Barat

I have the information I can send but it is too big to put here so if you want it please email me - yes you do need to do these procedures. I just helped a friend import some semen just recently from Australia and we needed to do this.

The only reason I will ultrasound now is to confirm when I suspect there are no pups so that I an let puppy people know. The times I previously tried US to get an idea of quantity for birth they were so wrong .... so I won't do that again.

There are 3 main factors in the number of pups: The number of eggs the bitch produces The quality of the dogs semen The timing of bringing both together. What will happen with too many close breedings is that the PUPS PRODUCED may be bred with an issue where they produce less eggs or not such good semen. This can result in smaller litters when these dogs are used ... whether they are used in a line breeding or an outcross. And jsut as an aside my last litter (line breeding) produced 15 pups (14 survived).

Looks like this is solved but for future ref the other thing it can be is colic or similar from the mothers milk and a bit of Bicarb of Soda in the mothers food often helps.

I usually have my whelping box in the spare bedroom and I sleep in tehre for teh first 4 - 7 nights (depends on the dam, teh size of eh litter etc). Then I move back to my own room At around 3 weeks old I move the babies to my dining room with easy access to the outside and ongoing interaction with people, dogs, noise etc. Studies show that the most critical socialisation period for pups is 3 - 12 weeks so I do not want to miss any of such a short window.

I do 8 weeks and 12-13 weeks. Over vaccinating is as harmful as not vaccinating.

Maybe I am one of the extremes ... but I welcome all visitors (and yes I work and have animals .. children are grown up) if possible. They have to fit around my times but, from when they are very young I judge the time to start visitors from how the Mum is with them (in the current litters case a couple of days old) and initially they mainly look and I handle the pups - but they can pat! However usually by a week old I am happy to let the adults hold and the children have a pup on tehir lap if they sit on the floor. From this is goes onwards and upwards. The photo is visitors with 4 week old pups. My pups are 5 weeks old today and have already met a wide variety of people of all ages. They run excitedly to new visitors. The people getting pups are building up a better knoweldge of teh bree and what they will need to cope with when they take their pup home and those I have not committed to yet are giving me a better knowledge of them and what they are offering to a pup. And on the way I am making some new friends. Part of having a litter (to me) is making the time to welcome visitors as often as they wish to come - when I am home.

Yes I do google most. HOWEVER I am after criminal records etc. EVERY 21 year old would say (publicly) what your person said. This is the 'front' in a whole new social environment and sometimes (more often than you may think) those mingling atthe WWW party act as they think they should. In almost all cases I take the time to try and meet the 'real' person rather then the www personna.