and pride goes into rearing each litter without
including the monetry investment.
If I had a pound for everytime I explained to the 'Joe Public' that no if you do things properly breeding
a litter is far from a easy money making time...they do look surprised when you advise on making
'losses' especially when they are a 4 figure sum..and that you invest your money before having a litter
on health tests and making sure mum is as fit and healthy as possible prior to breeding and then all
the costs of the litter whilst they are in your care..I hope that after that I have managed to put some
people off thinking it's easy and a good money spinner. Certainly have re-educated the OH's family that's
for sure!

thats perfectly normal in my breed. they are not left alone for one second for the 1st 3 weeks, and not alone at night until 5 weeks. Nothing unusual about that.....its plain hard work!

How on earth do other breeders cope? am I unlucky with my bitch?

For myself, I knew exactly what I was letting myself in for, I spent time with my breeder and others in my breed from start to finish, watched and learnt over 4 years on and off and knew how to cope, if I wanted all pups to survive they were to have 24hr supervision, and worked my life out in preparation for the big day.

Trouble is reading books doesn't prepare you for the reality of it all, hands on experience does, from the mess of whelping to breech whelps, to bitches sitting on their pups etc, just the same as giving birth ourselves it's not real until it's real, thats when you get the exhaustion and feel it, along with the strong maternal affect a litter of pups has on you, along with the worry etc that everything is ok.

If your doing a good job, a responsible job ;-) you'll be tired, good news is it's all over in 8 weeks :-) You'll get through it, I'm usually sleeping well 6 weeks in, but coffee is my boost, just make sure that you eat well and have a routine that way it is easy to keep up with things. I move my office in the whelping area and cat nap on the sofa bed, but luckily I'm a very light sleeper, if my bitch moves I'm awake.

I also paint as I find it relaxing and it keeps me occupied seems to wash away the tiredness, but that is just me, IMO it's good to find a relaxing hobby that you can do in the whelping area, as tiredness and boredom are a lethal combination and can tempt you away from the whelping area or make you crash out.

Your doing a great job, keep plodding on. :-) It's worth it. :-)

I have nothing to add except a huge congratulations. I do not breed as I only have boys but if I was looking for a puppy, you would be the sort of breeder I would be approaching!

I don't live alone, but raise my litters on my own because I choose to,  plus have a family as well to tend to.  My litter is currently 4 weeks old and I'm just 'thinking' about going back to bed, yes it's exhausting but worth every grey hair and wrinkle  ;-)

Some bitches are certainly more clumsy than others. A lot try to be careful but always miss one pup. They can't count so they see a few pups and think there they are,  I'll lie here, not seeing the one thats under them. Its a very exhausting time I know.
If you have no help, theres no way round it, it just has to be done. I am very very very lucky in that my OH takes time off work and we do shifts. One is up all night and the other is up all day, so we do sleep. Couldn't someone do a night and let you sleep, maybe at the weekend when no one has to get up for work.
Their eyes will be open soon and they will be able to wriggle about more so it will get easier. Every day they get bigger and stronger so this stage will pass. Keep thinking on that. Soon they will be running around chewing your carpets LOL. They move as one, like a herd of mini house wreckers. Then you will laugh so much at them, this will all be forgotten. :)

hi i know what you mean, my girl had a litter of 10 we unfortunately lost one at birth and another with the problem you have of her laying on them. I knew it was going to be hard work but this is extreme wasn't even this tired when i had my children lol. Although it's hard work seeing them growing everyday makes it worth it and just waiting to get to that 3 week mark is reward enough :). My babies are now 5 days old so a long way to go for us, your not unlucky with your bitch it's just one of those things, i was told with first litters you expect a few problems as they get into the swing of being a mum. Keep up the good work and hang on in there x

If you read the book fo teh bitch there is a section that quotes the mortality rate for puppies in the first two weeks as around 30%, reasons ranging from getting cold, being laid on, congenital defects etc.

I think very few concientious caring breeders would allow for this rate of loss, so the constant watching and checking.

I am sure that puppy farmers probably accept such losses as manpower equals more money.

I just noticed that the OPs litter is only 11days old......

I consider the first 3 weeks the easiest as the mum usually does everything - I only have to supervise and cater for her needs but
from the 4th week until either they leave (or kept and are housetrained) then the work really cranks up.
Yes you get slightly more sleep .....but
weaning, poo patrol, playing and laundry consumes most of my time.

Sorry :-)

The upside however is...they are much more fun.

>Yes you get slightly more sleep .....but
>weaning, poo patrol, playing and laundry consumes most of my time.

I was just thinking the same  :) - once they are up and about, the seagull cries of hungry pups wanting breakfast, the mad excitement of "we're awake and want to LOVE you!"  and all trying to climb on you while you are trying to clean away the poo and wee, before they all get covered and cover you and everything else in sight LOL

And of course with active pups who can climb a puppy pen, there's no such thing as going to bed, I sleep with the litter until they leave :-D   the cat naps do get a bit longer though :)

But there's also the satisfaction of "doing it properly and doing it well" and seeing a lovely healthy litter growing and developing and the one you get to keep :-D 

And no, I couldn't do it every year, or even every 2 or 3 years, it's far too exhausting ;)

To be honest the time you're going through now is the easiest by far -and you have a nice small litter as well. I'm currently dealing with 9 puppies aged 6 weeks -the cleaning and feeding never stops! The first 3 weeks are so easy in comparison. :)

i think breeding is the hardst job in the world! :) but the most rewarding you could ever do when done propely ,i sleep down stairs till the last pup has gone and then sleep for about aweek lol ,my OH helps when he can and i also have 3 kids at home yougst 11 but has aurtisum ,so i still have to do everything in the house but kids do help as much as possible, ive sat and cryed with lack of sleep and when pups have the runs and the worry gets too much i feel like i carnt cope but like all have siad once pups are playing and runing around giving out kisses and jumping at your curtains and swinging from them LOL ,its a happy time the amount of wee and poo cleaning is never ending and your house smells like zoo its more tiring BUT i find it body tiring not mind tiring ,the 1st few weeks are so very stressful with worry and its that that makes you feel so much more tired the cleaning and playing part i just love im lucky to get 1 maybe 2 hours sleep anight in the 1st 3weeks and then 4/5 hours when their 4weeks plus ,but handing a loving healthy confident pup that has had the best start in life over is the best feeling in the word, you will miss them like crazy and cry when their not there, its hard work when everythings done right ,not long now and you will soon get a few hours sleep here and there (((hugs))) xxx

Keep up the good work :) It is something i would like to do in the future but certainly not something i want to rush in to, as i am new to my breed and have lot's to learn :) ,
Will hopefully see my first litter being born soon, very excited :)

Thanks to those who showed compassion, understanding and made thoughtful posts, it's really appreciated, thanks.  I knew it would be hard work! I was prepared for that. 
The mods edited the title of my post, the point I was making is that 3 or 4 weeks without a wink of sleep IS impossible, and so without backup I was trying to envisage how breeding again would be a reality, as I would be petrified that even if I slept next to the whelping box, I risk the chance of not waking up to a pup being squashed. 
On a positive note one of the pups have started to open their eyes, yay!!!!    

jasmine ive been up with a girl waiting for her to whelp and once she started to whelp it took forever i went nearly 4 days with no sleep what so ever :( and still cat naped by the whelping box ,i carnt say what you'd be like but only what i was :) i did wake for every noise even tho i thought i wouldnt its the same when you have a baby ,i think i didnt sleep propley i was wiating to hear them LOL

Sooo glad their eyes are starting to open :) not be long before your weaning them and thats the time you can get 5/6hours :) its great xxx

your doing great,keep telling yourself that ,1st time mums find it hard some times, my girl will be a 1st time mum in the new year shes been scanned so i will soon be in your shoes xxx

Congratulations White Lilly on your girls pregnancy, hope you have a smooth easy whelping and delightful, healthy pups - oh and some decent sleep lol good luck x x

thanks jasmine but i know ill get no sleep ;-) xx

I had to hand rear one lil pup, def no sleep for me for weeks..I cried and cried thinking she wasnt going to pull through and all the hard work would have been for nothing...thankfully she did and an awful lot of people on here really helped me get through it with fantastic advice and boosts. She turned out to be a beautiful girl. Im glad I did it and yes I probably would do it again.
My girl was a bit clumsy to begin with, but she was tired, but after a couple of weeks and once the pups eyes were open it was a lot easier.
I loved the way they 1st started toddling around..bringing them into the world and all the hard work that goes with it and seeing them thrive and grow and survive makes the sleepless days and nights worth while. Enjoy them while you can..its over far too soon.

It really is like having a baby, you sleep differently and do wake to every little noise or murmur.   Catnaps are the secret ;)  as soon as someone else is able to take over for 5 or ten minutes you have a bit of shut-eye and that keeps you going.

OH is amazed that I can nap for 10 minutes and then wake up refreshed - he can sleep for 16 hours straight and  still need to go to bed early   I put it down to being a mum ;)

I found that covering the whelping box with a fleece which hangs down in the front meant that the temperature stayed constant and the bitch relaxed a lot more and was less likely to be clumsy or want to 'hide' her babies, but I still had to be very alert to babies getting behind her or under her.   They can be surprisingly active as newborns.  

Sounds like you're doing everything humanly possible to care for these pups, no one can do more than that ;)  Hope you've taken loads of photos - they grow so fast and you're so busy you'll love looking at them for years to come :)

> If you read the book fo teh bitch there is a section that quotes the mortality rate for puppies in the first two weeks as around 30%, reasons ranging from getting cold, being laid on, congenital defects etc.
>
> I think very few concientious caring breeders would allow for this rate of loss, so the constant watching and checking.
>
> I am sure that puppy farmers probably accept such losses as manpower equals more money.

Apologies for quoting the whole of this post - but Barbara has it in a nutshell!!  No way would I ever accept such losses as the norm.   Which means it's bloody hard work! 

I'm hoping it's like pregnancy and by the time I breed another litter in approx 3 years I will have forgotten how tired I was! I found it worse than having a newborn baby and swore never again! But now the pups are 5 months old- two are in great homes and one boy has stayed here (Ruben for those who remember my dilema) I am relaxed, caught up on sleep and can see I would do it again after a longish break. I know others who don't worry so much but I did and barely slept for ages. Hope things get better soon- once you sleep the cleaning up etc is not as big a problem

It is a bit like that Annm172, I recently had my 2nd litter and had forgotten what a pain it was - though very rewarding too. Of course that first litter I had 2 boys so had to sell both, so I only had them for 10 weeks, whereas my singleton is now 5 months old and is becoming more fun and more cuddly than a nuisance to be watched 24/7!

Yip my 5 month old is at the lovely stage too. The two 4 month old girls though are little devils lol

Yikes, I had 2 puppies at the same time once and would never do it again - you're brave!

Mine aren't even here yet and I am knackered I find the waiting more tiring than when they are actually here. My bitch is 6 days overdue and I have just taken her for a c section, they should be doing it as I type so fingers crossed I should have babies later :-)

3 of 5 months or under here right now- all different litters but same lines- Hectic is the understatement but fab!