Thinking of breeding from your bitch? Please consider it very carefully. Read and do some research FIRST before you even go there. There is so much written about mating and caring for you bitch while she is in whelp but much of this I now feel is seriously old-fashioned and out-dated and not what NATURE intended. Also people’s awareness has changed over the years. Prospective puppy owners look around and ask questions. So be prepared. It is a costly affair and very time consuming. Have you really got the time and the commitment ???

Lets start at the beginning and do the basics first. Questions to ask yourself before you even think of having a litter. Have you anybody interested in buying your puppies? Can I afford the expenses? You must have the finances before you start thinking of breeding a litter. If something goes wrong can you afford the vet fees? Emergencies like a caesarian? Enclampsia? Breeched puppies or other labour problems. They are expensive and the Vets charge a fair amount extra should they have to come out to your house or should you have to go and see them out of hours.Pet Insurance companies does on the whole NOT cover your dog for these events UNLESS you are on their special breeding insurance plan.

Have you the space for a litter? The bitch must be kept warm and comfortable and have a snug place for her puppies. Does your bitch have good temperament? Is she really friendly or is she a bit stand off- ish and unsure of people. If she is of the latter type do not breed from this because the temperament will be passed on down to her puppies. Aggression and shyness breeds moreAGGRESSION and more trouble than they are worth. It does NOT improve a bitch's temperament breeding from this type of dog it actually makes it worse. It is an old wives tail. You are just passing on your dogs aggression to other dogs and will cause a lot of upsets for many children and adults. Aggressive dogs are a serious threat to us all. People will be charged under the DANGEROUS DOG ACT. Dog put down and owners fined. Is that what you want?? Your name linked to this type of dog?? .

Is she a good specimen of the breed or does she have a lot of breed faults? Again if it isn’t good enough- don’t breed from her, she will pass on her faults. The next question is -is she endorsed? That means- has the breeder put any restrictions on your dog saying it can not be bred from? If so, you can not breed from this dog as the puppies will not be Kennel Club Registered. Again prospective pet owners do not want to buy unregistered dogs. A good reputable breeder will have these endorsements put on the puppies they breed to stop their “puppies” being used as breeding machines. Are you on good terms with the breeder of the bitch then call her/him and ask their opinion. They should be able to give you help and advice.

Is your bitch old enough? She should be well over 2 years old before she has her first litter. Has she been BAER tested? Today people are very much aware of the problems that can happen with the Dalmatians hearing and they will not buy untested stock. Is she fully vaccinated.? Is she FREE from any inherited defects- Epilepsy, ARDS ,Hip Dysplacia ? Finally have you found a sound dog that you think is good enough for your bitch?  Is he BAER tested?  Is he Kennel Club Registered?  Does he have a good temperament? Is he free of any inherited defects?Remember that 50% of what he has will be passed on to the puppies.. Is the stud dog owner willing to help you if you have any problems. Like helping to find good honest “dog “people for your puppies? Again you have to make sure he does not have any endorsement.Don’t use the dog next door or in the next village.Be prepared to travel for a good stud dog.

Finally are you prepared to take back a puppy if things do not work out with the new owners? And the most important issue. ARE YOU PREPARED TO HAVE A PUPPY HUMANELY PUT TO SLEEP if it is DEAF?? These puppies are a liability and has proved many times  as they have grown up , to cause biting and injuries to their owners and other people. Again they fall under the DANGEROUS DOG ACT and the new owners can and will be taken to court for having a DANGEROUS dog.

OK so you have decided to go ahead.Then the next question - is your bitch fit enough. A fat bitch will have problems conceiving and serious problems with giving birth. When it comes to mating of the dogs, on average a bitch is ready between 10 and 14 days into her season but there are bitches who are ready within a week or as late as day 23/24. So a blood test is very useful. It will give you a good idea of ideal mating date. Now what happens? You have had the bitch mated and life goes on. Just do not let her out of sight until her season is well and truly finished because she can still find or be found by a “strapping” free male.

Please do not however change her lifestyle. Feed her as usual and do the normal walks and free running. In nature she would have to go out and hunt for food with the rest of the pack and defend her territory. My bitches run freely up until the last few days before whelping. They have always charged through the forest and up and down the hills, but as they get heavier they start slowing down too. It is nature’s way. When they have had enough they soon let you know. Let the dog show you the way. But be careful if you do let them have free running, as some bitches might decide to “run away” and find somewhere to have their puppies. Again it’s nature’s way. If you are not sure about your bitch and what she might do, keep her on a flexi-lead.

It is only us humans who think we are doing them a faviour by keeping them house bound. Feeding them lots of food. In actual fact we often over-feed them. Wrong- we are causing the problems they have. You have to be fit to be able to “push” out the puppies.The muscles must also be strong. A fit bitch has a easier birth than something that is just stuck in the house and allowed to grow FAT and unfit. Any dog or human who just sits around and does nothing looses their strength to perform even the easiest jobs.Giving birth is nature’s hardest and most dangerous task. It demands stamina. If a bitch can not push her puppies out you are in trouble. You might lose both your bitch and puppies.

The last 3 weeks or so you start feeding her up from 2 meals a day to 3 meals. Make sure she has a varied diet and that you have her wormed regularily. As time passes add another meal.You might find you will have to feed her 5 smaller meals a day. Again better for the bitch than bulking down 1 or 2 meals.This makes it so much easier on her digestive system. A little tip. Bananas are excellent food as they contain folic acid. Brilliant for pregnant bitches and humans alike. Full fat yoghurts are also wonderful.About 10 days prior to whelping a small supplement of calsium comes in handy and i also use it for about 1 week after the puppies are born especially if it is a large litter.It helps to prevent enclampsya(calsium is drained from the body with all the efforts the bitch goes through to build up the puppies both before and after birth))

Prepare her whelping box well in advance and let her get used to the new place.Make sure it is plenty big enough and that it has “guard rails” along all 4 walls.This is to prevent the bitch from crushing her puppies.For bedding I strongly recommend VET bed and News Papers as an underlay.This will keep the puppies dry and the News Papers absorbs all the wetness.The rails have come in handy many times and the puppies also use it to “hide” under.When older they use it as a bunk bed.!

Today you can actually buy disposable whelping boxes.You just throw them away when they get dirty.They are hygenic and also very convenient though expencive.

Finally tell your VET that your bitch has been mated. Give him the date of the mating and he should be able to give you a rough date of birth. Make sure your Vet takes note as he might have to be called out to you. Keep your Vet’s phone number close by you and also any veterinary emergency numbers as you never know when you might need help.Puppy milk formula , a few babies bottles is a must, towels, a hot water bottle and a bin bag - as again you never know if you need it

I always have my bitches scanned by ultrsound to make sure they are in whelp.A rough idea of how many puppies might be there is a great help.I must say I have been very lucky with my Vets scanning ability and during labour and birth -have been able to inform my Vet about a number of possibly VERY late puppies.My Vet comes to MY house and gives oxcytosin which helps a very tired bitch with the last and hopefully final push to deliver the puppies.Without the help of this drug you could end up loosing the bitch as well as some puppies.Reason for this is that labour is so intense and with a very large litter the bitch is simply too tired to push with the contractions.

In this case there were actually 13 puppies born.The 2 last puppies came 18 hours after the first puppy was born and were still born.If I had not known that there were more puppies in there things could have gone really bad for us.Septicemia comes to mind

There is so much to take into consideration before, during and after mating and whelping.This is a very time consuming and labour intensive event.You have to be there 24 hours a day 7 days a week for the first 4 to 5 weeks.Something can go wrong so fast with the bitch / the puppies or all of the above.You can loose everything by not being there.Just one oversight and all is gone........

Please do your research befor you go ahead with this and do not be afraid to ask for help from your VET or perhaps the breed club.There is always somebody around who is willing to help.Especially your Vet..It is their job and they LOVE comming around to see puppies.

 Good luck.