YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community


Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member!

Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us.

Go Back   YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community > Breeding / Showing / Traveling > Breeder Talk
Register Blogs FAQ Calendar JavaChat Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 10-09-2005, 08:34 PM   #1
Donating YT 4000 Club Member
 
feminvstr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Portland Oregon
Posts: 4,405
Default Breeding and Observations of a New Dam

I just read this article, its very informative for all new breeders
thought it was worth a post and perhaps worth a sticky by admin

Breeding and Observations of a New Dam


Published Friday, July 15, 2005


The Bitch

The best advise I, Lesley Weeks ever received was from one of my best Mentors and International Judge and Breeder of German Shepherds, Mrs. Doris Wilson. (God bless you Doris, I miss you so)! Her words to me were simple and it took me a long time to completely understand her knowledge that she was passing on to me. “Watch over the bitches with a cautious eye and separate such as are going to be proud.” This admonition was Doris’s way of saying that the bitch with something extra is the one that bears closer scrutiny than her less-endowed sisters. Such a bitch has the best chance of being successful as a producer as well as a show winner!!

It has always been something of an inequity that great credit is heaped upon successful sires, but fewer accolades are accorded the bitches that bring forth tomorrow’s winners. Stud Dogs known to be superior producers have the potential to cast their influence over a wide segment of a breed’s population. Bitches, however, are limited by their own biology. While a popular stud dog can sire numerous offspring with little stress on himself, his sister must expend tremendous effort to bring a litter into the world. Also, it often takes a very long time for the worth of a given brood matron to become known.

Still the dedicated breeder knows, while the influence of a given stud can be far-reaching, the potential of a gifted brood matron can impact the type produced in her own kennel. With any amount of good fortune, her gifts will echo down the generations of her own family, ultimately benefiting the entire breed.

One learns very early on in this “Dog Game”, the real worth of quality bitches, and what they can add to a breeding program. For openers, it is not easy to purchase a bitch with the potential to found a family. The proven brood bitch has been called “a pearl of great price”, and she justly deserves this description. The would-be breeder must begin her efforts long before setting out to find her own “pearl.” One must spend long hours studying the breed standard alone, and with truly qualified mentors. Pedigrees, photos and live dogs at ringside also demand study, and if possible kennel visits to observe examples of the breed. And through it all, there must be an interminable stream of questions --and answers.

There will always be exceptions but an aspiring breeder is unlikely to find a top-class brood bitch. Why? With all the blood, sweat, and tears that normally accompany the development of superlative breeding animals, most breeders would be skeptical about selling a bitch with top potential to a person who is untried and unproven.

If the established breeder feels the aspirant is well motivated, the latter can probably acquire a quality “foundation matron”. However, she should be prepared to breed from her for several generations before producing the dog of her dreams. Not infrequently, the beginning breeder learns that one foundation bitch is not always enough. The gambling fever begins!!

I personally searched to find the very best two to three bitches I could lay my hands on. One is not enough because inevitably, they don’t all do as well producing as they might, and the potential of finding one bitch that is nearly perfect is remote. I went to look in person, no ordering by mail. I went top kennels so I could see, photograph, and learn what each breeder had. I searched three different countries and took my vacations searching for knowledge of the breed’s gene pool so I could figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I went to all kinds of specialties so I could see as many different dogs as possible. I came up with “Darling Ginny of Silberfell” bred by Clair Snetsinger.
And I purchased a bitch from Holland and one from the United States. But as luck would have it the “Girl” from Canada with the German gene’s pulled it all together for me. Only two were good enough to appear more than once in a pedigree. Only one won well at specialties or big supported shows, and all were from strong female families that had produced quality in quantity. All three gained their titles. However, I believe the best success that comes to a breeder is the success that comes by having the strongest possible female side of the pedigree. Darling Ginny produced Two Best in Show Winners, and a great daughter who was unbeatable during her time called “Caix’s Bubbling Champagne”. Bubbles went on to produce her own son that earned the honour of “Best in Show”. Together they produced over 18 Champions, seven CD titled dogs, one CDX titled dog, one UDX titled dog and many perfect little “angles” for their children made excellent pets.

Hard work? Undoubtedly. Frustrating? There can be little doubt. Expensive? You will never admit to what you spent! My outstanding success offers eloquent testimony to my lasting rewards in producing not just good dogs, but quality that bred on one generation after the other. “Snowshoes, Gusto of Charisma” was a perfect example of that! And so was “Caix’s Café Royal”, know to the world as Roy Boy.

My advice to a new breeder:

Try to find a top brood bitch that possess a tightly line bred pedigree based upon genetically clean top producers. Look and demand good type, conformation, and have a stable disposition… Bred into her own line to a top producing male should spell success for you.

Consider what is behind this bit of advice, a tightly line bred pedigree means that the genotype of such a bitch will not be all over the map. For the new person, this means a certain predictability in what a bitch will produce--especially when bred to a stud from her own family. In dog breeding, as in most other areas, one learns to walk first and run later. There will be plenty of time to experiment after becoming familiar with the breeding side of the sport.

Your foundation matron should also be as free as possible of genetic defects, especially those known with the particular breed. It will avail a breeder little if she starts with a gorgeous bitch from a family known to produce health problems. If you would breed from such a background without regard for the outcome, think of the puppies destined to be family companions. This applies even more in the matter of producing good temperament. As dog exhibitors, we may be willing to put up with a beautiful “flake”, but if that flake has siblings that are also flakes, what has been accomplished by breeding from behaviorally unstable stock?

“of Good Type” means she should look like her breed. Touching on this point, there is always the question whether a prospective brood bitch should also be capable of finishing her championship. Most experienced breeders would agree that this is desirable, and would not breed without championship!

Most great breeders use the term “TAIL FEMALE”! I believe too in breeding “tail Female” to bring about a great bitch line. Tail female is the term given to the bottom line of the pedigree, so it goes from dam to maternal grand-dam, to maternal to the grand-dam’s dam and then her dam…etc

This system does have the potential for resulting in a great producing female line, and is a time honored means of establishing an exemplary line of producers.

My advise again:

When a top-producing foundation bitch of any breed is the result of tail female breeding, her influence will provide many generations of quality off-spring. My breeding philosophy has been totally focused on the production of the female. We apply constant pressure on the ability of the studs used to produce top females. Their success speaks eloquently for the effectiveness of their focus. The males will always go down first in history, but the bitch will live on!!

When you have been breeding for many years, you will know the tremendous importance the brood bitch represents to a breeding program.
If you are contemplating breeding, or are new to this most intriguing challenge of the dog sport, remember that you must be patient. Overnight success in breeding is a very rare phenomenon, and in most of those instances, the success does not last. The strength of a breeding program is in the producing ability of the bitches. When knowledgeable judges and informed fanciers can recognize your newest homebred as carrying the stamp of your breeding, you have every right to take pride in your own success. My Standard Schnauzers and their offspring and theirs’ in turn are still recognized for their great presence in the ring, their sense of style, movement and the elegance that is so desirable. Their records speak for themselves and that is why their sperm is held in Pottstown, Penn. “Awaiting the perfect bitch”!


Test required before breeding your Dam or Stud:

Have a veterinary exam to ensure she is healthy enough to carry a litter.

Test your bitch for hereditary health problems. Ask for a DNA.

Have a veterinary examine the reproductive system to ensure it is healthy.

Test for potentially sexually transmitted diseases. Brucellosis can destroy a dog’s breeding future; this disease is not just transmitted thru sexual contact, but also through ingestions of bacteria. Also test for transmissible venereal tumors (warts)! These tumors are most common in tropical populations of free-roaming dogs, but they can occur anywhere. ...More
__________________
Kimberly
feminvstr is offline   Reply With Quote
Welcome Guest!
Not Registered?

Join today and remove this ad!

Old 10-09-2005, 08:36 PM   #2
Donating YT 4000 Club Member
 
feminvstr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Portland Oregon
Posts: 4,405
Default

here is the next page
Breeding
Breeding and Observations of a New Dam


Published Friday, July 15, 2005


They are spread by sexual contact or by licking affected genitals. They appear as masses around the vulva and vagina and on the inside jacket of the penis. Less commonly on the mucus membranes of the nose or eyes.

Your work as a breeder isn’t done when the litter is born!

Your work as an animal caregiver has just started!

Now is the time your new dam needs your care the most, you must ensure she gets adequate nutrition and that she endures the stress of whelping and nursing her litter. Nursing dams need to eat a lot of high quality food and drink adequate amounts of fresh water in order to make milk for their pups. As the pups grow and demand more milk, she will need to eat and drink even more, usually two to three times her normal intake. She should eat as often as she wishes or be fed three to four times a day. Even then she will probably lose weight. Entice her with whatever it takes so that this does not happen, she should not ever drop below her ideal pre whelping weight.

Be vigilant for signs of infections. The new dam’s temperature should be taken daily for the first week or two. A temperature over 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit means a call to your veterinarian. High temperatures can also be a sign of eclampsia.

Eclampsia. Also known as puerperal tetany, eclampsia is a life-threatening disorder of calcium metabolism seen mostly in small breed dams that have whelped from one to four weeks earlier. Not every affected dam is small but the smaller the breed the better a chance of suffering from this problem. Nursing the pups depletes the dam’s calcium levels. Because calcium is vital for neural function, this depletion brings on sudden nervousness, shaking, panting, elevated temperature, whining, staggering, stiffness, and tremors. Left untreated, it can progress to collapse, seizures, and death. Eclampsia is a true emergency requiring veterinary attention. Treatment is with intravenous calcium and gradual cooling. Puppies should be removed from her and hand- raised.

Eclampsia is best prevented by feeding a balanced diet with a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 1-to-1 to 1.2-to1. It is believed that calcium supplementation during pregnancy predisposes dams to eclampsia because the excessive calcium levels signal the bitch’s parathyroid glands, which regulate the body’s calcium levels to become inactive. Later, when the dam is nursing and needs more calcium, the parathyroid glands don’t respond as they should, allowing the drop in calcium. Although supplementing with calcium during pregnancy is inadvisable, supplementing during lactation may be beneficial.

Metritis. It is normal for the new dam to produce lochia, a greenish black or sometimes brown thick discharge, from her vulva for up to three weeks. However, the discharge should never be bright red, pus-like or odorous. That, along with a raised temperature and general signs of feeling poor, could signal metritis, an inflammation of the uterus. Because placentas or dead puppies can cause metritis, it a good idea to have a veterinary exam following whelping to ensure no puppies or placentas have been retained. Some breeders routinely give an oxytocin injection after the last puppy is born to “Clean out” the dam. However, because the suckling by the newborns naturally stimulates oxytocin secretion by the pituitary gland, the only time such injections are needed is when the dam can’t suckle her offspring. Metritus can also be the result of bacteria introduced into the uterus when the cervix is open during whelping. Left untreated the dam can become severely dehydrated or toxic and may go into shock and possible die.

Sub involution of Placental Sites. Normally, the uterine placental sites shrink and stop bleeding soon after whelping, returning completely to normal by two to three months postpartum. Sometimes one or more sites continue to bleed. This usually goes unnoticed until the dam quits producing lochia, at which time a red bloody discharge is noticed. In most cases, it doesn’t affect the dam’s heath or future breeding and the bleeding gradually dissipates by the nest estrus. In rare cases, the blood loss is life threatening and may require transfusion.

Mastitis. Mastitis, which is infection of one or more mammary glands, can also cause elevated temperatures and systemic illness. The dam may not allow her pups to nurse because it is too painful. Most acute cases occur within the first two weeks postpartum, although chronic cases can last much longer. Normally milk expressed from the glands at whelping is yellowish to white, turning white soon afterward. Mild from infected glands may look normal, or may be greenish-yellow or reddish-brown. When expressing the glands for inspection, you must use strict hygiene so that you don’t introduce bacteria into them. Infected glands are often hot to the touch and tender. Left untreated, affected glands can become abscessed or gangrenous. Depending on the age of the pups and the condition of the dam, it may be advisable to hand-rear them. Although their suckling does help drainage of the gland, antibiotics to treat her must be selected carefully so they do not harm the pups. It is also possible that the infectious agent could be passed on to the puppies. In chronic mastitis, the dam appears to feel fine, but the pups may not thrive. Examination of milk reveals high levels of white blood cells and bacteria. In these cases, the pups should be removed and hand-reared while the dam is being treated.


Galactostasis. Mastitis should not be confused with galactostasis, which is the engorgement of mammary glands because the pups have not sufficiently emptied them. This occurs in small litters or during weaning, especially if the pups are weaned abruptly.
This is one reason that pups should be weaned gradually. The affected glands may be hot and tender. Manually expressing the glands may provide temporary relief, but al stimulates further mild production. Cool compresses are another palliative measure. Reducing the dam’s food intake may decrease mild production. If no pups are nursing, medical treatments such as corticosteroids, diuretics and analgesics may be effective in reducing the inflammation, fullness and the pain.

Your first obligation is to attend to the welfare of the dam. Know the danger signs, and do not put off acting upon them. Remember, you got her into this and you are fully responsible for her welfare.

http://www.pamperedpaws.com/index.ph...egory=Breeding
__________________
Kimberly
feminvstr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2005, 03:14 AM   #3
No Longer a Member
 
YorkieRose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: South Florida
Posts: 8,577
Default article

Excellent...
YorkieRose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2005, 05:31 AM   #4
YT 500 Club Member
 
yorkiegal719's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 603
Default

Great article It show exactly how important it is to get a healthy beautiful bitch before you begin. I alway did wonder why, if litters weren't quite up to standards, they were always the fault of the stud? The bitch is just as important in producing a beautiful healthy litter. If I had to stud out my male I would always be careful on to whom (bitch) his sperm was being passed to. How do they do this when they ship sperm and AI? Again, this was a great article...
__________________
Theresa & The Boys +1 The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue
yorkiegal719 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2005, 06:19 AM   #5
YT 2000 Club Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 2,180
Teeth

Excellent article . Thank you for sharing .
Gazou is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks



Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off




Google
 

SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:54 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2003 - 2018 YorkieTalk.com
Privacy Policy - Terms of Use

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 810 811 812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821 822 823 824 825 826 827 828 829 830 831 832 833 834 835 836 837 838 839 840 841 842 843 844 845 846 847 848 849 850 851 852 853 854 855 856 857 858 859 860 861 862 863 864 865 866 867 868 869 870 871 872 873 874 875 876 877 878 879 880 881 882 883 884 885 886 887 888 889 890 891 892 893 894 895 896 897 898 899 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910 911 912 913 914 915 916 917 918 919 920 921 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 931 932 933 934 935 936 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949 950 951 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 967 968 969 970 971 972 973 974 975 976 977 978 979 980 981 982 983 984 985 986 987 988 989 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000 1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015 1016 1017 1018 1019 1020 1021 1022 1023 1024 1025 1026 1027 1028 1029 1030 1031 1032 1033 1034 1035 1036 1037 1038 1039 1040 1041 1042 1043 1044 1045 1046 1047 1048 1049 1050 1051 1052 1053 1054 1055 1056 1057 1058 1059 1060 1061 1062 1063 1064 1065 1066 1067 1068 1069 1070 1071 1072 1073 1074 1075 1076 1077 1078 1079 1080 1081 1082 1083 1084 1085 1086 1087 1088 1089 1090 1091 1092 1093 1094 1095 1096 1097 1098 1099 1100 1101 1102 1103 1104 1105 1106 1107 1108 1109 1110 1111 1112 1113 1114 1115 1116 1117 1118 1119 1120 1121 1122 1123 1124 1125 1126 1127 1128 1129 1130 1131 1132 1133 1134 1135 1136 1137 1138 1139 1140 1141 1142 1143 1144 1145 1146 1147 1148 1149 1150 1151 1152 1153 1154 1155 1156 1157 1158 1159 1160 1161 1162 1163 1164 1165 1166 1167