Before embarking on such an important issue as mating you need first to ask yourself a couple of questions: a. Am I prepared to commit the time and effort into such a time consuming project b. Can I help produce the best litter of puppies I can and c. In monetary terms, can I afford to cover the stud dog, special food for the bitch, first inoculation for the pups etc?

This sounds easier than it is. When collecting your puppy from the breeder they will inform you of what food she has been having so you in turn can carry this on at home thus not upsetting the puppy’s digestive system.

It is also advisable upon bringing your puppy home that you make an appointment with you local veterinary surgeon to have her checked over and if necessary start her course of vaccinations if they haven’t already been started by the breeder. During this initial examination let it be known to your vet that you are going to breed from her and ask them to check for hip problems, eyes, heart, and a good general overhaul making sure she is fit and healthy. This should be carried out not just for the sake of breeding but for the general health of the puppy. It is important to ensure that your puppy is up to date with her worming medication at this time. It is vital that all new puppy owners should deal with this through the help and advice of your veterinary surgeon, if left it can become fatal to the puppy. You can also start basic training at this stage but only approx 2-3 minutes a day.

You may wish to take out insurance on your little dog in case of any mishaps as puppies are notorious for getting into scrapes. Insurance can also be extended in certain circumstances to cover the breeding and whelping process.

Adolescence After a few weeks when your puppy has finished her vaccinations you will be able to take her out and about making sure that she is well socialised with both people and other dogs. This is a very crucial time in their lives and should be handled with great care. You cannot over socialise at this stage, the more they interact with different sounds, traffic, different species, the better her chances of becoming an adult that can cope with life. The basic training that was started at 8 weeks can now be exercised outside of the home.

In some larger breeds puppy hood lasts for quite a long time, however, at the moment I am interested in JRT’s. They can start to mature from 6 month of age and can have there first oestrus at this time. The mental state of the bitch is important, as a bitch which is immature in this way may produce pups, but will not settle with them and may not display good maternal behaviour.

The first ‘heat’ is a milestone in your bitch’s life and she may have been displaying signs of ‘coming into season’ for quite a while. More frequent urination can be exhibited at this time and care must be taken not to confuse this more frequent urination with other symptoms which may indicate a painful and troublesome cystitis. At this time she may also be excitable with the influence of the hormonal change taking place in her body, or she may become a little sad and clingy. Cycling as it is called usually occurs at regular intervals in the bitch which has not been spayed. Bitches generally have 2 reproductive cycles each year. This process begins at puberty. Small breeds may start their cycles at 5-6 months of age or as late as 10 – 12 month. The average age of puberty is 7-10 months

It is a normal procedure for a bitch to have a full first season and sometimes a second season before the breeder will start to mate her. This is to allow the young bitch to mature.

Signs Of Heat And Mating. The physical signs are a swelling of the vulva, increased licking of the genital area and bleeding. The bleeding usually indicates that the season has started. If you are going to breed your bitch then you would start to count the days from this point for between day 10 and day 15 are the most receptive times for a bitch to be mated. This stage may also last a few days or as long as 2 weeks. The most commonly used breeding dates are the 9th, 11th, and 13th days from the first vaginal discharge. Repeated breeding 48 hours apart, as long as the female accepts the male produce the best conception rate.

There are all sorts of stories attached to the mating of bitches. Some breeders also go as far as to state that the bitch should be forcibly restrained. In my experience this has never been the case. I find that if the timing is right then the bitch will readily stand for the dog and even go so far as to be extremely encouraging to him for this attention.

However, the use of a safety muzzle may be necessary in some circumstances to prevent the owner and handler from being bitten. The possibility of being bitten by your dog at this time arises from the animals being excited and stimulated from the hormonal release from the dogs themselves. The dog may see you as an opponent that is trying to interfere and be the first one to mate with ‘his female’, thus resulting in him trying to bite, (to protect his mating rite).

Usually, no assistance is needed for a successful mating, especially if dogs have had previous experience.

Occasionally, however, some assistance must be given. The male may need help in mounting and entering the female, or the female may need to be held so that she does not harm the male. This does not mean that the female is ‘pinned’ down in any way and is normally only carried out by experienced breeders.

Near the conclusion of normal mating, the dogs will become "tied" together for a period ranging from 20 minutes for up to an hour. 30 minutes is more the norm. Occasionally, the male turns around and the dogs appear "end to end." This is quite normal and no cause for alarm. If one of the dogs becomes active during this time, gentle restraint (by means of holding) is advisable. This normally takes the form of calmly talking to the dog and getting them to relax. Do not attempt to forcefully pull the dogs apart, as this may cause injury.

The Pregnancy And Whelping. The fertilised eggs stay free in the uterus for up to 20 days after mating they are safe and immune from infections which may affect the bitch at this time. Between 20-21 days the embryo will change shape and will attach itself to the walls of the uterine horns. The following 2 weeks are the most vital as far as the prospective litter are concerned. At this stage the body organs and the limbs are now being rapidly formed, and the embryos are susceptible events which happen to the bitch. i.e. if she picks up an infection or is given certain types of live vaccine. If she had an accident, is poisoned, or overheated by being confined in a hot car. The development of the organs of the foetus may be arrested or distorted.

It is at this point the deformities like cleft palette, single eyes, and underdeveloped limbs, absence of feet and abnormalities of the internal organs may occur. The foetus which is even more badly effected may die and be re-absorbed by the bitch so you may never know that they were there.

It is therefore very important to keep the bitch away from any source of infection including training classes during this three and a half to five week period. It is the period that the bitch shows little sign of being in whelp, but it is a significant time of the pregnancy with regard to producing a healthy litter.
It is useful to keep a diary during this time so any mishap can be pinpointed. Although this may not help with this litter it may prevent the same circumstances from occurring in future.

Feeding Correct feeding is essential to maintain health and growth in the breeding bitches. There are a lot of different feeding regimes which can be used but the food or combination of foods chosen need to provide all of the nutritional and energy value that your bitch needs in order to produce a healthy litter of pups, in a manner that needs to be palatable, the most nutritional diet in the world is of no use if the dog will not eat it. The diet should also be free from toxins, bacteria and parasites that could harm the bitch or could be passed to her owners.

In my experience I find that an increase of the normal daily intake of food is sufficient to keep the bitch healthy and happy and as has already stated earlier it is no good putting food out if she will not eat it.

Most reputable food manufactures include all of the daily requirements for your dog and by increasing the intake of food she is getting everything she needs from these.

Care Of The Pregnant Bitch It is the aim of every breeder to have a healthy litter of pups and it is understandable for the novice to want to give extra vitamin supplements to ensure that their bitch lacks for nothing. This unfortunately is a mistake. If the bitch is already having the correct proportion of vitamins and minerals in her normal food, the increased food requirements of the pregnant bitch will automatically give her more of these elements. Please resist the temptation be lavish with these supplements and always read the labels of any you buy carefully, as to much or to many can do a great deal of harm. There is no evidence that vitamin C is necessary at all for the healthy bitch (and you should not be breeding her if she is not healthy) nor is vitamin E or iron.

The over supplement of vitamin D and calcium can lead to skeletal disorders in the puppies and even in the bitch. Eclampsia is a condition which can occur during pregnancy, usually caused by the imbalance of calcium in the blood stream. This is not helped by the introduction of calcium by mouth to the pregnant bitch and can even go some way toward inducing it. There is one homeopathic remedy which seems helpful and can do no harm after whelping to ease bruising and promote healing and that is arnica.

Exercise The bitch should be taken for a walk everyday, a steady road walk on the lead is a good idea as this keeps up the fitness levels. However, strenuous exercise should be avoided. Toward the end of the pregnancy the walk will be a slow steady one and the distance should be decided by your bitch.

Progressing Pregnancy Brief Outline From week 5 the foetus has developed its brain and spinal cord and it begins to bend its head forward into the classical foetal position. The embryo is oval in shape and is about1 inch in diameter. 29 – 30 days. Sees the development of the male and female sexual characteristics
and the eyelids close.

35 – 44 days. Gives us the abdominal enlargement in the bitch if there is an average sized litter present. The mammary glands will also develop and ‘point’.

45 – 55 days This period sees rapid growth of the foetus. The folding of the uterine horns occurs to accommodate a normal or large litter and gives a dramatic change in her outline. This change will not be noticeable in a small litter of say 3 puppies. It is also at this time that a waxy ‘plug’ can be expelled from the teats
followed by a watery like liquid. The calcification of the bones in the puppies happens now and the puppies can be seen on x-ray.

57 days. From this time delivery can take place. The last four weeks in the uterus are used for the greater definition of the features and establishment of the body systems in relation to the placenta. Some dramatic changes will still have to occur quickly at the time of delivery.

Preparation for whelping The whelping room needs to be able to be heated but also to be cooled in summer. It should be secluded and away from other animals and have a phone in case it is necessary to contact the vet during the delivery. If possible an exit to an outside door would be an asset to allow the bitch to toilet but do not allow any other animals in this area. You will need to get a whelping box for your bitch to deliver the puppies in. This can be as simple as a cardboard box or an expensive whelping box specially prepared for the purpose.
It will be necessary to provide a light source. Preferably a dull light or torch which can be used just to keep an eye on your bitch but also a bright light in case there are any complications and you need to see what is going on.

At this point the bitch will want to make her bed. In the wild this would be a cave or other structure she could hide in. This can involve the tearing of the papers which have been placed in her bed for this purpose. She may go through stages of tearing and panting as the labour progresses.

Labour usually follows 3 stages and it is triggered by a hormone called progesterone. When the levels of this hormone, which has maintained the pregnancy and prevented the uterus from contracting during the growth stages of the pregnancy fall the oestrogen takes over again and the production of prostaglandin is stimulated and this allows whelping to begin. If during this time you were to take your bitches temperature you may find that it has dropped this is normal a few days before the delivery begins.

It is the foetus not the dam which triggers delivery as they become crowded in the uterus they become increasingly stressed and this stimulates the immature cardiac and respiratory systems to become ready to make the dramatic changes necessary when the pup is born.
The first stage is when your bitch becomes restless usually refusing food and possibly vomits. This typically lasts 18 to 24 hours. She will exhibit bouts of calm and then panting at this time again she will tear the papers you have put there for this purpose. She may sleep intermittently and behave in a restless manner.

Bitches are capable of infinite variation during this time and if you are extremely lucky a puppy may drop out even before you are aware this stage has begun. During the first stage the cervix should dilate to allow the puppies to pass from the uterus into the virginal and out into a waiting world. Unless the cervix has dilated, birth by natural means cannot occur and veterinary intervention will be needed to deliver the puppies. Unfortunately there is no means of knowing if the cervix has opened properly until the bitch has been in labour for a while and no puppies have arrived. The development of ultrasound has helped in recent years and this makes it easier to detect.

During the second stage the bitch should have become calmer and you may be able to see big heaving motions as the contractions are taking place. Your first sign of an imminent birth is the appearance at the vulva of a black fluid filled bag. This is an amniotic sac, the outer membrane which has surrounded the puppy up till now, and has served to lubricate the birth canal for the puppy to pass. This water bag may emerge and retract a few times or it may have burst higher up the canal and produce a gush of fluid at the virgina. This water bag indicates that a puppy will be born soon. The bitch may stand, crouch or lie down for the delivery of her puppies, or may do all three. When a head appears at the vulva the rest of the puppy should slide out quickly.
Bitches are often surprised if not shocked by the arrival of her first puppy, and it is said that they can be confused as they associate the arrival of the puppy with the passing of a motion in a forbidden place. When the puppy makes its first cry this usually triggers the maternal instinct. However, the bitch is tired and the breeder may need to take action to help the bitch by opening the amniotic sac and get a puppy breathing. Do not be in to much of a hurry to do this if the bitch knows what to do. Once the puppy is born it is still attached to the bitch by the umbilical cord. The bitch will chew threw this with her side teeth she may be quite rough during this time turning the puppy over and over but this is natures way of stimulating the puppy to breath. If the bitch can manage on her own it is best to let her, as this nature stimulates the natural progression of further puppies and facilitates the let-down of her milk. This also helps in the bonding of the mother and her pups.

Stage three starts with the arrival of the afterbirth, which can sometimes arrive with the first puppy. If it does not then it should arrive with the second one and could even be passed up to 24 hours later when the bitch passed urine. In the wild the afterbirth represents the bitch’s food for a few days before she could hunt to provide for her pups. They are blood filled and full of nutrition but can cause the bitch to pass a large quantity of dark or black very soft to liquid motions for up to 24- 36 hours.

The bitch which has had to have her puppies by caesarean section should not miss out on this nutrition as the owner can ask the vet to save a couple of the afterbirths so these can be given to the bitch later. It is believed that the afterbirth stimulates the contracting of the uterus and the flow of milk.

Once the puppy is born the breeder can help by keeping the whelping box dry and warm. It was the practice to remove the new pups until the bitch had fully delivered, but, the practice these days is to leave the pups with mum and make sure she does not lie on them whilst the rest of the delivery proceeds. This also helps the mother to bond with the pups and is less distressing for her. The puppies can be kept warm by means of polyester fur which allows the birth fluids to pass through to the paper underneath leaving the puppies warm and dry, also available now are heat pads which are very good at keeping the puppies warm.

The interval between the birth of puppies varies but it is generally accepted that 2 to 2 ½ hours is a reasonable length of time. If you get an interval bordering on this there may be an obstruction. A puppy may be too big to deliver or there may even be a dead puppy blocking the birth canal. This is a dangerous situation and the vet should be called for advice.
If a caesarean becomes necessary then you can leave any puppies in a warm box as they will not come to any harm for a few hours, the aesthetic the vets use now has less lasting effects on the bitch and the puppies and the bitch is awake almost as soon as the operation is over. Upon being reunited with her puppies it may be a bit difficult to get her to accept them, but this is not the norm. Puppies born in this manner usually thrive.

It is customary to take your bitch to the surgery after whelping to have her checked over, and to make sure she has no infection and is contracting back to her normal size. Most vets will give an injection of oxytocin to ensure that the uterus contracts properly and to make sure that all of the contents have been expelled.

You will want to keep an eye on your bitch during the next couple of weeks for any sign that she is feeling unwell. The appearance of any bad smelling discharge, (which is in any way different from the normal ‘bleed’), after having her puppies at the virginal area is a sign for alarm and a visits is called for. Advice should also be sought if any discharge continues after about 4 – 5 weeks after the birth.

Care Of The Newly Whelped Bitch And Her Puppies The bitch may sometimes sacrifice her housetraining for the care of her puppies. You may find it difficult to get her to leave her pups to go outside and clean herself but with gentle persuasion she will go. When she has finished whelping she may appreciate a small light meal and a drink of water. However, don’t worry if she doesn’t want this.
The bitch will stimulate her puppies to pass urine by licking them and for the first few weeks she will consume all of their faeces. If she is reluctant to do this you could try rubbing a small about of butter on the puppies to stimulate this action. It may also be possible that she will have ulcers on her tongue through cleaning the puppies at birth. If you find that this happens then your veterinary surgeon may be able to help you.

Care of the puppies During the birth the adaptations to the lungs and heard and all of the major systems have happened and we will assume that your puppies are fit. There are some deformities which cannot be detected until the puppy is born but they are to numerous to go into in this article. The first 36 – 48 hours are the most critical in the lives of the newly born pup. You must make sure it is warm and fed. Puppies are born with their eyes tight shut and they have an immature brain and nervous system. These will develop over the next few weeks. They are never still and twitch and stretch and jerk about in their bed constantly. This is called active sleep and develops and exercises the nerve and muscle system. A puppy which lies completely still is likely to be in trouble, so is a puppy which cries all of the time.

It is the instinct of the pup to gravitate to the teat to feed. The breeder should be ready to help or render assistance if the pup cannot do this initially on its own. It can also help if the breeder could put the weaker pup onto the more productive teats at the rear of the bitch. Pups which are suckling usually make a paddling motion with their feet and this also stimulates the milk flow. For this reason it is important to keep the nails of the puppy short so the bitch does not get scratched and sore.

It is important that the puppies are fed by the bitch as soon as possible after the birth so they can get as much benefit from the colostrums, this is the first milk. Although this has been present in the teats for several days the puppies can only utilise this for a short period of time and as little as 12 – 36 hours

The puppies should gain weight steadily and if possible should be weighed daily to ensure that they are gaining weight. This will also pinpoint any possible problems if a puppy is not feeding. The handling the puppies receive at this time is beneficial for future socialising and it gets them used to being handled at an early age. Puppies which are small at birth usually catch up quickly when weaned.

Healthy new-born pups are quiet, sleepy, warm to touch, round, firm and plump. They make quiet contented murmurs with the occasional sharp cry if one gets squashed. Abnormal pups are limp to pick up, have damp wrinkled and cold skin, they have purplish bellies and feet, and may cry in a persistent plaintive, seagull type of cry, they may also be silent still and chilled.

Distinguishing your puppies It is important that you know which is which where your puppies are concerned. There are various gadgets on the market to help with this. I personally use a strong paper collar of the type used be vets during operations with the number of the puppy as it was born order on it. These can be replaced as they fall off. I.e. pup 1, pup2 and so on. This corresponds to a list kept to register identifying marks, birth time and weight; any problems at birth, continuing weigh ins, worming dates, and eventually new owner details.

Selling Your Puppy Having advertised your puppies, you will now have the arduous task of meeting prospective owners who will come to look and hopefully choose ‘their’ puppy.

It is now that your own instinct and knowledge will be called to the fore as you meet the best potential owner for each individual puppy. In doing this you need to ask a number of questions on how your puppy would be looked after and if it would be left all day on its own, would the new owner have the commitment to look after it through toilet training and teething, if it chewed. Would they have room in their house and an outdoor area for the puppy to run around in. Are there children in the new household and would they be supervised with the new puppy so as not to torment it making it nip and bite later in life.
Once you are happy with the new owners it may be wise (if at all possible) to try and do a home visit so you can see for yourself the environment that the puppy will be going live. I have a form where I request that all new owners sign. By signing this form they agree to return the puppy within the first 3 weeks should they change their minds. I agree that a percentage of the purchase price will be refunded and that I shall re-home the puppy if necessary. I also provide my puppies with a puppy pack which includes a small book on how to look after your new puppy, a 6 week free insurance for the puppy and a free sample of food which the puppy has been fed on. I also include a copy of the puppy’s details, my name, address, telephone number and my vets number until the puppy has been registered with its own vet.

This article, referenced by 'The Book of the Bitch' is not meant to be a definitive guide on breeding your bitch but my own interpretation of the subject.