Should I separate them?

madra-rua

Hi guys, was just wondering if anyone would be able to help me out. I have two beautiful Golden Retrievers, a male and a female, both from very good bloodlines and we were hoping to breed somewhere down the line. We recently discovered that our female is expecting puppies, which we are delighted with. The only worry I have is that when the puppies are born, the male dog might harm them in some way, and so I need some advice from those with more experience than me - should I separate them when the puppies are born or will he be ok with them? Thanks in advance!

suziwalsh

Go get yourself the "book of the bitch" - usually fast delivery on amazon it will be able to tell you loads about feeding getting mum ready and also what to do about handling and access to pups etc.

lrushe

Yes I would separate them. In my experience the bitch can get stressed out if the male is still around especially in the early days. As time goes by and the pups get older you can reintroduce your male to the pups, just make sure your male is up to date on his shots and worming.

Edit: Sorry just to add, always make sure you are there to supervise any interactions!

daenerysstormborn3

Hi madra, if you are still in touch with your breeder you should contact him/her for advice also. They will be able to give the best advice possible on the line and how to treat a bitch from that line during pregnancy and any resulting pups.

Good luck.

andreac

Yes, absolutely separate them. Even though they might be great friends now, she will become very protective of her babies once they arrive.

She needs her own space where she feels safe and secure so you need to set up a whelping area for her a few weeks before the pups are due and let her get used to it and the smell etc.

You need to keep the male well away from here at all times as if she feels in anyway threatened she will get very stressed out and could even harm the puppies so please get that book as another poster mentioned, it will be your bible.

Angelmangle

If you are a novice breeder (which to be honest your question lends me to believe) you should contact your local vet as well so that you bitch can have a check up during her pregnancy. Get the book suggested earlier and ring your dogs breeder and speak to them for advice. I presume you have made your dogs up and are breeding to keep a pup to show yourselves?

andreac

Angelmangle wrote: »

If you are a novice breeder (which to be honest your question lends me to believe) you should contact your local vet as well so that you bitch can have a check up during her pregnancy. Get the book suggested earlier and ring your dogs breeder and speak to them for advice. I presume you have made your dogs up and are breeding to keep a pup to show yourselves?

+1 and hope the dogs were both hip scored before breeding too, as its a big problem in retrievers.
How far into the pregnancy is she?

madra-rua

Thanks everyone for all your replies Yes, this is our first time to have puppies and I have done a lot of research but couldn't seem to find any information on having the Sire around when the puppies are born.

Angelmangle, we took the bitch to the vet for her 5 week scan, and she has been for another check up since that and everything seems to be fine with the puppies. We are not planning on keeping a pup from this litter for ourselves, but we have homes secured for 3 puppies and one is with a close family member.

andreac, before we got our dogs I researched the breed and so was well aware of how common hip dysplasia is in GRs, therefore both of our dogs were hip scored at 12 months. We are expecting the puppies around the end of next week.

Oh, and the reason why I actually posted here was because when I asked my vet whether I should keep the bitch and dog apart after the birth, she said yes I should, however upon mentioning this to a friend she informed me that when her bitch had pups she did not separate them (on the advice of her vet) and had no problems - so I just wanted to see what the general consensus was

andreac

Thats great, sounds like you know what you are doing.

But i would make sure they are separated. Every bitch is different and a lot of them can change and become very protective of their babies so dont take any chances.

After a couple of weeks once shes settled you can introduce the dog to her if you think she is happy and comfortable enough to do so.

Angelmangle

I wish you the best of luck with your new puppies and I hope that everything goes well The only reason I was asking were you keeping one was that that is the only reason I would ever breed to be honest, and I was just curious to see if you were doing the same as that is a great adventure in itself.

Do you mind me asking you why you decided to breed them? I'm not having a go, I'm just being nosy :rolleyes: