Beddy/Whippet: Pups?

[FlossyRaptor]

Flossy’s now five years old and been with me, in rural Norfolk, for the past two. She’s healthy, well behaved and a joy to everyone and dog she meets. We got little information when she was ‘rescued’ but it’s likely she’s had a litter in the past. We’d love to have another, and we’ve had several serious requests - So, I’m now considering her having puppies and wondering, what’s involved? Is it an okay/kind thing to do? And how to go about it… where to find a partner, and what would be expected of the pups (like, how to find homes, for instance).

Any suggestions where to start, please?

 

[JoanneF]

If I were buying a pup from her, I'd want to know what health testing had been done prior to breeding. Since she is a mix, I'd be looking at the whippet side mainly; so that would be hip scoring to reduce the risk of hip dysplasia in the pups, plus a battery of eye tests. Depending on the sire, there might be other tests on him that I'd want to see results for too.

The Book of the Bitch is highly recommended.

Since she is 5, I wouldn't leave it too much longer.

 

[FlossyRaptor]

Thanks, Joanne, very helpful. I’ll get that book…

 

[Hemlock]

Putting a dog and bitch together involves a lot more than people realise, and really you need at least one person who knows what they are doing, plus another helper. If your chosen stud dog has an experienced owner, then prepare for a lot of learning in a short time! Your bitch may scream the place down during the mating, which doesn't mean she is in pain, but it's very disconcerting if you aren't prepared for it. The neighbours might get disturbed too.

Now is the time to look for a suitable male dog because good ones are quite hard to find. Take your time and be cautious of what you hear. If you are looking to cross with a similar mix, there are bedlington and whippet groups to liaise with.

Ideally you could do with someone to hold your hand when she is giving birth, which usually goes easily but can have complications. Not all vets are well informed in these matters, so find one who is, and some can get prissy and lectury even though it is a planned and wanted litter. Rearing a litter well is a huuuuge amount of work, and you have to be there pretty much constantly, so if you work outside the home, you may need to arrange extra leave. It's also richly fulfilling and the most wonderful experience.

Sending your pups away to their new homes requires several boxes of tissues, but it's lovely when people keep in touch.

 

[Tinytom]

I would check her liver too as bedlingtons can suffer with liver problems ...if it is another bedlington X whippet puppy you want there are quite a few around here

 

[JudyN]

Consider the personality of the dog, too. You can produce pups with stunning looks and perfect health/conformation, but if they inherit some iffy personality characteristics (nurture doesn't always overcome nature) it can all end in heartache. If you intend to sell the pups as pets, you might also want to ask about the sire's innate prey drive - and when vetting potential buyers, make sure they really understand prey drive in sighthounds (along with other sighthound 'differences') and what it entails in terms of management & training.

 

[Finsky]

And to add...when rearing pups you will need somebody to keep eye on the mum and pups pretty much 24/7 until they are ready for their new homes and after than you can concentrate to your own chosen one. It is absolutely KNACKERING task and lots of cleaning, caring and looking after involved. I found the cuddly moments were the minority time spent with the pups. You have to be financially prepared to have money available to cover all the day to day expenses as well as any possible emergencies that may appear..vet bills can soon amount even with minor things!

The recommended book is one that I prepared myself with things to come. It is advised that you have a look in advance what will and can potentially happen. It can be bit off putting reading but if you still feel after all the studying that you up to it....well then this adventure might be something you will cope with. I wrote in the 'diary' section of our first litter adventure and plans for it just last year....see if there is something for you to help with.

 

[Tinytom]

I would get a vets opinion as well due to her age ...and make sure if you did decide to put her in pup is that you are prepared to take pups back if things dont work out

 

[JoanneF]

Another thing to add is the enormous physical toll in takes on the bitch. For her, it isn't a wonderful and fulfilling experience. Let's face it, it isn't for humans either, we only look at birth in the way we do because of children, but Flossy's pups will be gone after 8 weeks.

Think carefully, just why do you think it would be lovely for her to have another litter? That's not a question you need to answer publicly but it is one whose answer you need to be able to justify to yourself.

 

[Finsky]

View attachment 111980049 Flossy’s now five years old and been with me, in rural Norfolk, for the past two. She’s healthy, well behaved and a joy to everyone and dog she meets. We got little information when she was ‘rescued’ but it’s likely she’s had a litter in the past. We’d love to have another, and we’ve had several serious requests - So, I’m now considering her having puppies and wondering, what’s involved? Is it an okay/kind thing to do? And how to go about it… where to find a partner, and what would be expected of the pups (like, how to find homes, for instance).

Any suggestions where to start, please?

About studs.....finding the right one was one of hardest thing for us. At the time when we were litter planning, we didn't know any terrier circles. So lot of our research was happening on dog selling sites. I got in touch number of stud owners and each and every time there was something niggling against my liking of them. Eventually I came across one that seemed to press all the right buttons and sent all the right 'gut feelings'. We arranged viewing of the stud (this was well in advance before our bitch season) and both us and our girl liked the dog as well as his owners. They were experienced with the breed and breeding so that ticked all the boxes in that area too. And because stud owners did know the right circles within our breed....they helped us to find the right kind owners for the pups we didn't already have takers. We also made sure in advance what the deal was with the payment for the stud service. There is some 'traditions' between stud & bitch owners how the 'payment'/deal is been made....the 'book of bitch' does cover that area, but there is no reason you should stuck into those...particularly now that the pup prices are far higher than the stud fees. If you want to make other arrangements than is traditionally done, then do so...don't be shy about it and stick to your guns. If there is any insistence from the stud owner otherwise and unwillingness to settle something else you are offering....then be strong and walk away. You are not bound to give 'pick of the litter' if the stud is offered for a service for a fee. Make the deal clear in advance and everybody should come out of it happy.
Oh and to add...when you are searching for the stud, some are advertised as 'proven' =fathered some litters. There is off course some promise with those dogs that they will be able to sire litter with your bitch. But unproven or not, it is still good to make sure when you are making a deal of what happens if the mating wasn't successful....will you get another try, maybe for a discounted rate?

 

[Hemlock]

Also - a very quick word about genetics. If you cross a beddy with a whippet, all the pups will be half beddy half whippet. But if you cross beddy/whippet to beddy/whippet, they won't be. Each pup inherits 50% of each parent's genes but we can't be sure which 50%, and each pup will inherit a different percentage of each pure breed from that of its siblings. So some will look very bedlington, some very whippety, and some will look like an even mix of both, but personality is inherited in the same way, so how they look and how they act can be very different. People do go on about a crossbred dog being three-eighths this and five eighths that, but it's nonsense.

 

[FlossyRaptor]

Thank you All, that’s all very useful and considerate.

We’ll sleep on it…