Here, she must go through surgery, which increases the chances of health complications for her. Since she is also not mature biologically, she is more likely to abandon her puppies than an adult mother.
She may fail to care for them, which lowers their chances of survival. I recommend using the Embark Vet DNA test for all owners, including purebred owners to give you the best information possible to understand your dog. This eliminates guessing! You simply swab the inside of their mouths and mail it off. Both parent Labradors require long-term care to produce beautiful, strong puppies. They need to be physically and mentally healthy. The female Labrador should have decent muscle tone and a balanced weight before breeding.
Apart from physical health, they also need to be in good mental condition. A month before breeding, the female Labrador should go through pre-breeding physical examinations by a vet. You need to get her checked for common health problems, such as elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia, and eye disorders. The vaccinations of both parent Labradors should be current, and the female Labrador should be tested for parasites as well.
Another health check that I would highly recommend for any dog owner, but especially for one that is considering breeding , is to have DNA testing done. In recent years human DNA testing has become extremely popular with companies like 23andme emerging.
People are interested in understanding their background, health sensitivities, etc. This is no different for dogs! This kit tests for over health conditions and uses over , markers to identify and build a complete genetic profile. It is simple and non-invasive. I heard the whimpering and got the little one back to momma before she got too cold. So what should you expect before and during delivery?
That is a fair question, and you should know that answer before you decide to breed. In addition to knowing the best breeding age for Labradors, there are other things to find out.
You should already be feeding your dog a good quality brand and for the first few weeks, after your dog is bred, you will continue feeding her the normal amounts.
She will require at least twice the normal amount. After the puppies come and your girl is nursing, she will need to eat around three times as much food as normal.
Get a rectal thermometer and margarine or KY jelly. Insert the lubricated thermometer about one inch and leave it there for three minutes.
You may want to have another member of the family help by distracting your dog by petting and talking to her while you do this necessary task. When the temperature drops below F, labor will start within the next 24 hours.
It is really important that you pay attention to her temperature every day. You do not want her trying to deliver the puppies on her own. Although many litters have come into the world without supervision, it would be tragic if something happened and you were not there to intervene. There are several things that you need to have before your dog goes into labor.
There will not be time to run to the store if you do not already have them on hand. Some of them will already be lying around your house. You may need to make a quick trip to the store to get the others. There are some things that you should just have ready. She will eat this and then vigorously lick the puppy. If your female gets too tired she may not have the energy for the later pups to get this job done.
In that situation, you will need to be ready to step in and fill that role. Notice how Lady is cleaning her puppy from top to bottom in the video. That is what you will need to replicate. This was an interesting suggestion that I got from a nurse about three weeks before our dog delivered her first litter. The floss will create the seal and the puppy will be fine.
I was so grateful for the tip when that exact thing happened to puppy number 7. My son held the puppy while I tied a square knot in the cord and all was well for one of the healthiest pups of the whole litter. Your new litter of puppies will not be able to moderate their temperature for the first couple of days.
Momma will provide the necessary heat, but in the case that a puppy gets away from mom in the night, some people like to use a whelping heating pad. This is a pad that will go in the whelping box and will provide a safe, direct heat to protect a puppy that might wander in the night. The first stage of delivery is the longest. The contractions will not be as easy to identify as in human, but your dog may appear restless, uncomfortable, and thirsty. She may pace or shiver. It can last six to eighteen hours.
Your job is to keep her as calm as possible. When the cervix is completely dilated, the placental water sack will break and you should see fluid pass from the birth canal. This is an important bonding moment for mom and pup. A placental sack will follow each puppy. It is not uncommon for mom to eat that—yeah, gross and I am so glad that is not a trait common among human deliveries. According to my vet, there is no benefit from eating the sac, so feel free to remove it before she gets a chance.
You can expect between 30 minutes and an hour between puppies. It is possible, however, for up to 4 hours to pass between puppies. You should have had your dog examined by a vet around day 45 of the pregnancy. With an ultrasound, the vet should have told you how many puppies to expect. If more than 4 hours pass without a puppy and you know there are more to come or if your female pushes for more than an hour you need to get her to a vet immediately. Your Labrador will expel the remaining placental material, blood, and other fluids in the final stage of delivery.
Keep your female away from other dogs 3 weeks before and 3 weeks after delivery. Dogs can pass diseases by sniffing and licking each other. While many of these diseases will not do anything to an adult dog, they can kill puppies. When you puppies start biting and chewing, you can introduce them to solid food.
You may need to water it down, soften it to a mush, and then smear a little on their mouths. By 4 or 5 weeks, they should be eating solid food regularly. Normally, mom will clean up the puppies pooping issues. The puppy stool should not be watery. So, watch for diarrhea. It might be loose, but not watery. If you notice that a puppy might be constipated, you can lubricate a clean rectal thermometer and slightly insert it as needed. This will usually get things going. Scott , Feb 4, Hi Scott, it isn't really the color of the male that indicates how appropriate he is as a stud dog, but rather his other qualities.
Most Labradors are bred with either the show ring or the shooting field in mind, and lines are chosen to reflect the quality of the dog's ancestors in this respect. If the puppies are simply to be pets then his temperament is the most important attribute to consider once all the health tests have been carried out.
If your bitch is from field lines, then it probably makes sense to mate her to a field bred dog so that those qualities are passed on. If from show lines, then a show dog might make more sense. You might want to consider that mixing the two could make the puppies less appealing to many prospective buyers.
Have you had any health checks carried out on your girl yet? Ok, thanks. Yes she has been checked out and is in great health. Thanks for the information. You have been extremely helpful and I have enjoyed the sight and perusing the forums.
Hi Scott, just to butt in, when you say she's been checked and is in great health, that's fab, but has she had any specific health tests for breeding purposes? Testing for eye diseases? EIC tests etc etc? Without these tests and, obviously, favourable results from both the sire and the dam, the puppies won't be particularly marketable as they will be more susceptible to life-changing and potentially very expensive health issues.
Yes, she is good to go. Thanks for the link. Not forgetting that any stud dog must have all the relevant health tests and x-rays as well to give puppies the best chance of being healthy. Why would you think that mating her with a black dog would de-value her lineage? MaccieD , Feb 4, I don't know if it would or not?
That was my original question. So if the concern is predominantly on lineage quality you would be looking for a stud with field champions and have been successful himself that at least matches your girl or surpasses her breeding. Ok thanks. That's what I was unsure about. I wasn't sure if pups of any color were more desirable if both parents were the same color.
Thanks again! Joined: Sep 19, Messages: 9. Two and a half years ago we bought a yellow labrafor retriever for our family. Within a few months my husband and I started discussing the possibility of breeding her. It has been a back and forth discussion about health risks and so on if we chose to breed her verus choosing not to breed her.
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