The American Hairless Terrier

BREEDING TIPS II

CONTRACTS / MATING / BIRTH

Now that you have decided to breed your female and have found the stud...Get It All In Writing! Whether you are friends or not, it is best to have everything written out to save on disappointments later. A contract will see to it there are no misunderstandings once the breeding has taken place and the puppies arrive. Many a friend- ship has been lost over things that weren't quite brought out in the open.  Get the names of both the bitch and dog along with their registration numbers.  Also the name, address, and phone number of both owners involved. Have the date of service and whether another service will be included in the stud fee. And of course, include the stud fee... will the fee be money or will it be a puppy? If  the fee will be a puppy...will it be a pick puppy, second or third pick, or perhaps more than one puppy? At what age will the pup be chosen? At what age will it be taken?  If the stud fee will be money...how much? Also, what does the stud fee include? How many services will your bitch be entitled to? Is there a guarantee of live births and how many? If there are no puppies, will there be a repeat breeding at no charge? You'd be surprised...there are breeders who consider the act of breeding as a service to your dog and that is all that you are entitled to for the fee. If your bitch is being shipped and will spend time at the stud owners home make sure to find out if he will be charging you a kenneling fee in addition to the stud fee. There are many questions to consider and I know I haven't covered them all here. I have included a basic stud contract which you can print out if you like or use as a basis for writing up your own.

  Example of Stud Agreement

The first thing to do when your bitch does finally come into heat is write down the date and then contact the stud owner. This will give him advance warning instead of you and your dog simply showing up on his/her doorstep unannounced the day of service. Watch your girl carefully to look for signs of readiness for breeding. Some will give no signs at all while others may become little tramps from day one. There is no set breeding date for all dogs. I have had them breed as early as day five and as late as day 18. Finding the right day is very important when it comes to shipping your young lady. You may even decide to ship her the first day of her season just to be sure you don't miss the right day. It may be best to have your vet take a slide to have a better idea of when she will be ready.  This will surely alleviate some of the guessing the first go around. When you have determined the proper day for the breeding, call the stud owner and set up an appointment.  If she is to be shipped make sure you give all of the flight information and time to the stud owner so there will be no mix ups in picking up your little girl. If you haven't filled out the Stud Agreement and settled on all the details, do so before you ship your dog and before the breeding takes place. If you are personally taking your bitch to be serviced...be courteous and be on time arriving at the stud owner's home. Also be sure to present your female in a clean and groomed manner and make sure she is in good health and in proper weight and condition.

During the breeding itself, it is best to leave both dogs to do what comes naturally. You may want to hold the bitch at first to make sure she is willing to accept the male...you certainly don't want any accidents...but once she has shown she is ready and willing, leave them alone. Though you may stay where you can observe them in case you are needed...keep your hands off. Too much handling can only serve to confuse both dogs and especially a first time male. They may make mistakes at first...let them.  Eventually they will figure it out and a natural breeding will take place.  Your patience at this time is crucial for the confidence of the stud dog.  Don't ruin what could be a perfectly good stud dog because of fear of missing a breeding opportunity or because you are pressed for time.

Once the tie has been made, the male may need help turning ...if he decides to. Some will just step down and stand side by side, others will swing their leg over and turn around butt to butt, then you could have one like I did that fell over backwards after fainting. Be ready for anything. You may be needed to comfort the female during the waiting period or you may be needed to keep the dogs from pulling away from each other or laying down and possibly hurting one or the other. One of my females thinks that once the male has turned it is time for her to drag him across the room. As I said, be ready for anything and make yourself comfortable for what can turn out to be a very long wait in some cases.

After the tie has ended, sweep the young lady away and place her into her warm and comfortable crate and head on home.  All that is left at this point is nine weeks of anxious waiting....is she or isn't she?

  Go To Whelping Chart

While you are playing the waiting game, make sure you keep your 'lady in waiting' in good physical condition.  Do not let her become lazy and overfed. This could possibly lead to whelping problems later on. See that she gets exercise everyday and do not increase her food intake until around the fifth week of gestation. At this time she should be showing some signs of pregnancy with a loss of her tuck-up and a widening behind her ribcage. Soon her mammary glands will begin to swell and you will begin to notice a "milk line" forming. At five weeks in whelp you can begin to increase her food gradually and in the last two weeks she will need a high percentage of protein in her diet. The last couple of weeks of gestation is a great time to switch her to a high quality puppy food to give her all of the vitamins and minerals she needs for whelping and nursing the puppies. Depending on how many pups she is carrying, she may need to have her meals divided into several smaller portions...perhaps up to four small meals per day. Don't skimp on the quality or quantity of dog food at this crucial time. It is essential for the development of the puppies bones and teeth, as well as to safeguard your bitch from Eclampsia.

It is now time to decide where your young lady will have her puppies. You will need to prepare a place that is warm and without drafts and a place that is away from the noise and confusion of everyday life. She should be introduced to her whelping box well before her due date so that she can become accustomed to it...unless you don't care about her using your bed or couch for whelping her pups.  My girls like my bedroom closet, so we made them a nice whelping box that fits perfectly in our closet and they took to it just fine. A week before their due dates, we simply leave the sliding doors partially open and they can come and go as they please. Our whelping box is made of plywood with a top that can be closed or kept open. The floor of the box is lined with a heavy vinyl tablecloth which is then covered with several layers of "end-roll" newspaper (this is newspaper with no print and the left over rolls can be purchased at most local newspaper offices) and the paper is then covered with lambs wool pads or old towels. A whelping box with a top is usually the best as it will keep the bitches body heat within and will help to keep out the drafts.  

As your bitch gets heavier in whelp keep her away from strenuous exercise or hard play and away from other pets. Any number of accident could happen if she is left alone with other dogs and more than likely she will become quite intolerant of them in her later weeks. Keep a very close eye on her the last week. Sixty-three days is the normal gestation period for all breeds but you should be prepared in plenty of time as they can whelp as early as fifty-eight days.  Don't be caught off guard!

There are a few things you may want to have on hand for her upcoming event. Gather them well in advance and have them ready and accessible. Here is a list:  Clean bedding to replace wet and dirty bedding during whelping, warming/separation box for puppies, sterile scissors for cutting umbilical cords, washcloths to clean or dry puppies when necessary, watch for timing contractions and times of each birth, iodine for umbilical cords, paper and pencil to notate arrival times and other information deemed necessary, baby scales, roll of paper towels, pair of surgical gloves, nasal syringe and means of identifying the puppies.  With my Danes, I used different colors of rick-rack to identify each puppy.  As soon as I got the vital information I would tie a specific color around the puppy's neck and notate the color in my log.This made it very easy to keep track of growth and development of each pup at a quick glance. We kept very close eye on the neck bands and replaced them as the babies grew.

It is important to have a separate box for the puppies to be placed while the mother continues her labor. This box must be kept warm, dry and draft free. I have always used the bottom of a #100 crate with a heating pad covered with several towels or a sheepskin pad. The crate was then covered with a towel to keep any drafts out.  I love the method my friend just told me about and plan to try it next go around.  She takes a ziplock storage bag and fills it with warm water and then places it inside another ziplock storage bag for leak protection. She warms the water bag in the microwave to get it just the right temperature. Then she places the bag inside a box, places the box on a heating pad, and covers the box with a towel.  What better place could a wee newborn go while waiting on mom then a warm and cozy waterbed? A great place to finish drying off and resting up after the hard work of being born. It is best in most cases to keep the warming box close by so that the mother can see that her new babies are just fine, but some mothers may need them out of sight and hearing distance.  Watch your bitch closely to see which works best with her and be ready to return the babies if she gets too upset. Her emotional attitude is extremely important at this time.

Labor has started and your bitch will become restless,whiney and clingy. She may also begin to shiver, which may be due to the fact that their temperature drops from its normal 102 to 99 degrees. This is one way of detecting impending labor. You can begin taking their temperature twice a day beginning a week before their due date.  When the temperature drops to 99...it means she will go into labor within 24 hours. Not always reliable, as one of my bitches has the same temperature drop with her false pregnancies....she's a real clown. You may need to lead her to her whelping box as she may be reluctant to go there on her own. Once there...she will more than likely begin to dig and tear at her bedding which is called nesting. After awhile she will begin to strain and bear down to push the puppy out. If nothing happens after an hour of straining, it is best to call the vet for advice. Any further delay could be disastrous for the puppy as well as the mother. Be sure to notate the times of each arrival and if she remains calm it is not unusual for her to go as long as two hours between each delivery.

The same applies here as it does with mating...let your dog do what comes natural. Yes, you need to be there for assurance and for problems, but don't be pushy and try to take over the whole process.  Too much hands on will confuse her and possibly make her nervous and cause accidents. Keep calm, keep her calm and be there in case you are needed and let her do as much work as she is able to do. You will definitely be needed to time the births, count the placentas and see that she is handling things as she should and you may be needed to help with any odd presentations, tearing the sack, cutting the cord, wiping away excess fluid from the puppy's nose and mouth and of course even performing CPR on a lifeless pup. Only jump in when it is absolutely necessary...don't let your nervousness spread over to her.  Now, if you ARE presented with a limp pup after the membrane has been removed...don't panic! Clear away the mucus from its nose and mouth and wrap the pup in a towel. Firmly, but gently rub the baby and it should start breathing for you.  Another method is to place the baby in your hand with the head upside down and facing outward. Place your other hand over the pup's body and begin to gently swing the baby forward and backward. This will force air into its lungs and again, it should take a gasp of air and start breathing on its own. Both methods may need to be done for several minutes so don't give up too quickly as your patience can reward you with a healthy puppy.  Once the puppy appears to be breathing properly on its own put it into the warming box to rest after its traumatic start on life.

After your bitch has finished whelping, you should let her relieve herself, clean her bedding and clean her up, too. Make sure all placentas are accounted for and if there is any doubt you should give her or have your vet give her a shot that will clean her out.  Once everything is tidied up and warm and dry you need to bring back the babies. It is very important to see that each puppy is suckling properly so that they get that most important first milk which is rich in fats and proteins and more importantly the antibodies that they will need to protect them for their first weeks of life.  Once mother and pups are settled in and seem to be comfortable, cover the box and leave them alone to bond with one another.

Do keep the whelping box dry and clean regularly. Keep track of each pups weight, daily at first, to make sure they are getting the proper amount of nutrition. It is important too that you check to make sure they are suckling all the teats. They all seem to find their favorite spot and some teats may be left unused. This could cause the mother great discomfort.  If you do find one that has become hard, gently draw off some milk and then place a puppy on it to have a good feed. Also keep those babies nails trimmed short as their kneading action while feeding can scratch the mothers abdomen and cause pain. Make sure that your bitch is getting plenty of good food and water and that she, the pups and the living area are kept clean, clean, clean.  This will give them a good footing to grow into healthy and happy young pups.

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