Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 3:12 pm Post subject: When to have a litter
I'd like to share my thoughts on breeding a lab bitch, and why we wanted to.
We decided, probably like everyone, that wouldn’t it be nice to have puppies from our girl. However, our next question was. Why? Why do we want to breed from our precious? For us it was a number of reasons. Firstly, we had an old boy, who was coming to the end of his time. We would be getting another lab to follow in his footsteps, as you can’t “replace” a dog you have loved for so many years. Secondly, I needed another dog to work during the season. Thirdly, our girl had been a dream to train, and hopefully her offspring would be as easy to train. Fourthly, can we afford to have a litter of puppies, what if they don’t sell? Can we afford to keep more than one?
The next question was when. When do we want to have a litter? That was an easy question to answer. We didn’t want to have a littler ready for Christmas, as that is the prime time for compulsive puppy buying. Secondly, we didn’t want it to take out the shooting season. Thirdly, we needed warm weather to get the pups out, and the summer is a much better time for new dog owners.
Do we health test? Damn stupid question really and one that should be affirmative to ANY potential breeder. We hip scored her, elbows too and then G.P.R.A. Okay, not the best scores at 15, but we’ll build that into our choice of potential stud dog. She also came back as a carrier for G.P.R.A. Again, it limits the choice of stud dog, but there’s counter arguments for all tests.. Hopefully, the progeny scores will be lower. The plan is to keep a pup, and test her before we decide what we are going to do next. That will also give us a good idea of what our girl is producing.
So we started looking. The planning took months of searching for the right dog. He had to be clear health wise for G.P.R.A. CNM and he had to have low hip score. We looked locally, and for various reasons discounted the local stud dogs. I wanted something that had proven track record, something that clearly “worked”. A “known” dog. Oh, and as my OH said, he had to be handsome. Couldn’t have our girl going out with any old dog… So we settled on a Drakeshead Field Trial Winner. Dominant Black, 0:0 hips and elbows, clear for both G.P.R.A. and CNM and good looking to boot.
So 18 months after, we were finally in a position to mate. Her season had fallen at the “right” time for us. We contacted the stud dog owner and asked whether we could us her dog. Actually, I had done that 18 months beforehand, and fortunately the answer was yes. We were booked in for a date 10 days from the start. I wasn’t convinced, and thought it would be more like day 14. The stud dog owner advised us to get progesterone testing done. So we did. First test I know was way too early, as we did it on day 5. Next tests were done on days 8 and 11, with the final test done on day 13. Then it was panic stations, get to the stud dog owner. So a 600 mile round trip to the stud dog and back. Now our baby wasn’t too happy at first, but she allowed him to do the business. Good a good tie, a cup of tea and some very good advice. And then the wait. Four weeks in, and I had managed to convince myself she wasn’t pregnant. So it was off again to the vets for a “feel”, and he wasn’t sure. He couldn’t feel anything. You need a scan he says. Okay, then, let’s have a proper check. Low and behold, she is carrying and we have pictures to prove. I could have cried with joy.
So here we are at week four of her pregnancy. What has it cost us to get to this stage? Including fuel, health tests, stud dog fees, vet fees about £1500. We still haven't looked at whelping boxes, heat lamps, food, yet more vet fees and a number of other things needed for a litter of puppies. I have estimated it will cost us a further £1000 plus BEFORE the little slugs are ready to go.
Do we still ask whether we did the right thing? Yes we do, and yes it was the right thing to do for us.
Any advice? Yes. Make sure it is right for you. Will it fit in with your home plans as raising a litter of puppies in NOT easy. Make sure you find the right people to talk to and listen to their advice. Get all the health tests done and be prepared to fail. We didn’t on the first go, but we were prepared for it to NOT be a successful mating. Do your homework, find the right dog for your girl. In our case the right dog was 300 miles away, so be prepared to travel. KNOW YOUR DOG. She will tell you when she is ready. It might take a couple of seasons, but be prepared to wait for the RIGHT time.
I'm sick of people telling me how much money I'm making
1st litter I lost almost 1k, I hope to break even with this litter or at least lose minimal, people have no idea the expense involved in raising a litter (properly)
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Vikki, Ruby, Henry & Hector xxx
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