My Breeding/Whelping/Raising a Litter Diary

[Lauri & The Gang]

Ok, it's not a Shepherd but I thought it might be worth recording and posting about anyway.

Kaynya is my Chinese Crested, 2 years old. This is her first breeding.

We noticed her bleeding the night of Aug 20th. Took her in for a Progesterone test on the following Thursday because she was flagging like crazy and presenting to Mauser. It was only Day 8 so I figured it would be early but wanted to be sure. The test showed her at 2.5. Our vet said that Sunday would be the earliest we should try breeding her.

The stud is untried. He and Kaynya share some dogs in their pedigree. This will be a line breeding.

Tried Sunday, 8/30 - stud was not interested.

Tried Monday, 8/31 - got our first tie for 13 minutes.

(More details on the above proceedings can be found HERE.


Tried Tuesday, 9/1 - got our second tie for 11 minutes.

So that brings this up to date. We are through Friday but no later. We don't want any eggs being fertilized Monday and then more Friday. That's would make some pups premature.

[Barb E]

I'm really glad to see you're going to share this with the board, I'm very interested!!!

[Minnieski]

With her interested in Mauser, I'm glad you didn't end up with crested-shepherds by mistake! What a goofy thing that would have been! LOL!

Good luck with the whole process!

[Dainerra]

I saw some GSD/bloodhound mix pups listed in the paper last summer. I was dang tempted to go take a picture coz I bet they were freaky. Now a crested Shepherd, wouldn't that be a first step to a mini-GSD?

I know you're going to be posting baby pics when they arrive, right???

[onyx'girl]

I was wondering how many pups cresteds usually have and do you have a reserve list already?

[Lauri & The Gang]

I don't have a list yet seeing that there are three pups spoken for already - me, the stud owner and my breeder (we co-own Kaynya).

Also, since this is the first breeding for both dogs we don't know what they will produce. Once we have a confirmed pregnancy (and a count via xray) then I will announce the litter and start taking reservations.

Cresteds usually have a smaller litter (compared to Shepherds). 3 or 4 is about average but you can get up to 6 or 7. Very large litters are uncommon.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted By: DainerraI know you're going to be posting baby pics when they arrive, right???

You betcha!!

[elisabeth_00117]

I am totally excited about this thread.

I am interested in learning more about breeding (not for use, just for personal knowledge) and watching it happen from the beginning to end will be very educational!

Thanks for posting!

BTW - Just a personal question, if you don't mind.. What drew you to the Chinese Crested breed?

[Lauri & The Gang]

Today we got TWO breedings. Both ties over 10 minutes.

So far I've invested roughly 14 hours in trips to the stud dog and doing the breedings.

Quote:What drew you to the Chinese Crested breed?

The lady that got me started in Shepherds also breeds Cresteds. After meeting hers I've always wanted one. Then I met some at shows and in public and found those to be nasty, snarly or timid as mice things - neither of which I would accept. In doing more research I came to the conclusion that it's all in how you raise them. Some breeders keep them isolated from everything and everyone and then the new owners do the same by carrying them everywhere and babying them.

BIG mistake!! They are, first and foremost, a DOG.

My getting Kaynya was not planned. I had just lost Neke and realized that my breeder hadn't seen Neke or Riggs in a long time. So I decided to take Riggs to visit her. While we were there she said she had a puppy to show me and brought out this little (3 pound) black and white gremlin-looking thing. When I sat on the floor she put the pup down and it rushed to me, jumped in my lap and started licking my face like crazy. Riggs came over to see her and she was all over him too - not an ounce of fear or hesitation!

That was it - I was hooked.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Just a quick addition.

For those that don't know, when I say "tie" it is literal. When a stud breeds a female there is a bulb/ring around the base of his penis. Once inside the female the ring enlarges and 'locks' the males penis inside the female. This is called being tied.

Once they are tied the male gets off the females back and (either on his own or with help) lifts his leg over the females back. They stand, butt to butt, until the swelling goes down in the ring and the male can slip free.

Some dogs can do all this on their own, some may need a bit of help. Some dogs will just stand there and wait - some need to be held still so they do not injure themselves or their partner.

Sometimes the male will not 'tie' - stay inside the female - but will ejaculate. This is called an 'outside tie'. These are less likely to impregnate the female (but still can).

Some ties last for a few seconds or minutes - some can last for over a half hour. I was at my breeders once where they had to get a bag of ice and hold it on the male to get the swelling down after he had been tied for 45 minutes!!