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Originally Posted by yorluvr When an owner approaches me because they want to breed "so their children can witness birth", I do try to explain that their children can also witness death...of the puppies or their beloved yorkie. There are no guarantees that you will have a healthy litter, but the chances greatly improve with careful screening and research to choose the best sire for your bitch. I want to improve on her qualities and her faults, not make matters worse.
As far as small females, you are asking for trouble. Sure, there are small females who carry pups and do fine. Probably will not free whelp, but they carry a litter to term. Why do you think puppy mills keep large females? So they will have more pups and free whelp. Millers don't have time or even care to monitor a small female. Everytime I breed a bitch I put her life on the line. I can't guarantee something will not go wrong. I also tell that to pet owners who want to breed their female. Fortunately (and knock on wood), I have not lost a dam in whelp. But I know breeders who have. It is devastating to them. I'm anal when my bitches are due to whelp.
Just my thoughts.
Julie |
Almost every breeder I know has lost atleast one female because they bred her as we do literally take their lives in our hands. I NEVER would have allowed my son to watch a whelping, because too many things go wrong. Besides I remember his comment once when he came in where I was whelping "Oh gross what is that horrible smell" Delivering puppies does stink.
I always ask these wanna be breeders what all problems are in their girls lines. How many of it's litter mates died? How many of the parents littermates died? These are need to know questions. Personally I don't want to place a puppy with someone and have them call later hysterical because their beloved baby just died.
And as for small females, will NOT breed them. I know toooo many show exhibitors that have lost 5 pound females that their 8th week of pregnancy just laid down and died. I remember the one did an necropsy and it showed the puppies pushed up against the internal organs and shut them down because there were too many pups for her size. That was a litter of 4, decent size litter but sure not uncommon.