rianova Kennel

As the old adage goes, "a kennel is as good as its bitches". The choice of the brood bitch for the foundation of a kennel is of the utmost importance. The bitch should Be a typical specimen; she must be sound, she should come from a self-whelping line or strain and she should not have outstanding faults. A good brood bitch should not be too large nor too small but she should be large enough to whelp naturally Without problems. The perfect dog does not exist, so it is usually better to choose a good bitch with perhaps only one fault rather than a mediocre bitch with no outstanding qualities. It being a major problem to find Japanese Terriers in western countries to be able to breed over here, the first ' step would be to contact the Japanese Kennel Club and Japanese breeders, information about whom, including addresses, are listed in this handbook. I would recommend to get a pair of dogs from different strains and with some common ancestors. Provided that the dogs are typical, it is quite a good idea to work out your own line and eventually your own strain. But this will take many years of trial and error and, having started, it is imperative to continue for at least four generations of good line-breeding before your results can be expected to pay off.

It is a waste of time and energy to breed pet dogs. it is also detrimental to a breed, for there will always be some people, either through ignorance or unscrupulousness, who will breed from these pets. in this way, instead of improving the breed all the time, it can quickly deteriorate and become unpopular. Even when breeding for quality, there will always be a number of puppies that will be sold as pets because they do not meet top quality show-dog standards. Their owners should be discouraged from breeding from them. Even then, a great number of bitches bought primarily as pets end up by having litters. Before you breed your female, make sure she is in good health. She should be neither too fat nor too thin. Allow time to select the right stud for her (if there are several dogs already in Europe). The female will probably be ready to breed nine to twelve days after the first coloured discharge. The season lasts about three weeks and during this time, it is essential that the bitch be kept securely shut up away from all male dogs. Generally, females come into season twice a year, and a careful owner should check this in his note-book. The season is usually first noticed when the vulva starts to swell and become hard. This is followed by a flow of bright red blood, which in turn gradually pates and the vulva softens. The bitch will start to play with other bitches and to twist her tail to one side. This is a sign that she is ready for mating.

The signs of pregnancy vary from bitch to bitch and some manage to conceal their secret, especially if there is only one small puppy. On the other hand, if there is a large litter, pregnancy may become apparent as early as the third week. Japanese Terriers do not usually have large litters, only two to three puppies. During pregnancy, the bitch should lead a normal life, with a regular amount of exercise, and extra-nourishing food, especially protein should be added to the diet: the yolk of an egg should be given once a week, and additional vitamins from the veterinarian, if necessary.

During the last week, the bitch should be given one teaspoon-fill of colloidal of calcium with vitamin D, which provides extra calcium and also makes whelping easier and prevents eclampsia. About a week before the bitch is due to whelp, make her a special whelping box. Line the bottom of the box with layers of thick newspapers and give the bitch her blanket. The bitch must be under observation for the entire week in case she should whelp early: she should sleep in her box near her owner so that he can hear her at night. The breeder should obtain an infra-red lamp, which can be suspended from the ceiling to keep the puppies warm, especially immediately after birth.

Twenty-forth hours before whelping, the temperature of the bitch will drop. in the first stage, the bitch becomes restless and licks her rear end and refuses all food. This uncomfortable stage may last twenty-four hours, but more frequently is a matter of a few hours. The second stage is when the pains change to powerful contractions. If the pains continue for more than two hours with no puppies, the help of a veterinarian is needed. The water-bag usually appears first. Sometimes the puppy arrives in its bag all at once, with one contraction. If it is a novice bitch, remember that the bag must be broken at once, under the dam's nose, an the puppy removed, so it can breath. Normally, the bitch does this by instinct. If there is any difficulty removing the afterbirth of the puppy, or it looks weak or is not breathing, cut the cord immediately, hold the puppy with both hands to warm it and start to blow gently into his mouth, accompanied with up and down movements of your hands: the puppy will usually then start to breath. Afterwards, the bitch will lick her puppy to clean it and guide to a teat, where it will start suckling. As soon as the puppy is born, allow the bitch to eat the placenta; it is very nourishing for her. They do it naturally. Be sure that every placenta has come out after each puppy.

After the birth of each puppy, the bitch will rest from 5 minutes to two hours before the arrival of the next puppy. If she goes on any longer than this, and you are sure not all the puppies have been born, inform your veterinarian. Never hesitate to call him when in doubt. As soon as each puppy is born, place clean paper in the box, examine the puppy and offer the bitch a little warm milk and leave her to rest quietly. After a long rest, take her out for a quick run to relieve herself. Around three days after the birth, the bitch's temperature will return to normal. The bitch requires plenty of nourishing food while feeding her puppies and she should have plenty of water to drink. She should not have strangers looking at her puppies as this may make her nervous. Both the puppies and the dam require constant observation and they should be kept scrupulously clean.

Always make sure that all the puppies are feeding properly and the smallest ones are not being pushed off by their larger litter-mates. Do not breed your bitch after she reaches seven years of age. If you wish to breed her several times while she is young, it is wise to breed her only once a year; it is better for her and for her puppies.