Quote:
Originally Posted by tammy8833  OK..
when i had my first 2 litters all the people i had spoken too, and the information i had read states that the more ties the better, their reasoning was the more times they bred, the more puppies were possibly produced which made them smaller and easier to whelp..what i have learned this year was the every other day tie was best because the male saved up testostrone which made him more likely to produce...which i know prefer this method..the breeder im following now is a show breeder in norfolk va
im probably getting a puppy from him so that i can excel in my breeding program..he has some fantastic pups |
The number of puppies is dependant on the number of eggs the mother ovulates and the number of those eggs that are fertilized. The idea is to get one good ejaculate in the bitch at the right time-- usually 24-48 hours after ovulation, because that is when the eggs are ready to be fertilized. That one good ejaculate has enough sperm in it (assuming they are of good quality) to fertilize far more eggs than a bitch can produce. This is why progesterone testing, which can show you the window during which the bitch ovulated, can result in optimal litter numbers. It also provides you with a much more firm due date, since most bitches whelp 63 days after ovulation (not fertilization, not ties, but ovulation). There is no need to do excessive matings (the more times he ejaculates the less likely each ejaculate will be full of good, viable sperm).
Puppy size depends more on placement in the uterine horn than it does number of puppies. I have seen a litter of 5 puppies that were over 6 oz each, and a singleton (stuck very high in the uterine horn and had to be removed via c section) that was around 4 oz.
If you are interested in improving your breeding program education is key, I know that another poster on the list was purchasing copies of the ABCs of Dog Breeding (a wonderful book) that I highly recommend for learning about canine genetics and I recommend both books by Myra Savant Harris (you can google her to find her information) which are great discussions of practical breeding and whelping techniques.