we have not confirmed yet via xray but feel pretty firm our bitch is going to have a couple puppies not a big litter. what issues are common in small litters or are there any?
Hello there, and a very warm welcome to the forum. I'm really sorry but I have absolutely no direct experience of this at all. Hopefully someone who does might be along soon..... The only thing I can suggest is that you have a look at a DVD by Patricia McConnell "the art and science of canine behaviour". In this lecture series she covers the problem that can arise in single pups. She said this can be very problematic in that a lot of things that happen between litter mates are critical to a puppy's development. From being jostled, to learning frustration management in competition for milk, to being comfortable being touched. She also (briefly, unfortunately) describes her experience in trying to recreate these things for puppies without litter mates. It sounded like a very difficult thing to do, and this was from someone who is an extremely well qualified and experienced dog behaviourist, trainer and breeder. If I were you, I'd seek some professional help if at all possible... Very best of luck with it, do let us know what happens.
Hi there and welcome to the forum. Years ago we had a couple of litters with three pups in each litter...absolutely no issues at all, the pups did all the normal puppy things, fighting, biting, playing etc...This year my Springer had a litter of seven but interestingly at the 28 day scan it was only possible to see a couple of embryos clearly ...it seems to be a bit of a dark art predicting litter sizes. Even in the last week or two she didn't look particularly large and I could only feel two with absolute certainty! How far into the pregnancy is she and have you had her scanned yet?
Hi there....ok am I being really dense but how can you tell how big the litter will be without an X-ray?Are you anticipating based on her size? I sound daft don't I but I just wondered. We have Dexter a boy and our first dog....I have read so much about Labradors and dogs since we got him but the question you have raised has never crossed my mind , it is an interesting thing to think about so I'm glad you have posted. Let us know when she's had her checkup and how many puppies there are ,whilst I'm rubbish to give you any advice there is such a wealth of experience on the Forum ,someon will always do their best to help out. Best wishes Angela x
Hello and welcome! No real advice I'm afraid just that I've heard that a single pup CAN be a bit of an issue, not necessarily so though...
