Raising a litter of pups - how hard is it really?

So our GSPx bitch has turned out to be a pretty awesome family dog and showing good promise on the hill. Trying to decide if we get her fixed or leave her intact and potentially breed her in the future. We have a handsome GSP down the road who would be very obliging! Not having bred a dog before can anyone shed light on how big a job it really is to get through the process to the point of sending the excess pups off at 8 wks? Google and YouTube make it look like potentially a pretty big mission and thinking it might be more hassle than it is worth vs eventually just buying another pup.

Any advice?

just do it....I regret not having been able to breed from all my hunting dogs...no way will next one be getting neutered.

Raising pups is the easy and fun bit, Its finding good homes for them that does your head in.

It can be very rewarding, if you are prepared to devote enough time, money, and energy to it!
We have two puppy litters running around at present (different breeds - 4 weeks and 5 weeks old) and it is just going to be more chaos for the next month!

But if you aren't fully committed, then as you said buy another from the same lineage.

It's quite a mission especially when they move to solid food, oh the crap :O_O: mind you "I" had more than 10 each time, the fertile tart :)
Great fun though, a good whelping box is essential. One that the bitch can get out of, but not the pups.
As Mikee says, finding good homes for them can be a worry. Pricing helps, too low and someone will get a pup on a whim. Too high and you may be stuck with some

It is A LOT of work. We've had two litters in the last two years in the late autumn/early winter. Never again! Do it when it's slightly warmer ��

Attachment 175496
Attachment 175497
Attachment 175498
Attachment 175501
Like anything worthwhile at times it's bloody hard work. To make sure they're properly socialised takes time. They can be noisy and stinky but a lot of fun. And you won't forget the tiny needle-like teeth ever!!!

Cheers for all the sage advice gents. Sounds like def not a process to take lightly. Have you found having a litter changed the bitches temperament/behaviour/fitness much once the pups are weaned?

Just do it..... You only live once. As has been said, a good whelping box to start them in and then an outside enclosure when the weather is nice. I had to work at the cafe while we had them. Set them up in a trailer with a surround over it. Should seen the "cute puppy faces" when people looked inside to see what was in the trailer. Trailer was ideal as it got washed out at the end of the day.

Don't under estimate the size of holes they can squeeze through or the quantity of dog shit you will step on

No I haven't, but with a first time mum you want to give a heap of positive noise etc.. when she's having them, as some can get a bit freaked out by the experience and may not take to the puppies. It's pretty rare since those hormones are going full tit ( pun always intended :) ). Supplementary bottle feeding was bad enough but if you had to do the main feeds every 2 hours......Ai Ai Ai

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jake77

Cheers for all the sage advice gents. Sounds like def not a process to take lightly. Have you found having a litter changed the bitches temperament/behaviour/fitness much once the pups are weaned?

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by muzza

Puppies are small eco-terrorists. They will trash your garden. They will trash your furniture . They will steal your toilet rolls from the dunny and create a snow storm on your lawn. They will piss on your carpet , shit on your footpaths , get under your feet at every opportunity. They will bite the crap out of any body part of yours that they can reach. The list goes on...

I think you should do it .

---

theres no more loyal dog than one you,ve known from go to woe.
if you know a dairy farmer choice or bulk buy your local dog roll mans stuff if its good
calf milk powder works ok to

as bo is in his retirement years 13.5 years old it might be time to get a pup to learn all his habits and socialisation. i would love a pure bred dogo (bo is 1/2-3/4) anyone got one?

It’s not too bad. Bit of extra work but nothing ridiculous. A little stressful but a lot of fun too. My least favourite part is the birthing and worrying about each pup and the mum etc but after that it’s all pretty straightforward and lots of fun with the cute little savages.

Build a box with walls high enough the pups won’t be able to climb out before 5ish weeks but mum can still jump in and out. Notice the mesh in the photo, little buggers got big enough to climb out and had fun in our garage hahah.

Lay a tarp inside and fill with enough hay or barley straw to be comfortable. To clean it out (which will be done regularly) simply fold in the tarp and carry out all the grotty hay for disposal. Hose down/clean the tarp and put it back in and re full with fresh hay/straw. Easy peasy.

It’s bloody hard work on mum if she has a big litter so feed her as much as she wants and make sure she’s ok. They will suck her dry.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gonetropo

as bo is in his retirement years 13.5 years old it might be time to get a pup to learn all his habits and socialisation. i would love a pure bred dogo (bo is 1/2-3/4) anyone got one?

---

Mark elvines in Nelson/Marlborough might be able to help

We have had the odd litter, a one off litter is fine for the experience if the bitch is worth breeding from, many are not as are many sires, make sure the pups are mostly presold helps as they start costing a fair bit after 6 weeks, by 8 weeks they are eating you out of house and home but don’t skip on the tucker quality. It can all go well or turn into a nightmare with whelping, make sure you have the funds available if it all goes to custard.