Ok, so I am doing some reading given that I have 7 months before even the mating...

I already have the Book of the Bitch and a couple of other books.  I was wondering if there are any others you can recommend?

At this stage I'm especially interested in books about timing and mating - some of the books I have begin with the bitch being pregnant and go through to whelping and rearing puppies.  Which is great, but at this stage I'm looking for info on events beforehand and getting her pregnant too.

I'm also interested to read a really up to date book, which includes things like AI.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Absolutely LOVED this book - so much great info.  Get the spiral bound which has plasticised pages which means you can have it open nearby during whelping and if it gets a bit mucky it just gets wiped off

http://www.amazon.com/Whelping-Rearing-Puppies-Complete-Practical/dp/0793804973

i have this book to its great! xx

I already have that one!!

But it doesn't talk about mating at all - it's only about whelping and rearing, as it's called...