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Location: B'ham (nr the airport)
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,963
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Hi,
The good thing is that your friend is trying to do her homework. She should read texts such as "The Book Of The Bitch" from cover to cover several times, and then read it sme more. She should get to know other EBT breeders and ask if one will mentor her and offer support or help her and he bitch through the whelping process from start to finish.
She should also ensure she has enough homes for the pups to go to and accept that she may possibly get one or more of them back should the new owners not be able to keep them. Any reputable breeder will accept full and unconditional responsibility for their pups for the duration of the pups lives.
Some of the drawbacks of allowing a bitch to whelp is that it can cause many health problems for the bitch and pups alike, sometimes ending in death for one or more of them. Of course this is a worst case scenario but she needs to be aware that it does happen.
She should also make a list of costs and possible vets fees should there be problems, not just at the birth but throughout the pregnancy. Would she be able to afford it? Of course these costs will be on top of the costs of the health testing which can vary from test to test, breed to breed and vet to vet.
There are also costs such as the first set of vaccinations, etc before the pups go to their new homes.
Additionally, has your friend thought of what she'll do if the bitch rejects the pups? Does she work full time? Will she be able to hold her job down whilst getting up every 2 hours to feed newborn pups?
Also, the stud dog should be a proven stud dog with experience but there will always be a fee. Can she afford this fee to begin with? Some stud dog owners may accept a pup but if the bitch isn't of decent enough quality they will most likely refuse that option. Also, she may find that reputable breeders won't allow their stud dogs to mate with a dog without any history, any defects/faults or unknown pedigree.
I hope your friend doesn't go ahead with mating her bitch, but if she does, I hope she'll have all the relevant info to hand and does her homework properly - for the sake of the dogs. She should also know that there's a high chance she won't make any money (just in case she was hoping to). If she's lucky, she may break even.
I can't really offer any more than that. There are breeders on here who can advise better than I regarding what she should do, plan for, look out for and how to prepare fully to get her bitch through the pregnancy as healthily as possible.
If as you say she's going to wait 8 months as her dog isn't get 2 years old, then this gives you 8 months to put her off!
Laura xx