PEI Animal Rescue & Information

Preparing the Bitch

What do I need to do before I breed my bitch?

This is really two questions. What should I do before I decide to
breed my bitch and, then, once that decision is made, what do I do
next.

   Okay, what do I do before I decide to breed my bitch?

Before you breed a dog, you need to decide whether or not that dog
is an appropriate candidate for breeding. First of all, no bitch
should be bred before the age of 2. They are just not physically
mature enough yet. Let them grow up and develop before they go
through the physical strain of breeding, carrying, and whelping
puppies. This shouldn’t be a problem however, because you’ll be
plenty busy during those two years. Your dog will be in preparation
for breeding for the first two years of her life. Everything you do
for her, including providing quality nutrition and health care,
obedience training, showing, working, and loving will make her a
better mother and help her to produce a healthier litter.

   I can see why nutrition and health care are important concerns, but
how do those other things make her a better brood bitch?

They are all important in different ways. The most important is
probably the last one. Pregnancy, delivery, and puppy raising are
very stressful on a dog and knowing that you love her really does
make her job easier. For one thing, she’ll trust you to help with
the puppies, rather than feeling that she needs to defend them. The
obedience training comes into play in the strangest ways. Sometimes
a female will get overly anxious when her new puppies start crying:
being able to put her on a down stay so that she is giving them
ready access to what they want (food!) will give you great peace of
mind. These are just a few examples of why all this preparation is
important.

   Okay, but what about showing and working, how can those have any
effect on her qualities as a brood bitch?

There are two reasons why a brood bitch should “get out of the
house.” First of all, she’ll be a happier dog if she has activities
in her life and gets to go places with you and do fun things. If
she’s happier, she’ll be a better mother. It’s that simple.
Secondly, you need to have some way of knowing that your bitch is
worthy of breeding. That sounds very judgmental, but I’ll remind
you that we are discussing responsible breeding here. That means
that we are breeding to better the breed. The best way to ensure
that you are improving the breed is to only breed quality animals
to other quality animals with an eye to minimizing faults and
strengthening good qualities. We’ll discuss more on choosing a stud
dog later, however, you also need to choose your brood bitch. If
you are starting out with your first dog, you’ll need to look long
and hard at her and decide if she’s worthy of breeding. This has
nothing to do with how much you love her — obviously you do –
this has to do with bettering the breed. This can be a difficult
decision to make when your heart is involved. Hearts tend to fuzz
up our vision so that faults are minimized and good qualities are
enhanced. This is where the idea of showing and testing our animals
originated. These events give us a better idea of whether or not
our dogs are worthy of breeding. But, keep in mind, everyone has
their own standards and they won’t all agree. Some people won’t
breed a bitch until she’s a Champion in the show ring. Some people
don’t consider a bitch worthy of breeding until she’s got her
Master Hunter title or her Utility Dog title. You have to make
these decisions yourself, keeping in mind the idea of bettering the
breed. At the minimum, you should have her evaluated by another,
more knowledgeable pair of eyes. Her breeder would be an ideal
choice, however, that’s not always possible. Any experienced
breeder in your particular breed should be able to help you
evaluate your bitch honestly and without the rosy glow of love
changing your perspective.

Okay, I’m satisfied that she’s a quality bitch, worthy of breeding,
what’s the next step?

Hold on there! Not so fast! This is a long process, remember? There
is another reason you need to wait until your bitch is over two
years of age. Health Checks! You’ll need to have various health
checks done in order to determine whether or not your dog should be
bred. The necessary health checks vary from breed to breed and you
should consult a good book on your breed or a knowledgeable breeder
to determine what tests you’ll need to have done.

   The most common tests are:
Hip X-rays: Have a veterinarian x-ray your dog’s hips and submit
those x-rays to the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) for
evaluation. If your dog’s hips are rated Fair, Good, or Excellent,
your dog is normal and can be bred. If they are rated dysplastic,
please discuss this diagnosis with your vet and spay your bitch as
soon as possible. Hip Dysplasia is an often painful joint disorder
that can be treated in various ways. It is hereditary and no dog
that is dysplastic should be bred.

Elbow X-rays: Recently, the dog community has become aware that
elbows are also at risk of becoming dysplastic. Most responsible
breeders are also having elbow x-rays done and evaluated by the
OFA.

Eyes: In many breeds, a disease called PRA (Progressive Retinal
Atrophy) is a serious problem. A board-certified veterinary
ophthalmologist can examine your pets eyes and ensure that they are
normal. This test must be done on an annual basis. Since PRA is a
progressive disease, a dog can be fine one year and show symptoms
the next. Eye examinations can then be sent on to CERF (Canine Eye
Registry Foundation) for certification which must be renewed
annually. There are other eye diseases (such as cataracts) common
to different breeds as well; you will need to research to find out
what is applicable for your breed.

  Brucellosis: This is a canine venereal disease that can be
transmitted in other ways as well. Even virgin dogs or bitches
should be tested prior to breeding. Most stud dog owners require
recent brucellosis tests before allowing breeding to occur. They
will generally have tested their dogs within the last six months.
If they haven’t tested their dogs in the last six months, ask that
they do so before breeding to your bitch!

You should require all of the above testing from the stud dog owner
as well as providing it to them. More on choosing a stud dog,
below.