Pet Information > ASK Experts > Dogs > Reproduction > Dad\puppies

Dad\puppies

18 13:48:16

Question
QUESTION: I was wondering when should you take the puppies away from the dad?

ANSWER: I'm not exactly sure of your question. Have you had a recent litter? If so, it would be better not to allow "Dad" near them until they're at least 5 to 6 weeks old and then only when you're able to be present to supervise & intervene if necessary. An adult male may find young puppies annoying due to their playfulness & may nip or even bite them to demonstrate his dominance. If I'm assuming incorrectly, please let me know & if you can provide additional details I'll be happy to try to help in any way possible.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well my next door neighbor wanted to breed my dog and I did notwanther to but she did it while I was gone and we think that the dog might be pregnet.I think that it happened around the 21st of May ! So when do you think that we will know If she is pregnet or not?
-Thank you sooooo much you have no idea how much these answers have helped me and I am soooooo sorry I f i am going to be a bother this is just my first time and I will probly need to know alot about that! And do you know any sites that you would like to recommend for me to find out how much that the puppies will sell for!  And that I can c the littlle puppies!
-Thanx alot!
ANSWER: OH!! Geez Louise, what a LOUSY neighbor you have! That is atrocious that anyone would breed your dog without permission!
The average gestation is 63 days but can vary from 57 days to 65 days. If breeding occurred around 5/21 then your potential due date would be around July 16th. The initial signs of pregnancy include more frequent urination within usually a week or so from the mating. Within a few weeks you may begin to notice a distinct change in personality where she will become rather clingy, seeking more attention than usual from you & family. Most vets are able to palpate the abdomen around 20-30 days gestation & should be able to tell if she's pregnant. An ultrasound can usually detect fetal heartbeats at about this time too. Also a blood test can detect a hormone present in pregnant dogs called "relaxin" around this same time-frame mid-gestation. An X-ray can be done around 45-50 days gestation & will usually help to know how many puppies to anticipate. Please read via the following link for additional information on pregnancy & signs as well as whelping.

http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-dogpregnant.htm

Please don't feel you're being a bother at all -- that's why we're here, to help. Especially if this is your first encounter with breeding it is especially important for you to have access to people who can understand your situation & lend guidance.
As for the potential sale of the puppies, that depends tremendously on the breed, whether or not the parents are AKC registered and the bloodline. If the line includes many titled dogs you can usually expect to be able to sell for a higher price. I can send you several links for sites that should help once I know more information concerning the above.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My Chichua Is a littl eon eand how much do you think that she should weigh right now???

Answer
If she's only about 2 to 3 weeks pregnant I doubt you'll see much weight gain as of yet. She will probably weigh the same or slightly more than her average weight but should begin to gain more as her pregnancy progresses. It's often beneficial to begin to feed pregnant mothers a high quality puppy food while pregnant & post whelping until the litter is weaned. You will need to gradually increase her daily food intake as her pregnancy progresses & while lactating.