Since I am looking for a pup dachshund or Yorkie I find that I call people's homes a couple times in the day and they are at work (as they tell me when I eventually get them). Don't you have to be there when you have a litter of puppies? I know one should not leave a grown dog alone for hours on end so it is much worse with an entire litter I would imagine ?

Not sure? Leave to the ones that know? :) Julieann

May be they are out with the dogs /cleaning kennels /running to the vets etc
Liz :)

You don't HAVE to be at home to raise a litter of pups but IMHO if you have any care whatsoever for your dogs you would be so you can clean up, feed, socialise, make sure nothing is going wrong, etc etc etc

Christine

I cannot imagine how anyone can rear a litter if they are out at work.....I am in there every couple of hours picking up poo & newspaers.....then there are the 5 feeds a day...the socialising as they older....I barely have time to look after myself let alone think of going to work!!

well sam this is how I imagined it to be as I know one puppy keeps me quite busy!!!! :)

i rarely leave the house if i have a litter on--for the 7-8 weeks theyre here :D

Ditto,

We never leave the pups until they are about 12 weeks and then it's only for an hour or two to do some shopping. I work occasionally but my partner is always at home with the dogs

I did not leave the house at all for 3 weeks, then after 3 weeks i would let my self nip to the shop, for no more than 1hr, and that was for the full 8weeks.

As for the phone i am not being funny but my phone could ring and ring, but i wouldnt answer it if i was in the middle of feeding or cleaning the pups beds. As for work no i had over 8 weeks off. This time though they will only let me have 3 weeks off :( but i could be throwing a sickie.

Even if i have to go back my hubby doesnt leave till 10am and i can be back for 12 or 1pm so its not that bad.

Pups come first phone not even a close second

Hiya, as you all know - i've just had a litter, i work parttime in the mornings - i'm out of the house for 3 hours, 4 mornings a week - my ex comes in to sit with them - and he wouldn't answer the phone out of courtesy to me and it being my house. I have the BT answering service thingy - so if it's urgent - they can leave a message.

Nikki xxx

If you make a living off your dogs its terrible.
If you work and are not there for the pups 24-7 its terrible.

I think people are forgeting that we all need to make a living to support ourselves, families and dogs.

I work part-time (nights) and hubby works 9-5 five days a week.
There is always someone in the house but we are not always able to get to the phone!
And Kevin does not deal with any enquiries about the dogs. He always tells people to either phone back when im available or email me with any questions or queries.

Jessie

I would hazard that a lot of people that use the board regularly don't work, those that work full time...without computer access at work as some have, would never be able to keep up with the sheer volume of posts :D However this then throws out facts [$ figures when discussing things like whether you can work and breed, because those that do both, no doubt very well, don't have time for a luxary such as Champdogs ;-)

Oh well, I'm tired so this will straight to the point!

I would love to be able to stay off work permanently and look after my dogs but being single, I am the only one to bring income into my household and if I want a mortgage, car etc....guess what? I have to work!

I have 4 dogs and I wouldn't say any of them are backwards in coming forwards, if you met me at a show, I think you'd have to agree. Their socialisation comes from living amongst household noises at an early age, not stuck out in a kennel, not hearing day-to-day noises. Lots of ringcraft, meetings in local parks etc...

Sometimes, even when I am here, I can't be bothered picking up the phone so maybe some folk are like me? Please don't be so judgmental. Thanks folks.

not to be judgemental...or jump to conclusions that people are working some say after 6 pm in their ads and some have said "I was at work."..I just figured they have pups so I'd get them at home sometime during the day.. that they were out for part of the day ..but this is not always the case as I am experiencing. :) I just think of the pups mess and rolling around in it ..after a long days work to tidy up a whole litter of pups can't be easy!?

melmel, in most breeds the mother of the litter will clean up after the pups for the first few weeks at least.

Actually onced my pups were fully weaned (6 weeks) i had to stop our girl from going in the pen to "Clean up".

IMHO I would be very wary of someone whos sole income came from producing dogs.

I mean how many litters a year would need to be produced to maintain a family, home, car ect?

The question you have to find the answer to when searching for a breeder who has no other income is this:
Does the chosen breeder stay home to breed dogs or breed dogs to stay home?

If i was self sufficient i would give up work tomorrow to look after my dogs, but unfortunetly that massive Lottery win is as elusive as ever so back to work tomorrow!

Jessie

There is another alternative Jessie and that is marry well :D

Oooh now theres an idea!

Anyone got a rich generous husband looks imaterial but must like dogs, that they wanna swop for a goodlooking but extremely tightfisted 40 something??

(My hubby will kill me if he sees this!!) LOL!!

:D :D :D :D

HI
You mean people actually find time to work when they have a litter :) I think most of us find it hard to find the time to catch 40 winks :) IMHO anyway :)

Tracey

Lol - working, looking after litter and trying very desperately to keep up with paperwork, housework and to get some sleep - will forget what it's like at this rate - but it's worth every second, and like i said before - the pups are watched when i am not here - but once they are gone (well the 2 that are going) then it's training to be left on own for 3 hours, sometimes longer, but not often.

Nikki xxxxxxxxxxxx

PS I certainly couldn't afford to give up work and have dogs/puppies.

When I bred my dogs my hubby was home, but went back when pups were 4 to 5 weeks. Mom cleaned pups up till about 6 weeks. They were in a fairly big dog run/cage in our living room. Paper at one end newspaper at the other. They had toys, water and food at all times. I free fed them, always have. U would have paper to clean up but the bedding area was always clean, but still changed that everyday (they liked nice warm blankets out of the dryer at night). :)
If people just lived off the money they made from selling their pups wouldn't they just be puppy mills, and well I certainly would never want to get a pup from them.
Then their are people that are retired and able to stay at home all the time and do what they love 24 hours a day. :)
Personally not sure if I will ever get back into breeding bitches any time soon. Maybe when I retire :D :)
ttfn :)

We have a litter of 7 Aussies, born on 5th November. We (my husband, son and I) managed to arrange it with holidays/days off, that they were not left on their own for the first 7 weeks. Now, as they are beginning to leave home, they are left for periods of up to 3 hours a day.

Life is very hectic - I had forgotten (it's 7 years since we had our last litter) just how much poo puppies produce once Mum is not allowed to clean up after them - so our days seem to consist of playing with puppies, clearing up after puppies, feeding puppies, clearing up after puppies, playing with puppies, clearing up after puppies......... I really dont know how we all manage to get to work!

I too, am looking forward another 2 years to when I can retire - maybe then, we can have another litter!

IMHO breeding 'correctly'..and living on the proceeds is a totally impossible :)

I am quite glad to hear all this as there are some people that can make you feel quite guilty for leaving a dog home alone..

Most breeders who work that I know put in place some quite complicated arrangements in order to rear a litter. This usually consists of taking leave (if there are two partners they each take a few weeks) having people in to see to Mum and pups, a retired relative to stay a few weeks, or a paid sitter. This is another reason that breeders don't make money, as this cover has to be paid for one way or another.

When freinds had a litter, netiher the husband or Mother in law answered the phone, or if they did it was please ring when she gets in!!!

Yes, I was one of these. I took some time off, David works shifts, and a support system - both our Mums, who regularly look after my dogs, and David's brother, who lives with us - filled in the gaps. Whoever was there during the day, I also came home every lunchtime to make sure that I was happy that all was OK. Yes, it was exhausting while I was working, but I very rarely have puppies so thoroughly enjoyable all the same, and it's amazing how quick the weeks fly by.

And the puppies - they were socialised with men, women and children from birth (maybe a bit too much with kids, they're all quite obsessed with them now as a friend's young daughter spent a couple of hours in the whelping box every day from birth to 8 weeks!). Reared in the home, they were used to all usual household noises, and all new owners have commented on the excellent temperaments and bombproof nature due to a high level of socialisation.

I would also agree that I often ignored the phone if I was working or playing with puppies, and anyone helping out would not have answered it.

Anyway, upshot of this is that like others, I would love to be able to give up work and be with my dogs full time but that is not an option. My recommendation would be to treat each litter on its merit. If you visit and you are happy with what you see - breeder's knowledge, helpfulness, cleaniness (within reasonable expectations!) and good health of puppies, apparent pleasure to see people, etc., health tests where necessary - then trust your instincts.

M.