Supplies for the big day

 In addition to the whelping box, gather these supplies and have them available and ready:

• lubricating gel
• a rectal thermometer
• alcohol swabs
• probe covers
• notebook, pen
• face towels
• hemostat
• pair of scissors
• unwaxed dental floss 
• tincture of iodine
• heating pad

The Tums are for me and the dam MySP.

The Whelping Box

To allow your dam the opportunity to feel comfortable and about a week to two weeks prior to her whelping date, provide the dam with an area for whelping and nursing her puppies, or your dam will chose a location that may not be desirable. You want to place the whelping box in familiar surroundings that also provide some degree of privacy.
 

There are whelping boxes available from pet stores or ordered from the web. Below is a homemade one I made for MySP. I undercut the ledge near the floor that is high enough so that the puppies cannot jump out but MySP may be able to go in and out. I bedded down the whelping box area with towels to provide nesting material.  For me, towels are ideal and I find them  soft enough (unlike paper, and newspaper ink may stain your dam and the puppies) and can be washed and reused many times over.

 A homemade whelping box

Is she, or is she not?

Although it was not until three and a half weeks from being bred that I noticed the early signs of pregnancy, I immediately replaced MySP's adult dog food with a high quality puppy food right after breeding her. Puppy food provides the extra calories and nutrients that will be needed for the health of the unborn growing puppies and when she nurses them after whelping.

The first and early signs of pregnancy are loss of appetite, nipple growth, reduced activities and  behavioral changes.  I observed MySP to be always sleepy and less active. I would find her inside my dressing room, cozening up with my comfy sheepskin night slippers. I also noticed that she kept cleaning herself more than usual. She also did not want to play our favorite hide and seek game, and did not want to run after me around our dining table. But as soon as I sat down in the sofa, she would immediately snuggle up to me, which was not usual for her.

The later signs of pregnancy are weight gain, increase in appetite, the stomach becomes firmer and starts to expand very quickly. As soon as MySP showed these later signs, I made an appointment with her veterinarian for a check up.

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At the final stages of canine pregnancy, one can observe puppy movements, increase in abdomen size, nesting behavior and milk production. I was quite excited to see the first puppy movements in MySP's abdomen!

It is now time to be bred, Part 2

Direct artificial insemination (AI) is not complicated. The procedure is performed with fresh semen with both the male and female dog present in the same location. It is typical for the female to stand for this procedure without the need for restraint or sedation.


As MySP was presented to the would-be-sire, he moved in ready to mount her as if to breed. At that point, a baby bottle plastic insert (that was warmed using water) was positioned so that the stud entered the plastic tube and not the dam. The stud ejaculated into the tube allowing the collection of the semen. To maintain the body temperature and to minimize any damage to the sperm, the semen was right away siphoned onto a syringe and then immediately inserted at least to the cervix of my dam. After this, I had to raise her bottom higher in an angle and hold her in this position for a few minutes,  to ensure that the semen flows inwards her  and not out the opposite way.


I brought MySP to the stud dog to be bred twice- on Day 11 and on Day 13. We originally planned to do the procedure three times. However on the schedule third day, and in checking my dam by gently rubbing the base of her inner tail, she no longer lifted her tail up. The stud dog breeder/owner and I agreed not to go through the procedure a third time.


There are other  different variations of AI. Here is a link to an article on Artificial Insemination written by Dr. Mary Wakeman found in the Canine Fertility Center  website:

http://showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/nvai.html

It is now time to be bred, Part 1

On Day 11 the female is brought and introduced to the male dog. Most especially for a dominant alpha female, it works that the breeding occurs outside her home territory, as most alpha females will not allow breeding by and will not stand for a less dominant beta male.


During the period Day 11 through 17, some breeders choose to breed the female no more than the first two successive days (that is, days 11 and 12). Others breed the female three times occurring every two days starting Day 11 (then day 13 and day 15) or until the female no longer stand for the male. Some females come into less days of standing heat, permitting less possible breeding days.

On her Day 11, I brought MySP to a breeder-friend's kennel. We had previously agreed that her champion male would be good choice for MySP based on their individual physical characteristics. Both dogs were placed in an exercise pen and were provided ample time to be comfortable with each other.

After a while, the MySP allowed the sire-to-be to come near her as she simultaneously started to exhibit a standing behavior. This is correctly known as a teaser, wherein the female allows the male to mount her as if to breed.

There may be other traditional as well as modern practices pertaining to the frequency and time of breeding during the fertile period of Yorkshire Terriers. I'd would love to receive comments from others and eager to learn more about this topic.

When to breed: Is it that time of the year yet?

If you want to breed your Yorkshire Terrier, then you must be ready to capture the opportunity when it comes. Yorkshire Terriers generally only come into heat twice a year.


My dam comes into heat only once a year. It took some patience waiting  for her to show signs of approaching ovulation. But while waiting for that time to occur, I started my search for the appropriate sire. My search included going to dog shows, going through Yorkshire Terrier breed specific magazines and online resources widely used by breeders, but most importantly asking the opinions of breeders for information on possible stud dogs with blood lines and physical characteristics that may be suitable for my dam.


The female shows first sign of ovulation with a swollen vulva and then followed by a bloody looking discharge from it. The discharge continues to and becomes lighter and clearer approximately eight to ten days. The objective is to ensure that she is in the correct stage in her estrus cycle.


As soon as MySP showed the first sign of a swollen vulva, I gently swabbed her with a moist cotton at least twice a day checking for a bloody discharge. I marked the calender as Day 1 the first day of bloody discharge. I likewise marked Day 10 through Day 17.

It is during the period days 10 through 17 time frame when the female can be successfully bred. During this time, she will exhibit standing behavior. To "stand" means the female will allow for the male to breed her. (If you gently rub the base of her tail she will literally stand erect with her tail up).

During my search for information, I found the ovulation chart below understandable and was readily available from an online resource provided by the Hilltop Animal Hospital in Illinois from their web page at  http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/ovulation%20graph.htm 

Canine Ovulation Chart

When to breed: Age of dam-to-be

Prior to breeding the female, a complete physical examination by the veterinarian that includes Brucella canis testing is an important component of good breeding management. A female may be an asymptomatic carrier of Brucella canis and does not exhibit any symptom of the disease. The first sign of infection is late term abortion and by then it will be too late.


Yorkshire Terrier females physically mature at 18 months old. To minimize the added risk of birthing complications and problems associated with early pregnancy, it is generally better to breed the female when it is at least 18 months. It goes without saying that the female must be at her best health to carry herself through from breeding, to pregnancy, through the stress of whelping, to nursing the puppies and carry them through until weaning.


I waited for my girl, MySP, to be finished to her championship before breeding her. She finished at 32 months.