BREEDING FROM YOUR BOXER BITCH

Before you breed from your bitch she should be in tip-top condition, she should have been wormed, up to date with her inoculations and she should have been heart-tested. It is unwise to breed from your bitch if she hasn’t had all these things done, also we reccomend that your bitch should be at least 18 months old before she has been mated.
You could be risking heart-problems for your future litter as it is more likely if you breed from a bitch that has a serious heart-murmur that she will produce that problem in her puppies, it is much better to be safe then sorry.

If you have decided to go ahead with breeding your bitch your next task is finding a suitable stud dog, firstly one that has been heart-tested clear, either a grade ‘0’ or ‘1’ choosing a stud dog with a grade higher then this could also result in problems and is a must to avoid. Secondly one that is a worthy example of the breed, a dog which has done a lot of winning in the show-ring would be a good choice and also one that has produced some quality puppies that fit closest to the standard. The stud dog must have good examples of what your bitch lacks, if your bitch is short in the foreleg then it is unwise to put her to a dog that is also lacking in this area as you will get the same in your puppies. Most importantly is the dogs temperament, you don’t want a stud-dog that is bad tempered or aggressive.

The next step is to wait for your bitch to come into season, boxers vary tremendously, some come in to season every 6 months whilst others come in at yearly intervals or longer. Once she has started to show colour (a bright red bleeding from her vulvar) then this should be noted as her 1st day in season. You should of chosen the stud dog you want to use in plenty of time and at this stage you must contact the owner of the stud dog and book her in to be mated, we usually mate all our bitches on the 11th & 13th day and have always had much success. Some bitches however ovulate at different times and to pin point accurately you could go to your vet and ask for a pre-mate test to be carried out, this involves taking a blood sample from your bitch every 48 hours, the blood gets tested at a laboratory and this should indicate whether or not your bitch is ready to ovulate or not. If she is ready then you must be prepared to travel to the stud dog in a very short time. This can be a very costly test although it is good to use if your bitch has missed previously. There are now re-usable testing kits (Matetel) available, these are only £39.99 and can pin point when you bitch is ready for mating. (Link Below)

On the appropriate day when your bitch is ready to be mated always before you arrive make sure that your bitch has emptied her bladder, don’t let her do this outside the stud-dogs home as you can guarantee that it won’t be too long before you have a pack of male dogs picking up on her scent and are hounding the stud-dogs home trying to get your bitch.

FIND OUT WHEN YOUR BITCH IS READY FOR MATING WITH THIS RE-USABLE KIT

WHELPING CHART

This useful whelping chart will determine when your bitch will be due to whelp from her time of matings.
Just look for the date your bitch was bred and directly underneath will be her expected delivery date.

THE MATING

Once you arrive the stud-dog owner will usually put your bitch in a kennel next to the stud-dog for a few minutes, this way the stud dog and the bitch can get quickly acquainted before the actual courtship. After this period they are introduced by putting them in one kennel and letting them have a play, you usually find that if your bitch is ready she will stand firmly with her tail to one side and her vulva raised up, the stud dog then mounts her by wrapping his legs around the bitches waist and thrusting, sometimes stud dogs jump on and off and continue the court-ship for a short while before actual penetration begins. Some bitch owners are required to hold the bitch firmly once the stud dog has penetrated the bitch, he will thrust very vigorously and then stop, at this point he has already ejaculated and his penis is swelling inside her, some bitches find this a bit distressing and need holding firmly so that they don’t turn around and bite the stud-dog. The stud-dog will be on the bitches back and it is up to the owner of the stud to ensure that he is turned around so as the dog and bitch are back to back, this is called a ‘tie’, it is the bitch that holds on to the dog as her muscles are contracting and keeping a firm hold on him. This can last for 10 minutes or sometimes even an hour, average time is about 20 minutes. Once the tie has ended you should put your bitch back into the car and the stud dog owner will then give you all the relevant documentation that you need, this should include Kennel Club registration documents so you can register you litter, a five generation pedigree, a copy of his heart-testing certificate and a receipt for the stud fee, good stud dog owners will also give you a list of things to get and helpful hints and tips whilst your bitch is in whelp and also once the puppies have been born.

There is nothing much to do for the first 4 weeks your bitch won’t be showing many noticeable signs until she is about 5 and a half weeks in whelp, then her nipples should be redder in colour and much more protruding, her vulvar may still be swollen and she may be sicking a frothy yellow discharge any time during the day, she might start going off her food for a few days, this is normal signs and is nothing to worry about, something light meals might be nice for her, chicken or a bit of scrambled egg you could try, she will soon start eating again and back to her normal food. At the 6 weeks stage we start increasing her meals by 25% her normal diet, on the 7th week 50% and by the 8th weeks she should be on double her normal food intake. This amount should be given in about 4 meals a day although we feed by demand if she seems to be hungry, she might even pick at the food for most of the day. Your bitch should also be wormed at 5 weeks in to pregnancy and then again at 7 weeks, we use PANACUR granules which are easily obtainable at your vets and are safe for pregnant bitches.

GETTING PREPARED

You should of started getting prepared as soon as you know that your bitch is definitely pregnant, here is a list we have compiled to help you along.

NEWSPAPERS- You should start collecting these as soon as possible, ask your friends and family to save them for you as you will never have enough once the litter has been born.
VET BEDDING- This is ideal bedding for young puppies, if this gets wet it soaks through whilst the top is kept dry, ensuring that they are kept warm. A couple of pieces should be bought to wash against each other.
DIGITAL THERMOMETOR- Ideal for taking your bitches temperature.
WHELPING BOX - We sell these in our shop (link below) to save you the hassle of making one.
BLUNT SCISSORS-Used to cut the umbilical cord.
ANTISEPTIC POWDER- To put on umbilical area once removed.
TOWELS- Old towels are great for drying puppies off once they have been born.
KITCHEN SCALES-To weigh each puppy when it has been born.
PAPER & PEN- To record what time each puppy was born, what sex, colour and weight it was.
BLACK BIN BAGS-To put soiled papers and towels into.
VETS TELEPHONE NUMBER- Always keep this at hand, just in case!
HEAT LAMP-A heat lamp can be ideal to put over a whelping box the puppies can move away from it if they get too warm or move under it if it is too cold.
GLUCOSE POWDER-We give our bitches this when they are in labour, just mix a couple of tablespoons in her water, it gives them a good boost of energy.
BOOK OR MAGAZINES-You will need these, whelping nearly always happens during the night and can be a long drawn out event so have plenty to read to keep you awake. A good book to get would be BOOK OF THE BITCH-by J.M. Evans & Kay White. This is the bible of all books about whelping and care of your bitch and would be an appropriate choice for you. It is easily obtainable from large pet shops or good book stores. Retails at around £10.

VISIT OUR ONLINE SHOP FOR MOST OF YOUR WHELPING REQUIREMENTS

PREGNANCY

Your bitch will be carrying her litter for 63 days from the time of her mating, she may not go to the exact day but you can assume that it will be around that time, it may be a few days before or after her due date. As the due day approaches we usually start to take the bitches temperature, normal temperature for your bitch should be 101.5 ‘f’ at the last stage of pregnancy her temperature will hover around 100 ‘f’, before actual labour takes place this will drop to 98 ‘f’, you can be fairly sure that whelping will take place within 24 hours once she is at this stage. We start taking our bitches temperature about the 58th day of pregnancy, once in a morning and again in the evening. We use a digital thermometer and insert this into her anus for a few minutes. This should give an accurate reading and it is a good idea to draw a chart like the one below to keep a check on her temperature.

Other signs to look for once your bitch is nearer her time is that she will start digging up her bed, she will want to be away from her normal environment and seem very quiet and subdued. She will start panting a lot and keep looking at her rear in a confused manner.

THE BIRTH

The first sign of birth is usually the appearance of a black fluid bag seen at the vulva this is called the ‘water bag’ once this breaks you can be fairly certain that a puppy will soon follow. Your bitch will be looking more towards her rear and may be getting a bit frantic at this point, you should start to see her push down and her contractions starting, a puppy should start to appear at her vulva and with another contraction the puppy should slide out. You should try and help your bitch by tearing the bag that it is in and cutting the umbilical cord (this is what attaches the puppy to the placenta), do this about an inch and a half from the naval, keep tight hold of it where it has been cut just for a few second then the bleeding should of stopped. We give our newborns a brisk rub over with a warm towel and also we clear the air ways to help them breath, you can do this by putting a finger in the puppies mouth and clearing any mucus that is there, they will soon give out their first cry and at this point the mother should take over and the licking process begins. She is usually that shocked by the puppy been born that her maternal instincts kick in and is very overwhelmed. After the puppy has been born you must also check that the placenta (afterbirth) has also come away, there should be one delivered with every puppy born, we always let our bitches eat this as it is full of protein and believe it or not is very good for the bitch, full of nutrition. If the placenta has not come away yet then just make a note of it, some do take a while to appear after the puppy. If there is a retained placenta (afterbirth) and it has been left then it can cause an infection so it is wise to keep a close eye on the bitch.
You should start getting the puppy to feed just as soon as you can, squeeze one of your bitches nipples to express a bit of milk and rub the puppies nose around it, he will soon get the idea and start suckling. The milk at this stage is very important (the colostrum), it contains all the antibodies to all the diseases which the bitch has encountered also those which she has been vaccinated against so the first 12-36 hours is cruitial to get them feeding.
Please note the time of each puppies arrival and NEVER let your bitch go more than 2 hours between births, if she does go longer than 2 hours contact your vet immediatly, there could be a puppy stuck or your bitches contractions may have stopped due to exhaustion ( this is called Secondry Uterine Inertia), she could need an injection of Oxytozin to get things going again.
Once you think that she has whelped all of her puppies we like to get the vet down anyway to give her a once over, the vet will give the bitch an injection of Oxytozin (this is to ensure that any placenta’s left inside her will come away or if there is a surprise puppy) and also a calcium injection to give her a bit more energy. A light meal of Chicken or scrambled egg should be given to the bitch and also a drink of warm milk would be nice for her once she has settled with her new family, we sometimes put a few tablespoons of honey in her milk which seems to bring the puppies on lovely. At this stage we also contact a qualified vet to book the puppies in for their tails and dew claws removed, these need removing at about 3-4 days old. If you don’t have a local vet that will do this then it is wise to get in touch with The Council of Docked Breeds, you should do this once you know that your bitch is pregnant and register with them straight away. Their Website details are at the bottom of this page.

REARING THE PUPPIES

Healthy Dibrid puppies at 4 weeks old

Now that she has whelped all her puppies there isn’t much to do for the next 2 and a half to 3 weeks, all you have to do is ensure that they are kept clean by changing their newspapers and vet bedding at least twice a day and also making sure that they are kept warm, the ideal room temperature for your puppies would be 81'f for the first few weeks, then it can be reduced to 79 f once they are about 3-4 weeks old, puppies start retaining there body heat quiet well at about 5 weeks old but don'y get them to cold at this stage as they don't want to get a chill, it is a good idea to have a room thermometer where they are been raised to check the temperature on a regilar basis. Always make sure that the puppies get weighed quiet frequently and are putting on weight at a nice pace. They should double their birth weight in the first week and continue to feed happily and contented. We like to worm our puppies at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks old, we recommend PANACUR 10% liquid which is obtainable from your vets, your bitch should also be wormed at the same time with PANACUR granules also available at your vets.

The puppies can be introduced to solid foods at around 2 and a half weeks old, we give them a small amount of minced steak a couple of times a day then at 3 weeks old we start them on puppy food soaked. We always feed our puppies four times a day, I think that the last meal should be as late as you can, don’t forget that a puppy has to go a long time during the night without a good meal, your bitch should continue feeding the puppies, but as they get older you will find that she will have stopped feeding them as much and will just go in on a night, don’t ever shut your bitch in with the puppies as this is cruel. By the time that the puppies are 6 weeks old your bitch should have stopped feeding them and they should be on four meals a day without any milk from mum.
We always rear our puppies on ROYAL CANIN MAXI BABY DOG this is an ideal food to start your puppies on and we have never had any problems what so ever with this, it is highly recommended from Dibrid Boxers, you can order this from a good pet store or visit their website which is at the bottom of this page, they will put you in contact with your nearest supplier.

SUITABLE HOMES

Once the puppies are between 7-8weeks old they should be ready to go to there new homes. You should of started to advertise your puppies for sale either in the local newspaper or by an advert on the internet. We usually put adverts on our website if anybody uses our stud dogs; this saves time and money and gives you a wider choice of potential and suitable buyers, also if anybody rings us for a puppy we can put them on to whoever has a litter by one of our stud dogs.
Always make sure that the new puppy owner has a good knowledge of a boxer, he can house the boxer puppy adequately and that he won’t be left alone for too long periods during the day. Make sure that you give the new owner the relevant paperwork they will need a kennel club registration certificate (Signed by you), a pedigree certificate of the puppy, a diet sheet, worming sheet and a puppy pack with the food that the puppy was reared on and also a guarantee from you that the puppy is fit and healthy. You must also tell the new owners when the vaccinations will be needed (normally 8 & 12 weeks old) and may be a contract of sale to say that the puppy should be returned back to you (the breeder) if the new owners decide that they cannot keep the puppy for any reason (this is entirely up to you). You might be able to re-home the puppy for them.
After the puppies have all gone to their new homes you might sigh a breath of relief or you more than likely will have enjoyed the experience if everything has gone smoothly. In some very rare cases it can be something of a nightmare with huge vets bills, your home getting wrecked and the initial cost of rearing the litter correctly, but if at the end you have got a lovely new addition to you family then I am sure that it will be worth it.

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THE COUNCIL OF DOCKED BREEDS WEBSITE

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