I don’t raise a litter of pups every year but I have had quite a few. This is not the only way to raise pups it’s just my way.
The first thing is to make sure your female is in good condition. My vet, Dr. Becker from Independence Animal Hospital, suggested that while she is nursing pups, to crush Tums up in her food. If it’s worth doing it’s worth over doing. I start with the Tums 4 or 5 days before the pups are due. The Tums gives the mother calcium.
I have a whelping box in my shed. I move the mother-to-be in the shed 4 or 5 days before she is due, of the night. During the day she’s in the kennel and I check on her every couple of hours. I have food and fresh water available at all times. The shed is air conditioned for summer but it’s not heated in the winter but I have a heat pad for the puppies. I use the heat pad even in the summer. I don’t know whether the mother puts them on it or they find it but I find pups on it the first day. I have read that if a puppy loses 1 degree the mother will kick it out. The heat pad might be the boost a weak pup needs.
After the pups are born I handle them often and anyone that comes by my house must pet the puppies. I have several grandchildren so it’s not hard to get someone to pet puppies. I make sure they are all handled at least twice a day. More often if possible.
The pups are born blind and deaf but they can smell. That’s the way they find their mother and recognize the human in their life. At 10 days to 2 weeks their eyes open but they can’t hear until about 3 weeks old. I start feeding the pups a milk substitute ( 1 can evaporated milk, 1 can hot water, 1 egg yolk, 1 Tblsp plain yogurt, 1 Tblsp honey or Karo syrup) at 3 weeks old. I feed them twice a day and each time I feed them I play a gundog conditioning cd for them. I do this until they are 7 or 8 weeks old. The cd is called Master’s Voice. It is music with gun shots embedded in it. One man I sold a pup to, told me his pup liked the sound of guns and if he got out too far he could call him back with a gun shot. This pup was about 5 months old.
Starting at about 5 weeks old, according to the weather, I take them outside to play in the grass. I lock the wings on a pigeon and let the pups chase it around. After just a few days chasing a lock wing the pups get too aggressive. I hold a pigeon in my hand so it can’t flap, get them all trying to get it and I let it fly. I raise it above them so it’s wings won’t hit them. Usually they will chase it. Sometimes I put a few pigeons to sleep, by tucking their head under a wing and straightening their legs out then laying them down on the wing their head is under, and cover them with grass, then walk the pups close to the birds. Usually you can tell when the pups smell the pigeons. They will whirl around, head for the pile of grass and jump on the pigeon. At first the pigeons will fly away but it doesn’t take long for the pups to get too aggressive, then I have to put the birds in release traps. Doing this makes all of the pups bird crazy.
Puppies in play
About 5 or 6 weeks old I start breaking dog biscuits into small pieces and dropping them into the grass. This teaches the pups to use their nose. I usually sit in a lawn chair and let them find the dog biscuits then they always play for a while. At about 3 weeks old I put a collar on the pups with about a 2 foot long cord dragging around for their litter mates to pull on. When they first go outside they rediscover the dragging cords.
Each time I take them outside I clap my hands loudly to call them to me. I also make a lot of noise in the shed when I go in or out. I slam the door and throw buckets. Anything to make noise. I want that pup to know that when I’m around there is going to be noise. After this, when they here gunshots or the release traps going off, they are not frightened.
At about 7 weeks old I hide pigeons, in release traps, in the grass for the puppies. I’m not looking for a point but I like to see the puppy using his nose to find the bird. When I see him whirl around or move toward the trap I flush the bird. Usually they will chase.
Raising puppies this way is time consuming and a lot of work but you get well socialized and confident puppies. When you get calls, from buyers, saying that their puppy is the smartest pup they have ever had makes it all worth while.
Jack
Annie
A litter.