Hi there,
            I have a lovely bitch (medium sized breed) named Storm and she is almost at the stage that shes ready to have a litter, now this was always the idea for her but with recently losing my job I cant afford to extend her kennel. I was going to take the wall out through to the empty shed and make 2 kennels from it.
    I was wondering if anyone knew of any breeders that would accomodate her over her having the pups, we aren't looking for money or that all we want is the first pick of the pups, then let the breeder keep/sell the others.
    Any suggestions would be helpful

Thanks

Hi, first of all I would say if you cannot afford to extend a kennel to house a litter of pups then, very seriously, you cannot afford to have a litter of pups. They are EXPENSIVE!

Health checks first and foremost ... eye test, hip score an absolute minimum - these are going to cost at the very least £160+. On looking at the KC database, your bitch isn't showing as having had any health checks carried out. Then there are the costs involved in extra care during pregnancy, what about if things go wrong at whelping time?

For what reason do you have to breed from her? You need a pretty darned good reason to breed.

The other thing is that if she is a merle then you need to look very carefully at her genetics and any dog she is mated to.

Your breeder is a fairly 'prolific' kennel, no idea how many dogs come out of that kennel, I believe they're registered on this forum - have you been in touch with them to discuss?

I'm sure others will be along to comment. I'd say, you can't afford to raise a litter, you're unable to raise a litter, and assume you're unwilling to put the work in else you'd be waiting for better financial times - don't breed from her. You don't have to.

Don't be lazy, breed them yourself.

I don't agree with dogs having pups in kennels anyway.  Maybe you have some room in your house for her to be warm and comfortable.

I don't understand why you would give whoever helped you out, the rest of the litter.  Even if someone was able to help you, they shouldn't expect this.  Don't breed your girl for the sake of breeding her.  Do you have the time and inclination to breed her.  Maybe we're misreasing your post.

Do you know not to breed her with another merle?

Selling the puppies, finding GOOD homes for them (which will involve interviewing prospective buyers, meeting them, making sure they are suitable -and being prepared to turn them down if they are not right) -is one of the hardest part of having a litter. THE hardest part is all the poo and wee clearing you have to do for weeks. I can't see any responsible breeder wanting to do this for somebody else unless it was a bitch they had bred. Ask the breeder of your bitch. But the part of being a breeder doesn't stop when the puppies are sold either. You need to be able to be there for the buyers for the lifetimes of the puppies, offer help and advice on training and health and similar when asked for, and if any of the buyers find themselves unable to keep the dog -whether it is after a few weeks or ten years later -you must be prepared to take that dog back and find it another home.

And yes, it is very expensive to breed. Most people put at the very least £1000 aside for a litter and that does not include eye testing and hip scoring -or the stud fee. (Or travel expenses. For my next litter we are taking the bitch to Devon to get to the stud dog I have chosen as most suitable -that is a 5 ½ hour journey each way for us. So in total 22 hours!) Personally I don't agree with rearing pups in kennels, I prefer for them to be in the house -and indeed the great majority of my buyers say they have come to me BECAUSE they don't want to buy a puppy that has been reared in kennels. But realistically, yes, large pups need to be able to go outside once a few weeks old as it is hard work keeping them indoors then. If this is in winter you will need heating in the kennel for them to not get too cold -more expense. If it is in summer, you need to be extra careful that it doesn't get too hot, so there may be a need for fans instead -again lots of extra electricity. (When I had a single toy breed puppy born indoors last winter, it cost us an extra £3 a day in electricity to keep the house warm enough for him.)

Also a litter of pups are VERY noisy so if you have neighbours, this could be a big problem. The tend to wake up early and scream like demented seagulls. Even when I last had little pups, tiny indeed, and had them indoors, when they started their usual screaming that they do from about 3 weeks of age (wanting food, company, whatever -it's a puppy thing) it was so loud I couldn't hear the TV.

In short, the best time to breed is when you have money to spare. For a non-toy breed there should be no problem with waiting with a first litter until the bitch is 4 or 5, so there is no rush.

Apart from all the other essential aspects,health testing,financial &finding prospective owners there is also the very large consideration of the Bitches well being.
Most pregnant & whelping bitches prefer to be with a  well known hopefully loving owner at this their most vulnerable time & some bitches can even kill or refuse to care for their pups due to the stress.
Better to wait until a better time preferably after the good health test results

Hi Scott and welcome to the forum. I think if you are to avoid people being so concerned that they try to put you off, we need detail.

You say your bitch is now ready, do you mean that she has now had all the necessary tests completed satisfactory (although they are not published) or perhaps you mean she is now of a suitable age and you are just starting on the health checks, again you may mean (and I do hope not) that she is in season and ready for mating.

You do not say if your bitch is a working or show dog, particularly, if show, then she should be whelped in the home or you will not be able to make sure the pups are accustomed to the domestic noise and life style that will be needed if they are to go to a pup home. I understand that because you have lost your job the finances needed before undertaking the production of a litter may require some saving but on the up side at least you will not need to take a number of weeks off work in order to deal with the litter.
 
For us to be of real help perhaps you need to tell us exactly what you are planning, what type she is, if you have selected your stud dog are you able to tell if the two lines are compatible or do you have help with that. What size a litter is normal in you bitches line and how many of the proposed pups have homes waiting for them.

Give us full detail and you should then get the help you require but it may not be what you hope.

Hi Scott,

When you say your bitch is ready, are you saying she is is due to give birth or have you not reached that point yet?
You said that you lost your job, was that before any mating took place(assuming that to be the case)?

Also I have done a quick google of your girl and nothing comes up? From this i'm taking it you don't show her... Does she compete in agility then or do you work her?

I'm hoping that all health tests have been completed and have good results, sufficient for breeding..

People on here are trying to find out correct circumstances and they are all for breeding for the correct reasons and not to make a quick buck or because they love their bitch soo much they want a sweet little puppy from her..

It is much cheaper to go back to your bitches breeder or the sires breeder if your only reason for breeding is to have a related puppy.

My girl has just reared her third and last litter, so initial once only health tests not taken into account, most equipment and facilities already in hand, though did have to replace a few items this time around.

Costs over £1700 plus stud fee would have been £650, but they had a puppy in lieu.

Part of that was a C section which was reasonable (£550) as it was in the day during surgery hours.  it could easily have been double that out of hours or triple that if it was the middle of the night at another vets.