Breeding Lhasa Apsos

Breeding your Lhasa Apso

We are the lucky owners of 2 female Lhasa's penny and molly, this year is mollys turn to have her first litter, penny will also have her 3rd litter.

When choosing to breed you Lhasa it first starts with a health check, take your dam to the vet for a clear bill of heath for breeding, you must then decide if your girl has the temperament to be a good mother and to produce puppies with a good temperament also.

If both of these give the green light you must then ask yourself if you have the energy to raise puppies as this takes a lot of time and commitment, if your ok with this then begin your reading and research and if possible find an existing breeder who you can learn from.

In deciding to breed Molly, it was a difficult decision as she has blue eyes, this is a rare genetic abnormality in dogs and is not considered the breed standard by the kennel club, despite this she is our most intelligent dog, she is also very loving and adorable as her colouring is lovely. see pictures to follow. Also knowing that she will not necessary pass the gene on to her young we have decided to breed her, I personally love that she has human coloured eyes.

Once you have decide to breed you then have to select a mate, this can be time consuming searching for one with the right temperament and colouring that you desire in your puppies. There are many websites you can trawl to find a stud dog, you will want to take your girl to meet them and see how they get on together.

Then begins the waiting game waiting for your girl to be the right age and in season, during the waiting time you can be getting all your supplies ready for the birth.

Using a stud dog

Molly's visit to a Stud dog

Yesterday we took Molly for a mating with Scooby a local stud lhasa also u can find his owners on pets for homes website http://www.pedigreestuddogs.co.uk/pedigree-stud-dogs/stud-dog-information.asp?kcname=scooby&DogID=6335&photocount=8.

On our visit to Scooby he was very gentle they had already met once before to see if they was a good match. He seemed to remember Molly and was playful right from when we came in the door. His owner Graham had set up an area in the conservatory. And while Scooby got right on with business we had tea and let them try by themselves. They then just needs a little help and success. I got a copy of his family tree to tale home which we had already seem and Checked before arriving and discussed registration of the puppies to dog lovers. And neither Molly or Scooby are kc registered but this is less important to us as they still have their pedigrees. Money exchanged hands while we let them play in the garden and cool off. Molly enjoyed this most playing with her new friend Scooby and running around as she a very agile dog who loves to run and jump and play. It is important to have agreed with the stud powers the items of the arrangement. I look for a stud who is healthy with a pedigree, and successfully, but also an owner that offers 2 ties for money and a free try again when the bitch is in season if the mating fails first time. Scooby only offers 1 mating and was quite expensive for only 1 go but we decided to use him due to his lovely colouring nd nature.

Many people might find the idea of going to a strangers house to watch it dogs mate a bit bizzar but it's really a very natural process and feels caring and natural and not strange at all. Scooby was great and his owner to an area is normally set up with a blanket down because there can be a little bit of fluid after a successful mating. We let them get on with it assisting a little to keep then steady and together. At first the bitch will be uncomfortable once tied and may cry out and be snappy so watch for that, it's good to have a safety muzzle ready in case she gets really rough after 4 to 5 minutes she will calm down ans either lay or stand their while they are tied together we. Have a stop watch to hand to time it it should last around 15 minutes and no longer than 40 at which point they may need some help. Often they will naturally turn back to back, the owners job here it to keep them calm and atop any bullying that could result on injury.

During a tie the male and female lock together in nature's way for dogs to get the job done. Here the male enters the female and the penis is swollen the female has muscles onside that then also swell to hold the male in place. He with have small conditions while he then inseminates the female. A successful tie will almost always result in pregnancy although I won't know this for some time. At about 40days pregnant you can get a scan from your vet to estimate the number of puppies due, which is helpful to know on lining up suitable homes for the new p

Penny’s visit to a Stud dog

I was very apprehensive about penny's visit to stud dog max. We hadn't had time to meet max prior to the day of mating, but a quick review of some pics a chat with his owner and a look at his pedigee and we knew he would be a great choice. As an experienced stud dog he was a good choice for penny not only due to his lovely nature and colouring so he will produce loving puppies who will be great pets with families, but he is also used to dogs.notches of all kinds who are unpredictable and he doesn't react to them he gets on and does his business typical of an experienced stud.

We looked for this as penny has become unpredictable around other dogs particularly when she is in heat. This is partly due to having been a mum combined with being the leader of the pack. Owning 3 dogs as we do is a pack and each animal fulfils a role in relation to the others, penny is the leader she is guard dog and protector of the other 2. This makes her a lovely guard dog a great mum to her puppies and loving to her pack but she is early of new dogs. So meeting max when she was in heat meant I needed to be there for her to calm her and tell her she is ok and I will be on look out for her. So she could let her Girard down and mate with her stud.

For safety penny wore a safety muzzle a soft harness over her nose which allows her to pant and breath but not to nip anyone or max. She doesn't mind it to much.

The meeting when very well penny was a bit snippy at first and was too wary to relax ans stand for max but she soon stood and they was tied within a few mins of arriving. They was tied for about 12 mins. Penny calmed down after the first 2 mins just like most girls that is the most uncomfortable bit where they first lock together. Then penny wriggled a bit so I held her steady, soon it was all over penny was having a little chat with max then decompressed had enough an headed for the door so before she got all defensive again, we paid Macs owners and made our appointment for the second visit with is included.

http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/classifieds/446933-lhasa-apso-kc-reg-for-stud-brighouse.html

Here is the link to Maxs contacts

The cost of breeding

Firstly it is important to remember that there is more than a monetary cost to breeding. When deciding to have puppies you must remember it take a lot of time and effort and for any profit you hope to make its not worth the daily challenges unless you love doing it as well.

It will take an average of 3 hours a day in the first cleaning puppies, helping them feed, cleaning mum, and cleaning their nest and doing laundry. Completing their health records and daily weighing them to monitor their development.

The weeks that follow your time on the puppies in creases washing them daily and washing mum mixing food for them to begin weaning. Advertising your puppies preparing puppy packs and then moving on to the last 2 weeks you are booking 2 or three viewings per day to find homes for your puppies and checking the new potential owners. This is the most demanding time and if you also work full time like me now is the time to take some holiday!

By 8weeks it's time to go to the vet as they need their health inspection, getting their microchip implanted and their first of 2injections. This is where you decide weather to keep them for another 2weeks unroll they have had their second injection at 10 weeks or they go to their new homes at 8 weeks from the day after the vets and the new family then takes them back to the vet for the second injection which you have already paid for at the vets as this is typically included in a puppy purchase.

Take a look at some of the money I have spent already in preparation for Molly to get pregnant

£40 vets inspection clear bill of health and extra flee and worming as these can't be applied during the first stages of pregnancy.
£55 in materials to build a whelping box.
£65 whelping kit and sterile surgical supplies for delivery
£150 for the visit yo the stud dog
£80 on 200 puppy pads cleaning sprays and rolls of tissue
£15 on 2 boxes of wipes for the birth and for the first 2weeks of day washes then I switch to water and channels
Sound £40 on 14 channels each puppy has 2 on for morning wash and one eve then we launder them over night this is to prevent the spread of any infections. This cost also covered several microfiber towels for drying them and we had lots of towels and blankets for their box you need a minimum of 6 as you change it at least twice a day and you need one to put them on while they are out of the box during cleaning. 3 towels per day then they are washed overnight with the channels.
£25 dog bedding shampoo and fabric softener and puppy shampoo for their full baths in their last 2weeks which they have every 2-3 days depending on how much wee and poo they walk in!
£25 0n some reclaimed wood for a puppy pen to contain them once they finish whelping at around 4 weeks.
£5 printing of records and puppy information sheets for puppy packs

As you can see there are a lot of costs already however you would normally wait till u are sure of pregnancy for some of these however I like to be very prepared as I also work full time. So waiting till week 4 or 5 and I may not have time to get it all done especially as we have built our own whelping box and puppy pen.

Take a look at some of the costs still to come

£400 vet Bill for 7 puppies to be vaccinated, microchipped and inspected
£75 for a scan to confirm pregnancy and estimate number of puppies due
Registration fees these depend on where you register them these can vary greatly.
£40 advert in the paper but often you need to advertise in several places
Dog sitter costs if I can't be there for a feeding time or have Togo away over night I may need a sitter once or twice

Other unforseen complications ring pregnancy or Labour that might require a vet visit

Over all the sale price of 2 to 3 puppies will recoup your costs but you need to have the funds ready for you breeding season. Depending on the breed of dog, where you live and the size of your litter any money you make could be very minimal.

As mentioned if your going to breed it has to be for more than money, I breed to provide families with the perfect family pets. I believe the lhasa also is the perfect dog. In breeding I help to continue the survival of this fantastic breed. I also enjoy the day challenges that breeding adds to my day filling my time. I don't have any children and so also enjoy the delivery and nurturing the puppies. My favourite bits are ties between bathing them in a kitchen bowl and blistering and brushing then at 7 weeks old and the moment potential owners walk in and see them for the first time and cry aww as they are so cute.

On top of this I also writing this blog daily and will also be keeping potential owners up to date on their puppiesprogress with lots of photos.

Pregnant!

It is funny with dogs playing the waiting game to see if they are pregnant. This past week Molly has been getting fatter and has her teats enlarges a bit about double the size. Then today half way through her pregnancy her tummy just drops a bit and I can now feel the little ball like puppies under her skin. They are mot kicking yet and are about golf ball size.

I am so happy to finally know for sure. I have been very busy getting ready just in case, building her and enjoy their whelping boxes, preparing a whelping kit, and getting old towels and channels ready for the birth.

Right on queue about 5 weeks pregnant I can now tell for certain she is pregnant. If you had asked me 2 days ago I could.not have said for sure there were signs, but now the swelling under the ribs and those little bumps can be cylinder the skin are unmistakable.

The first sign of pregnancy is around 2 weeks some morning sickness and an increased appetite. By 3 weeks she will be eating a ton and show slightly enlarged nipples. By week 4 there is a little weight gain but not enough to really notice it. The puppies developed up close to the ribs and by week 5 the weight of the growing puppies drop the murderous down wards and you see she is wide on the side.

This is where penny is now by week 6 she will develop her milk a little and in the last 2 weeks the puppies do extensive growing and moving and penny will become uncomfortable, need lots of protein, love and care, and rest. She and Molly will continue to exercise to keep strong and healthy for Labour but with shorter walks as they now tire quickly. It is also important to remember to leave extra water down a they drink a lot more in these final few weeks.

Preparing for the birth

For those of you planning to breed responsibly, and by that i mean creating quality puppies for good loving homes as pets that are well cared for and well trained and of good pedigree, you may find this useful.

So here is some pictures of the items i keep in my birthing kit. I also sell my handmade and personnalised whelping boxes in any size.

whelping box complete with pig rails lined with pads then a vet fleece to absorb any fluid, i lay 2 layers of these so once the birth is over i can whip out the dirtys to reveal the nice clean mats underneath.

scales and i use a kidney dish with some tissue as lining to weigh the puppies at birth and then everyday for 2 weeks then once a week unil they are 8 weeks old

pennys whelping box with a stable style door, i use a waterbased paint so that its non toxic which has a wipe clean finish, i upholster the base with pvc fabric to create that wipe clean waterproof finish, and i make a pvc kit bag which is attached to the side.

water bottle to keep her hydrated.

camera set up for filming for the blog and you tube!

bed to put puppies in and a heat mat stack of flannels to clean the puppies with

safe for dogs, cleaning spay and rolls of tissue paper

a box of wipes for cleaning mum during birth i find it best to keep on top of it. spare towels stethescope to monitor hear rate

birth record and pen ready

sterile umilical clips, scissors, clamps, aspirator bulb, swaps, lubrication, gloves, thermometer, torch, id tags, bag for disposal of waste.

My biggest worry in preparing for the birth is ensuring i am here when it happen. I work shift work, so am often out in the evening, so i have done my best as has my work to keep me on days and off around the birth. but up untill they are here im going to worry, of course we do have several contingency plans and she will never be alone in the run up to the delivery.

If you need any advise please feel free to email.

The Birth

natural

cesarean

Weeks 1 & 2

During the first week it is all about taking care of mum. she will be doing her best to feed and clean her puppies and keep them warm, a breeders job is to feed mum, protein and calcium rich diets, keep her hydrated and the right balance of rest and moderate excersise. Timing toileting for mum is the trick, every 4 hours outside, to avoid mum loosing control of bladder if it has been weakened during labor.

If your bitch has had a cesarean, their will be an extra need to keep the whelping box clean, i change the mats about twice a day, more if she is bleeding and giver her a bottom and tail wash ever 2 days more if needed do control the cleanliness of her coat.

twice a day i wipe over the nipples with a wipe or a flannel, this helps to prevent infections like mastitis and the spread of bacteria to the feeding puppies.

By the second week the puppies will be bigger, noisier and hungrier and will need a bit more help for the breeder with cleaning. the bigger they get the bigger the poo gets! The rest of puppy and bitch care is the same as week 1.

Lhasa Apso - Penny's Pups from birth to new homes

Pages