Even though most dogs can get pregnant between six and twelve months, this doesn't mean that it's best for the dog. The dog must be matured before getting pregnant and breeding, as it can lead to some behavioral or physical problems. Your dog should have a chance to grow up.
Most breeders recommend waiting until the female is at least 18 months before breeding. Most breeds are fully grown at this point, limiting the chance of complications. Many very small breeds can be bred after a year, though. Shih Tzus and similar tiny dogs often reach full size around 6–9 months.
Speak to your vet about spaying your dog immediately. Normally spays are done 2-3months after a season when there is a lower risk of bleeding, in cases like this however, some vets are happy to neuter earlier to terminate the pregnancy. This option also prevents her being able to have puppies again in the future.
One of the main aims of neutering is to prevent your pet from getting pregnant. This is especially important if you have any entire male dogs in the house, but also can prevent unwanted pregnancies from other dogs. Pregnancies are risky for dogs and the cost of emergency procedures, like caesareans, is high.
Pregnant dogs can be aborted using a product called ALIZIN. Whilst it is registered for use in dogs as far pregnant as 45 days post mating, it is recommended to use this product prior to day 35 post mating.
"Breeding and getting your dog pregnant on her first heat can also pose health risks for both your dog and her pups, like bad genes being passed on, and behavioral changes like aggression."
She may whine and tremble if someone comes near the pups, and she may even become a bit clingy with her primary caregiver. She may also tend to lick the pups too much, which can leave them wet and chilled.
Consider Spaying and Neutering
There is no benefit to female dogs in having a litter of puppies. It can be highly demanding on her body, and some conditions during pregnancy, whelping, and nursing can be fatal. Talk to your veterinarian about spaying or neutering your dog when the time is right.
While dogs are able to - and should be permitted to - mate with each other, your doggo can definitely live without mating! In short, it will never harm your dog if he or she can't mate, and it's important to recognize that spayed and neutered dogs can live just as long as other pups who have not been fixed.
The very first litter, no matter the age, will usually be smaller than the others to come. If a female is not bred until after the age of 5, she may have smaller litters permanently in terms of puppy count. If she was bred earlier than 5 years then she will probably have a slightly larger litter size.
Question: Does a dog cease to be in heat if expecting puppies? Answer: Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if a dog is pregnant or not based on what happens right after mating. In other words, when a female dog accepts the male for mating, she is usually at the end of the bleeding portion of heat.
There's a relatively small window when your dog is most fertile during the heat cycle; it may begin about nine or ten days after she goes into heat and lasts about five days. However, she can become pregnant until the end of the cycle.
The typical heat cycle will last between two and four weeks. Your dog or puppy will be fertile during this entire time but there is a small period, 9-10 days into the cycle, where they are especially fertile.
Should I let my dog go through one heat cycle? The answer is NO for most dogs. The more heat cycles your dog goes through increases the chances for developing breast cancer later in life. If you spay the dog at our Carmel animal hospital before the first heat, you essentially remove any chance of breast cancer.
a) Dogs and cats are not like people when it comes to sex. They don't cycle the same way and there's no evidence, behaviorally or otherwise, that sexual activity brings them any specific pleasure akin to orgasm, for example.
Due to the prevention of sudden hormone changes, a female dog should return to her normal behavior within the first three weeks after spaying. However, spaying does not change your dog's personality. She will not be any less hyper or aggressive after spay surgery if those are her normal personality traits.
While it may not be accurate to say that dogs smell pregnancy, they may be able to smell these hormonal changes. Hormones can influence not only the smell of a person's body, but also the state of their health, appearance, and behavior.
Most training professionals strongly recommend against adopting two pups at the same time. The biggest challenge of adopting two new puppies is their tendency to bond very closely with each other, often to the exclusion of a meaningful relationship with their humans. They can become inseparable.
Eight weeks after birth, the puppy is eating solid food on their own, they have benefited from socializing with litter-mates and observing mom, and they are well within the ideal timeframe to bond with new owners. Breeders may also opt to keep the puppies until 10 or 12 weeks of age.
The results of these two experiments clearly show that young puppies recognize their own mother and littermates, and it also shows that this recognition is based upon scent cues.
So, yes, a puppy can definitely think of you as his “mother” — that is, his provider and protector — and develop as strong an emotional bond with you as if you were blood-related. Your puppy will also quickly learn to pick you out among strangers, both by sight and through his powerful sense of smell.
If your dog has a birthday, you might wonder if you should celebrate it. Indeed, dogs don't have the same concept of time as humans. They're not likely to remember their birthdays or even know that they're having one. However, there are plenty of reasons you'd want to throw your dog a party on their special day.
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!