I know it is very stressful and having done all your research and you have mated your bitch,after she has whelped and it has gone smoothly(hopefully)
My friend said it is lovely when they are about 3 weeks old and calls them timewasters,he said there is an awful lot of work time and money involved,but when you have raised a healthy litter and they are going to good homes and make into the ring you get a very satisfied feeling.
just wondered what you all think?

I would agree.  I love the tine after the first week, but find the 5th week until they go stressful regarding worrying about the neigbours if they wake early or are noisy when playing.  By 8 weeks they seem to understand that excessive noise is not wanted (with help of my water sprayer and of course soem will start to leave by then.  I hate4 to say it but then I ahve a small litter of say four or am down to 3 or four I enjoy them more.  Don't find a litter of 7 x 7 week olds quite as pleasurable if they wake up at 5am screaming to be allowed out to toilet.

Well this is my first litter and 3 days in I'm enjoying it :-) I miss my bed, my bum cheeks are sore but so far it's been a wonderful experience. I have been very lucky that my girl whelped very easily and has taken to motherhood like a seasoned pro. At the moment I am spending 24 hours a day with them, getting nothing else done but it's worth every minute :-) I'm quite sure in a few weeks time I'll be tearing my hair out ;-)

>my bum cheeks are sore<

ROFLOL does it ever.

It's not just my bum cheeks then is it!!! LOL I look like a dogs dinner...my hair is a mess, I can't remember the last time I wore make-up and I walked around all day yesterday with the flies on my jeans down :-] All worth it when I weighed them this morning and they've all put a nice amount of weight on :-)

Sounds like me..

" how many days since I have been in the shower and see the outside of day " ;-)

It's very exhusting, worrying and you feel your whole life has been put on hold, you dress sense goes right out the window as all your clothes are covered in puppy food and a whole lot of other mess. You get a lot more grey hair and the wrinkles that you get from sleep depravation is unreal but, believe it or not I enjoy every minute of it except the bit when thay have to leave,  I know they are going to the very best of homes but  I'm afraid it bucket loads of tears !

Margaret

I love it when they are born and all goes well.  Then you have several weeks when they are mega cute and cuddly and when they are about 3-4 weeks you could munch them to bits.  Then you have the spell when you have to interview potential owners and thats about the time it goes downhill.  I have had two smaller litters this year and they were much easier to cope with when Purdy had her litters of 12 and 13 I was in breakdown mode by the time they left. 

If I am honest I used to enjoy breeding more before I had more knowledge simply because the more you know the more there is too worry about and the more nerve racking.  And as for picking another show puppy I dont think I will ever have another one because I am so picky and critical now I dont think I will ever get another as wonderful to show as my lovely Tigger. :)

mine are 3 weeks old and there are 10 of them - it is lovely as they are up on their feet now, wagging tails etc and playing with each other - but it is hard work - i am deprived of sleep but seeing their little faces makes it worth while, i know i will cry my eyes out when they go to their new homes....  would have preferred a smaller litter if i am honest but mum has coped v.well :-)

You worry for the next 14 years, but it's great when you get photo's, letters and now of course e-mails :d Oh and not forgetting websites!!

I've made sooooo many great friends in the last 13 years of having the Spanish, we have fun days with our Club so it's wonderful meeting up with the pups that I've bred and also the pups that have been bred by other people from my original lines.  I'm just as excited as seeing those as the ones that have left my home.

Not many of my breed are shown but I also love it when I see the few show people at shows.  One of my litters from last year their owners come down to Manchester for the water training days, not bad seeing as ones from Somerset and the other from Scotland, so I enjoy that too, especially as they are such water babes unlike their mum that I own, who won't swim :d

Gosh - I must just be lucky but I don't find the first three weeks hard work at all :D - yes the birth is a bit nervewracking but then mum looks after them and I just get to hang over the whelping box making cooing noises.

Once weaning starts THEN it gets harder ( and messier ) but until then they are no trouble. What are you all doing up to three weeks that is such hard work ?

Yvonne

for me it was the lack of sleep. Eveytime one squeeked i was up like a shot incase mum was laying on it-even though we had pig rails. I was constantly counting to check none were under her, this was 24 hours a day. other than that it was easy compared with the weaning and mess i have now ( 6 weeks old).

Same here, I keep counting constantly and I am up at night with every squeek ;-)

I couldn't do it, I'd end up keeping them all. No will power, that's me. :p