The health of the bitch
A caring breeder will take care of her bitches
No caring owner would ever put their bitch under the stress of carrying and raising a litter if she is unwell , too young, elderly or infirm.
A bitch that is bred from should be
a healthy adult with
an excellent temperament
The Kennel Club does not allow puppies to be registered if they are
born from bitches under the age of one year or over the age of 8 years
however this is extremely lenient, no good breeder would breed from
a Border Collie or Golden Retriever bitch under 18 months of age and
most would consider that a bitch should be at least 22 months old.
A fit, well cared for bitch will take
the care of her litter in her stride
In addition a bitch should not be bred from too frequently, wild dogs
usually only come into season (are fertile) once a year so a bitch will
produce only one litter a year. Man has bred the modern bitch to come
into season more frequently in order to produce more puppies, but more
is not better - certainly not for the bitch. The Kennel Club will not
register more than 6 litters from any one bitch and this is certainly
as much as any good breeder would consider kind or fair to their bitch,
few caring breeders would allow a bitch to have more that 4 litters
throughout her life.
A bitch must
be in excellent health and have excellent
care to raise a healthy litter
Remember that caring breeders are first and foremost
dog lovers and their breeding "stock" are first and foremost
their pets. Such breeders do not sell off their older dogs when they
have finished breeding from them, nor keep more dogs than can be accommodate
as loved pets within the home environment, properly socialised, exercised
and cherished with affection and individual attention. Caring breeders
will see that their dogs are regularly exercised, well fed and receive
veterinary attention promptly whenever necessary.
A bitch caring for a litter needs
to be spoilt and doted upon
A breeder's adult dogs are the best indicator of her care and husbandry, dogs should be happy, active and well adjusted, they should have temperaments that allow them to mix freely with each other and welcome visitors into their home.
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