she was born april 2004
and how long will she be pregnant and for those who arent really good at maths shes nearly 4.

Bitches normally come into season every 6 months, but this can vary from bitch to bitch with some being every 9 months or a year, and some every 4 months. Do you know when she was last in season? By 3 1/2 you should have a good idea of the pattern of her seasons.

I'm confused about the pregnancy question? Bitches are only pregnant when they are mated, if you're not sure when she'll be in season then I strongly advise against mating her. Breeding should only be undertaken to improve the breed and only by people who are very serious about the welfare of the breed. You haven't said enough in your first post to gauge either way but I'd guess she's your first bitch and not a show dog? Only the very best examples of any breed should be bred from, dogs that have proven their worth in the show or working field :)

Oh yes, bitches are in whelp for 63 days :)

yes im very passionate about breeding my dog.
we know she was last in season last october last year. any idea how we could definately find out how long shes in season for thanx for replying to my first message im really glad. and the what i meant at first was how long theyre pregnant for when theyre pregnant.

How long have you had your bitch?  You should know when she is in season as she will usually have a varying amounts of blood stained discharge and variable amount of valvular swelling.

I suggest you buy the Book 'The book of the Bitch' by White and Evans.

You will have to do a lot of research and show your bitch to ascertain her quality.  I think even if she is top drawer that she will be too old for you to breed from by the time you have acquired sufficient knowledge to do so.

Enjoy learning about the breed through her.  Breeding is not or should not be for everybody as it carries huge responsibilities.  Sadly there are plenty of pups bred badly with little knowledge, responsibility or care for the breed, the pups or the new owners.

A good start would be to join the breed club/s and to read as much as you can,attend breed specific events and seminars to learn as much as you can.

I have only just 'joined ' this site and have learned a lot already. We have had our Lily for two years and it was my partners intention to breed her with his exsiting dog Wilson. sadly Wilson died suddenly during Lily's first 'season'. We would not allow him to service her because we didn't feel she was old enough. When we did it, we put a lot of thought and planning into it. We have thoroughly enjoyed the experience - despite the trauma and exhaustion. so I totally agree that anyone considering  breeding should research and know what they are doing 100%. Lily has an impecible pedigree, but that was not the reason why we allowed her to have a litter. she has such a loving nature we knew she would be a good mum. Despite us 'hand rearing' them, she still has a close bond. They should not be looked upon as breeding machines for profit!! they are lovely, loyal, gorgeous animals.

Is she KC registered, and has she been BAER hearing tested? Without that I don't think you'll find anyone willing to let you use their stud dog.

How many seasons has she had, and when were they? You'll need to know this to get an idea of when she's next due in season.

As Brainless says, buy a copy of "The Book of the Bitch". It's full of invaluable information.

I am sure I am not the only one who is worried by this post If your bitch is 4 you SHOULD know when she is in season. You should NOT be considering having a litter from her if you do not know the average gestation period - you should be doing a LOT of research.

Maybe the poster has just recently acquired this adult bitch.  Lots and lots of research should really have been done first.

Absolutely. There's no way this owner is ready to breed a litter.

I'm quite good at maths and since when is 3years 6months the new 4years!! :D i remember saying similar when i turned 12 and said i was nearly as teenager..

I'm not good at maths ;) but even I managed that one....now I'm the age I am untill the time never mind the date of my birth :D

I think the OP needs to read the locked bit for info at the top of this forum section, the 'should I breed from my pet bitch' first, and really digest it and all it means, before even thinking of breeding. Then 'The book of the bitch' from cover to cover a few times, till all of it is digested, then take the advice given here. Join the breed club, and see how many of these dogs are already bred, talk to rescue and see how many of those end up homeless, or found to be deaf (I'm guessing at breed JG post ) and then take a long hard double think as to if they want to add to the problems of over-production.

I like to think that sometimes people want a litter because they think they will always find good homes, can manage the whelping, and the aftercare, and that having a litter will be 'good' for the bitch because she has a lovely nature and so should the puppies because of this :rolleyes:, and having a litter would be nice for themselves to watch and be part of.........  but, very often when experienced people point out all the reasons not to breed they will think of the bitch and the lives of the future puppies, and hopefully decide against breeding. I hope so. :)

I feel that too often these days, the practicalities of birth and rearing young are unknown territory for 98% of the population.

Some people will remember their cats having kittens when they were young - was there any problem?  No - mother cat would have her kittens somewhere nice and quiet, and she would deal with them, cleaning them up, looking after them etc and, after 6 weeks or so, homes would be easily found for the resulting kittens - who would, of course, being feline rather than canine generally use a litter tray - or at least would poo and pee in a corner ;) !

Whilst a bitch will "usually" have an easy birth, the comparison stops there.  Puppies are by their nature, noisy - they squeak and squeal far more than most kittens, and whilst kittens, once on their feet are quite nimble little things, puppies can seem far more clumsy.   Whilst mum will clean them up whilst they are solely dependent upon her for food, once they start taking in solids, bitches are not so keen ...:rolleyes: - and puppies unlike kittens do not seem to be aware when they are evacuating their bowels - they poo, they walk backwards through it, they climb over their littermates, they may even poo on their littermates

In short, there is a lot more poo to clear away with puppies ....think about it ....a average-sized litter of 7 puppies will each poo after each feed - 4-5 feeds a day at first - so that means that the breeder has to clear up 28-35 poos per day!   And that will also mean that 7 puppies will each need cleaning up 4-5 times a day :) - that's an awful lot of clearing up!

And that is just the most basic of care - to raise a litter entails far, far more care than this.  

Margot

I am considering breeding from my Jessie in the future but only if all her health tests are OK(DNA & Clinical)& I can find a suitable dog who is also health tested the same. I'm no novice having bred from bitches before with the help of an experienced breeder who just also happened to be a lovely vet as well. I didn't have to ask about things like how often the bitch came in season etc as I researched this beforehand(as well as knowing my bitch of course)how long is a pregnancy, my questions were how do I find a suitable dog, how do I know my bitch is good enough etc etc

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Why is it people with bitch want to breed asap & think it's just a case of having a bitch putting her with a dog & bingo puppies. If only it was that simple

You might find this site helpful and enlightening..

http://www.learntobreed.com/

Especialy this link from there..

http://www.geocities.com/virtualbreeding/virtualbreeding.html

I'm also guessing that you have just brought this dog into your home, and that you have bought or acquired her to potentially breed from? And that perhaps you are not the main carer of the dog in the house?

As already said seasons are generally!! every 6 months, and last approx 3 weeks.

I meet so many people who have a bitch and just think they ought to breed from her too, in todays age it seems to be seen as a second or third income more and more. :-( I'm glad that you came to this site and can find out everything that you need to go through before even thinking of breeding and I too recommend the Book Of The Bitch just for a starting reference too along with all the health checks and most importantly whether your girl is even suitable to breed from. ;-) 

Whoever is there throughout any bitches whelping process also needs to learn simply medical Knowledge which may need applying to help bitches having breech and other complications, leading to needing a C-section which costs anything upto £1,000 and how to revive pups, many bitches and pups die because the owner does not know enough. :-(

It is a very serious thing to go into, with many complications, and before even thinking of going into it, needs lots of studying and knowledge, if you are passionate about your breed the last thing you would want to do is loose your own girl because you don't know enough, the basics on seasons and lenght of pregnancy are not even known yet so you have a long way to go hun.

bitches can be pregnant usually for between eight and nine weeks just thought id let you know as it seems no one else was willing to help

also i always write down when my bitches are in season in fact im waiting for one now she came in season november 2nd last yr and again may 23rd this yr

Hayley123
The first response to the original post states that pregnancy is 63 days.  I'd say that was helpful, wouldn't you??

ah sorry didnt see that bit my sincere appolagies (is that how you spell it?)

>appolagies (is that how you spell it?)

No.It's apologies :)

oh right thanks