hi i have a kc reg bitch i am thinking about breeding her but not sure on some things like how long is a bitch pregnant? is it 4 weeks into pregnancy when you take her for a scan?how much does this cost?when she goes into labour do you need a vet present incase of any problems? after the pups are born is it up to me to get them kc reg and does anyone know the cost?

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You could probably do with buying ' The Book of the Bitch' before you do anything else :) You should also talk to the breeder of your bitch to find out what she thinks about breeding ...she should be able to tell you if she thinks it is a good idea and also advise on which dog to use. Breeding a bitch can be a time consuming , expensive and heart breaking excercise and must be well thought out before proceeding :)

Before hip scoring and eye testing you bitch, you may like to read through this site, which gives an insight into breeding.
http://www.geocities.com/virtualbreeding/virtualbreeding.html

Hi Shirley,
   please talk to your bitches breeder.. she should be able to point you in the right direction, I'm sure she would want to know that one of her babies is about to be bred from. I know I would. And yes.. the book of the bitch is invaluable.. a friend of mine, now passed on give me one bit of advise I will always remember... "read all the books, then put them away, coz dogs don't read!"
   Mica

When I had a bitch cocker spaniel I wanted to breed from her, I bought the book of the bitch and the more I read the more paranoid I became, expecting everything to go wrong...........any little signs she gave I was looking it up in the book and presuming the worst!  So I put the book away and when my girl went unexpectedly :-( I bought a dog! :-)  some times too much knowledge isn't a good thing!  So I left the breeding to the people that know best

Very Wise JReynolds! There is sooo much that can and does go wrong when you are breeding. it isn't all plain sailing. And of course, it doesn't do your bitch a whole lotta good either. All I do is stress the whole time. lol. When the pups are about six months old, then I start to relax a little and enjoy them!
I am mating one of my girls as soon as she comes into season, I have mixed feelings, I am looking forward to having a litter of puppies again but I am worried sick in case anything happens to hurt Madison :(. I don't think its a case of too much knowledge.. but a little knowledge is definitely a bad thing.
Cheers
            Mica (the mad labrador lady)

The two most invaluable things to have at hand when you are expecting a litter are.. 1 your vet and 2. good mates who 'know' what they are doing, though I know every pregnancy is different. it sure helps to have a friendly voice at the other end of the fone.
   Mica

I agree wholeheartedly Mica. My bitch just had her first litter recently, I was very nervous as so many other people in my breed told me to expect a huge litter. I had buyers arranged in advance for all these puppies that were going to appear. I contacted my vet and my bitch's original breeder as she told me that if I needed any help or advice she was only a wee bit away. My vet also asked me to let him know when she started so the phone call was duly made. After all the hype people made my bitch whelped only one puppy who I hasten to add is a big strong girl who is staying with us. I have a book of the bitch and I read and re-read it and gained lots of helpful advice where whelping is concerned. I will probably put my girl back in whelp in a couple of years time but for now I'll just enjoy my new wee girlie.

Alli

hi everyone thanks for your advice i have now obtained the book of the bitch and been asking my local vet some questions that i am not sure about.i have also been going through this site it has been very informative and helpful. i now have a much better insight and confidence on what to do thanks everyone

Hi Shirley

I'm glad that you are doing all your homework first:  I see on another thread that you are asking about hip/eye scoring/testing.    I think you will find that the cost of the hipscoring is a bit more than the £60 each you have quoted - unless you have an exceptionally cheap vet!!

The eye testing will cost around £30 each - the owner pays for his/her own dog to be tested.   

Be aware that this is just the start of the expense:  you will find that once your bitch is pregnant, you will have to pay out more for food for her - and after she has the puppies, her food intake will increase by up to 4 times the usual amount !    You should also budget for vet check for mum & puppies after the birth (if hopefully all has gone well) - plus allowing for you to take time off work to stay with her - at least for the first 7 days (and nights) to ensure that all goes well.   

Once you start to wean puppies, you will also need extra food for them of course - and I have found that I wish I have shares in paper towel companies, taking into the number I use in cleaning up puppy wees when they are socialising with us at that time ;) !

Good luck with your continuing research - I hope that after all the tests have been done, you have satisfactory scores for both bitch and dog.   If not, you will still have your lovely girl.

REgards
Margot

can anyone out there tell me where i could purchase the book of the bitch#

thanks

Try Amazon www.amazon.co.uk

They usually have it in stock

HTH

Margot

Any good bookshop will either have it or can order it for you.
:)

THANKS MARGOT AND JEANGENIE MANAGED TO GET A COPY FROM AMAZON

hi violet-ann i did not buy the book of the bitch i went to my local library and got it on loan that way i know i can get my hands on it when i need to

If you really intend to breed you will need that book and others all the time, one from the library will not do, lets face it you can't rely on it being there the whole time you will need it. It is not expensive and will cost a good deal less than the outlay you will have to make should you decide to breed.

When I worked in the library I remember someone wanting a particular book on breeding. It was out on loan in fact it was overdue and this person was in every day going mad at us because it wasn't back. According to her it would be all our fault if she lost any pups or the bitch had problems!!!

Hi i must just say its the best money ive ever spent,although we have had 5 litters I still find it helpful and just wish i had it when i bred my first litter! :)

i only borrowed it from the library cause i wasn't sure if that was the right book that i was looking for. it is very informative and is the book i was looking for and i would recommend anyone to buy it. this way you can try before you buy and don't you think cava14una that it was a bit extreme on the part of your customer lol