I grew up breeding backyard hunting dogs so as an adult this is my first time breeding health tested quality dog. I didn’t notice heat cycle till there was blood on the bed on 28 March. Counting 9 days would mean we get her to the stud on Friday. I wanted to get her progesterone levels tested but I haven’t any luck with vets around here (new to the area). They either don’t do it, don’t return my calls, never heard of it, or charge an extraordinary amount of money I’d rather save towards an emergency. The stud owner plans on boarding my bitch for a few days to get several ties. I just wonder if I should take her by on Thursday to see if there’s any interest since she may have actually started 27 March. I really don’t want to miss the day as I’m very anxious. Thanks all for your help.

Why 9 days?

If the dog owner is happy to have your bitch for a few days then 10 days would be a fairly good bet, it does vary from breed to breed and in individuals but 10-15 days would normally cover her ovulation period, a good stud dog and owner will be as reliable as testing imo.

Lexy— I was told and I’ve read the bitch is ready from 9 days starting her cycle

Um, I think you've been told and read wrong

Bitches can be ready from Day 3 to Day 23.  The AVERAGE time that they mate happens to be Day 12-15, although this can vary a lot by breed and there's no knowing if your bitch is average...

> I’ve read

I have never met a dog who reads these things.  I wish people who write books actually knew what they were talking about.  I've had a bitch mate on day 28 and had a successful litter.

hi
im looking to breed my 3 year old [breed removed] terrier, it will be her first litter. i am looking for a reputable breeder in the lancashire area (we live in Burnley) i have messaged 3 breeders through Champ dogs, 1 has said they dont have a stud, but the others have not replied.....is there anything else i can do or any other site to find a breeder? Thanks

Have you spoken to her breeder? Any of my puppy owners know that they would have to contact me first about breeding their girl as I've put restrictions on all the registrations. I'm not against them breeding , I just want it done correctly and am happy to help with getting a stud dog. Your girl's breeder should know which lines compliment hers and be able to introduce you to a suitable stud owner.

I'd totally agree re taking your bitch back to whoever bred her (if only to have the non-breeding endorsment lifted?) for advice, both re whether your bitch has sufficient quality to be bred from and which male would be best for her.  Contacting 3 random people on here is, with respect, not the way to go.   You need to do a lot of homework re the various bloodlines within your breed so you know which of them would nick with your bitch best.  And her breeder would be able to best advise you about that, if you don't know.  When you breed, you must know a bit about which lines to avoid so you produce the best possible puppies you can - and even if the paperwork (pedigrees) look ok, you may find recessive genes give you what you do not want!

We didn't buy our foundation bitch (as a puppy) for some years after we bought our first two hounds, the second I'd intended to use on her but time, showing her to her title in that country, and more knowledge told me he wasn't going to be right for her.    It's not just about producing puppies for income, or shouldn't be.

I agree with going back to the breeder of your girl. 

I'd also add:  Why are you doing this breeding?  Because that in itself should tell you how to go about finding a stud.  If you want to produce dogs that can be shown successfully, then you'll be looking at which dogs have been successful in the ring and approaching their owners.  If you want to compete in agility or any other dog sport, you'll be looking at successful dogs in those sports and approaching owners there.

If you are just breeding because you fancy having a litter and not for any other specific purpose, please reconsider - there are already too many puppies in the world, without people producing more puppies for the sake of producing puppies...

Is your bitch fully health tested ? Have you shown or competed in canine activities successfully with her ? Is there a specific reason you want to breed from her other than a puppy for yourself &/or to sell the litter ?

Breeding should only be considered to improve the breed of the parents both in health & type.

It is a responsible breeder who either checks the pedigree etc of possible stud dogs for suitability & also what the possible stud & his bloodlines have improved in the breed & what are their weaknesses. They then take a very honest look at their bitch & her bloodlines for their strengths & weaknesses to attempt to improve on the possible parents. It is not enough to find a stud & use him because it is convenient.

I would expect any breed of dog to be hip scored regardless of whether there is a known problem in the breed as some surprising results have been uncovered in breeds that haven't appeared to have HD problems(Beagles spring to mind).
legg-calve-perthes is a known problem in WHWT is there any incidence of this in your bitches bloodlines ?
Also with all small breeds both patents should be checked for patella problems.

Here's s list of known health issues on WHWT

-Atopic dermatitis Luxating patella

- Inflammatory Bowel Disease

- Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease

- Dry Eye (KCS)

- Addison’s disease Lymphoma

- White Shaker

- Pulmonary Fibrosis

- Juvenile Cataracts

- CMO (craniomandibular osteopathy)

- Pancreatic enzyme deficiency

You need to know if any of these have been found in your bitches & any possible stud's bloodlines.

I take it as read your bitch has the correct harsh coat & 100 % temperament

Thank you for the replies to my post.....we have thought long and hard about breeding her, and yes for her health, my vet has assured me that it's good for a bitch to have at least one litter to avoid many health problems in later life.....our Lily is our world and we would never do anything to put her at risk. Thank you for recommending that we contact her breeder to follow her bloodline, we will be doing this to ensure the best. I haven't randomly contacted breeders on champ dogs, I thought this was a reputable site that ensured their breeders had the correct checks, therefore I didn't realise it was a risk to ask for breeders on here.
I take into account t all your comments and again our Lily is our world.

my vet has assured me that it's good for a bitch to have at least one litter to avoid many health problems in later life

That's incorrect -sadly not many vets are experienced with breeding. The biggest threat to a bitch that has not been spayed is pyometra -which you avoid by having her spayed.

I haven't randomly contacted breeders on champ dogs, I thought this was a reputable site that ensured their breeders had the correct checks, therefore I didn't realise it was a risk to ask for breeders on here.

The thing is, good breeders and stud dog owners are not likely to entertain the thought of one of their dogs being used on a pet bitch (i.e. not a dog that has been proven to be a good example of its breed in the showring or any relevant form of work) with an inexperienced owner. Breeding isn't easy, and a huge part of it is finding the right type of homes for the puppies, vetting the buyers very carefully. That's not easy, it comes with experience, and having a good, responsible and experienced breeder behind you as a mentor helps -ideally the breeder of the bitch. Personally I would not be happy to allow any of my stud dogs to mate a bitch that belongs to somebody who is not actively involved in the breed - I'd worry about whether the pups ended up in suitable homes, if the pups would end up being bred from by the wrong kind of people, etc etc. A responsible breeder doesn't just produce puppies, they take an interest in their breed in general, know the lines, know what health tests are necessary, know where to look for suitable stud dogs. Remember as a breeder you also must be able to provide your puppy buyers with help and advice throughout the dog's life, and you should be able to take a dog you've bred back at any time should the owner be unable to keep it for any reason. So you need experience.

There is no need to breed from a bitch, especially in a popular breed. Good breeders breed to improve and preserve their breed. Definitely have a word with your bitch's breeder. And check what the contract states.

I'd just like to say that if "Lily is our world" is indeed the case then don't risk breeding from her. If the worst happens - and it can- how would you feel then?

my vet has assured me that it's good for a bitch to have at least one litter to avoid many health problems in later life....

So you are breeding to prevent what problems later in life ??

I have never bred from any of my bitches despite them all being health tested & well bred & dogs well able to do the job they were/are bred to do(real stock working Border Collies) Despite not being bred from none has had any reproductive based problems in later in life. The only one that had a pyrometra was only 10 months old & hadn't even had a season. I prevent reproductive related health problems like pyrometra, cancer of womb etc by having my bitches spayed once mature, this is the only way to prevent such conditions no matter what your vet says. They are obviously not knowledgeable about reproductive related health issues & their prevention, but then few vets are. It is very unusual to find a vet that still believes breeding is good for a bitch, when in fact it is only of the times that a bitch's health is seriously at risk from all sorts of conditions that are directly related to reproduction. I have friends whose healthy (& health tested)bitches have died/been seriously ill after being in whelp & also bitches that have lost part or whole litters & had to have C sections.

It doesn't sound like you have had any real health tests done on your bitch & are just going by your GP vets somewhat uninformed advice. There are people on this forum with first hand experience of the dangers facing in whelp bitches.

You have never shown or worked your bitch so how do you know that she will improve the breed by producing offspring.

Breeding dogs is a privilege not a given right just because you own an entire bitch & fancy"improving her health(NOT)"by breeding from her.

BTW one of my bitches is litter sister to an ISDS International Champion, she will never be bred from despite being a successful trialling & hill working dog herself, I would never want to put her at risk during gestation & beyond & no, breeding from her would not improve her health nor her future health

Can we remember that people come here for our HELP. Some of the posts come across quite aggressively, even if you did not intend them to be so in the first instance. Driving people away defeats the object of this forum. Please remember this when you respond to posts.

That's me told then. Best not reply to anymore posts about breeding

Tommee ...I don't think you were not the only one to give an honest & direct response. I quite often give an honest & direct response..no point in giving a flowery reply

Let us know how you get on with the mating if your Lab. The only true way of knowing when your girl is ready is progesterone testing. I've known girls to be ready around day 4 and some as late as day 28.

>my vet has assured me that it's good for a bitch to have at least one litter to avoid many health problems in later life

This is absolutely incorrect advice.  I can't think of any research which shows that any health problems at all are less likely if a dog is bred from, than if they are not (whether or not they remain intact). 

Please consult with another vet from a different practice and get a 2nd opinion if you are breeding on this advice.  As others have pointed out, there are many risks involved in breeding - there are entire FB pages for orphaned puppies and advice on how to raise them.  C-sections costing thousands are relatively frequent.

We had 3 successful ties this weekend (day 10&11 or possibly days 11&12). She was playing hard to get at first and I wasn’t sure if she was ready. Then she started letting him mount but wasn’t moving her tail. And she’d wiggle away. But finally they had a successful tie so we left her. Hopefully we’ll see puppies in 9 weeks. I’m wondering when I might see early signs of pregnancy? I’d like to have her x rayed so I can see how many puppies we might be expecting. When is a good time? I also need to become acquainted with the repro specialist and that might be a good time to do so.

The best thing is to get her ultrasound scanned around day 28-32. Xrays really only show up numbers even later on in pregnancy.

Go and buy yourself the book of the bitch. That will be really helpful for you.

By all means scan, but why not WAIT .   By the seventh week you should see puppies moving around in any case.  Scans only confirm, or not, a pregnancy at the time of the scan, not that the bitch will carry to term.  However I/my vets would NOT x-ray until the end of a pregnancy, and then only if nothing happens (ie labour), to confirm she's empty, or not.   I didn't bother to scan my bitches as I was, perhaps, in the happy position of being able to clear my books when doing a litter!   Oh and as for first signs, apart from some 'morning sickness' that may or may not happen, if you know your bitch well, you may notice some 'thickening' of the flanks at around 4 weeks, more obvious teats and with mine, their vulva tended to stay rather more enlarged if they had 'taken'.   But that was with mine!!   Many bitches are less inclined to join in 'roughhousing' from early days - others just carry on.   They are all different and even pregnancies in the same bitch can be different.   Don't let her overeat - bitches should stay lean and fit so they get through whelping without problems.   Just like us!!   The puppies will take all they need.   Once you know how many puppies she has to cater for (born), then you might have to up her food intake.

I read books for two years before I bred my first litter.  Now, 25 years and over 40 litters later, I still read my books.  Information and an experienced mentor is everything when you start to breed. 

I don't know this for a fact, but I could imagine that there may exist a great many differences in how breeding is regarded and conducted in the USA as opposed to this side of the pond.  I believe it would be well to take this into consideration, in order to avoid misassumptions and confusion on both sides.  Most of the members of this forum are British, but there are a few who are not, including myself.  Check the flags beside the names!

The poster I replied to is on the UK, according to the flag, not the USA & my post would have been the same no matter where the poster is

I would really advise against x-rays of a pregnant bitch.  I know this is very commonly done in the US, but there is research in humans to show that x-rays during pregnancy predispose the fetus to cancers. 

Ultrasounds will tell you all you need to know, without exposing tiny puppies at a formative time in their lives, to radiation.

Thank you all for your insight! I really appreciate it! :-)