I want to make it clear from the outset that I am not advertising these puppies, I'm fairly sure that they are all spoken for!! I thought it might be interesting to some members to see what goes into breeding your puppy! 8 years ago, I purchased a labrador for my partner. She was beautifully bred and was to become part of our working team. It soon became apparent that we had a cracking dog on our hands, and thought that she was showing so much promise that we might think about breeding from her. Without wanting to get our hopes up too high, we started the process of health testing her. First we tested her eyes; all good, so we moved on to her DNA tests; all clear, then we got her hip and elbow tested- great results! So we now knew that health wise she was good to go, she just needed to prove herself in the field (and on the sofa !). For the next 3 years, we assessed her ability and temperament and spend time researching the right match for her in a stud dog. At 4 years old, knowing that she was fully health tested, had worked 2 1/2 full seasons in the field and was just a lovely girl, we took the plunge and mated her to a health tested dog with compatible lines. The resulting litter was better than we could have hoped for. So good that 2 years later, we repeated the breeding, with the plan of keeping one special girl back to carry on our lines. So, another two years on, that special girl has now had, and passed all of her health tests and has proven herself in the field (and on the sofa!) and is herself, expecting our next generation! Years of planning has gone into this very special litter, so I thought it might be nice to keep you Labrador fans updated on her progress through her pregnancy, whelping and the raising of the litter. My main aim with this is to show you how much time and effort (and unfortunately money!) go into a truly ethically raised litter, to show that not all 'breeders' are just here to grab a quick buck and that if you are looking for your own puppy that you should check that the time and effort has been put into planning the litter and giving the puppies the very best possible start in life. So far in the process my girl has been fully health tested (as mentioned above), progesterone tested throughout her season to ensure that she was mated at exactly the right time, taken to the stud we have spent much time researching as the best match for her, and she has had her first CHV vaccination a week after her mating. Today I have spent the day deep cleaning the living room (where my girl will whelp and raise her pups) and putting up her whelpling box. She is due in 3 1/2 weeks so I would like her to get used to feeling comfortable in there as her safe space. I have also been setting up a camera system so that I can watch her through the night to see what her 'normal' night-time behaviour is so that I can spot anything that strays from the norm closer to her whelping. I have also dug out my camp bed which I will set up next to her whelping box a few days prior to her due date so that I am there for her when needed. I have also been trawling the internet for new vet bed, puppy pee pads, identification collars, a new heat pad, bulk buying paper towels etc. My plan is to keep you updated on her progress and the process of bringing very special new little lives into the world. Watch this space....
It will be wonderful to follow her progress and learn how breeding should really be done with care and diligence. We don't live so far away and had thought on more than one occasion if we were looking for a pup, one of yours would be pretty special. Good luck and I look forward to following your journey.
Hi 5Labs, What an exciting time for you! I have added an admin note to your original post, which we add to all puppy litter threads. You can read more about why here, and I hope you'll agree that our reasons for it are in keeping with your own reasons for starting the thread I can't wait to follow your girl's progress, and I think this is going to be a really eye opening thread!
Not a very exciting update, but my girl started her worming course today. She will now be wormed with a small dose of Panacur everyday until 2 days post whelp to prevent worms being passed to the pups. Her food is being increased as well. It is a fine line between feeding sufficient quantities to ensure healthy growth of the pups, and not overfeeding which could lead to pups which are too large for her to whelp, or her becoming fat which can make labour difficult for her. She is still exercising as normal and will continue to do so until she chooses not to.
Great thread! We have a chocolate puppy girl coming in to our life end of April. Currently in Canada the waiting list for a good puppy is extending out to 2 years. I got very lucky and was able to secure a puppy this year! Cheers!!
Exciting times ahead for you! Good breeders are lucky enough to be able to be choosy about who their pups go to and likewise, good buyers are prepared to wait for the right puppy x
Yes we got lucky as well as the breeder we went to for our current dog had another ( large) litter in January. So we were able.to.get a second pup. I'm in Canada too.
Another fairly boring update. My girl is going to the vets for her second CHV vaccine this afternoon. After that, she will be staying home. She's getting too big to be jumping in and out of the car, and I don't want to risk the other dogs knocking into her. She won't mind too much as she is really slowing down now anyway, so she'll be quite happy with just a leg stretch around the field. She is nicely settled in her whelping box at night and I have been watching her on the camera. During the first stages of labour, bitches will usually dig up their beds 'nesting'. My girl has always been a bed digger, but watching her on the camera, she doesn't start digging her bed until around 6am, so at least I know that if she is digging earlier in the night, that it is more likely to be labour, than her normal behaviour. When she is laid out on her side, I can now see her babies wriggling about! I think the first few times she felt them moving she was a little freaked out as she came over and threw herself on the floor next to me, belly up and looking rather wide-eyed! Bless her. In theory, we have another 10 days to wait, but I suspect that she will whelp early. Watch this space.....
Quick update. She had a rather unsettled night last night and was power digging her bed at 3am. She didn't eat much of her breakfast and has started to shake a little. She's been out for a quick leg stretch and has eaten her tea, but is now back in digging mode. I might be wrong, but I suspect that she'll have them either tonight or tomorrow. Watch this space
She was restless and digging a lot at bedtime last night so I stayed awake with her all night. Took her out for a quick empty at 6am but she didn't eat any breakfast. She started pushing at 7.55am and had her first pup at 8.05am! She started pushing again at 8.30, but unfortunately didn't progress. I took her out for a quick lap of the garden and up and down the stairs. She'd been pushing for an hour and a half and I was ready to ring the vets when the puppy started showing. He was rather stuck and had a zonal placenta which wasn't the easiest to get off! Phew! The next 7 pups popped out without any bother at regular intervals until lunchtime. I was just about to take her out for a wee when another popped out, followed by another an hour later bringing the total to 11!! She's been out for a quick leg stretch and had a bite to eat while I changed her bedding and checked all the puppies over for any issues such as cleft palate. All are perfect, if a little hungry. Her milk may take a couple of days to come in so it's going to be a bit of hard work to make sure everyone gets a full tummy. They are all sleeping now, apart from one little boy who seems to be trying to make his way back in :-D
