Labrador's heat: how long does it last for the first time?

Time and duration of estrus

When does a Labrador go into heat is a pressing question for owners of four-legged pets. The first heat in a female Labrador begins at 8–9 months, but given that these are large breed dogs, it can begin later.

Signs of heat:

• swollen loop;
• pinkish discharge.

The animal is characterized by active behavior and strives to mark its territory. Duration for the first time is 2–3 weeks, bloody-mucous discharge is not abundant. An animal is never bred during its first heat. It is best to do this 3 times; the optimal age for mating is from 2 to 6 years.

Choosing a partner and preparing for the event

Mating is planned in advance, focusing on the timing and course of the previous heat. Attention should be paid to the choice of a potential partner; pedigree and breeding indicators are taken into account. You can look at puppies from previous matings.

Pay attention to the following criteria:

• correct exterior;
• physical health;
• experience and psyche;
• lack of blood ties;
• agreeableness and non-aggression.

A couple of weeks before mating, the future father begins to be fed with complete fortified food with increased levels of proteins and microelements. The dog is walked for a long time in the fresh air.

The girl should be prepared for mating. Treatment for ticks and fleas is carried out a month in advance, then deworming is carried out a few days later. They visit the veterinarian and get blood tests and a vaginal smear.

Check that all scheduled vaccinations have been completed before the intended mating. Imported polyvalent vaccines are used. This will increase the strength of the immune system, the puppies will be healthy and immune to disease.

Adjust the diet, increasing the content of high-protein foods, vitamins and minerals. A couple of weeks before mating, mineral fertilizing is carried out. They make sure there is enough calcium and give them crushed egg shells.

Before mating, the animal is fed 3–4 hours before the date. Be sure to take a muzzle with you for a walk, because it is unknown how the girl will react to a potential groom. Additionally, you may need water and a bowl.

You should also take petroleum jelly in case the lubricant is not released enough. It is recommended to treat the external genitalia with a Rivanol solution.

Breeding Labradors

Photo by the author

Dog breeding is an ancient and complex branch of animal husbandry. The experience of animal breeding accumulated by mankind over many centuries has allowed it to develop all the necessary cultural breeds of hunting dogs.

Before you start breeding, you must clearly understand what you want and what your intentions are. You should not breed just because you have a female. Breeding should never be done irresponsibly.

The topic of prolonging the canine family is multifaceted and extensive. If you are adopting a small female puppy, you need to treat her carefully from the very beginning of her stay in your home. It is necessary to carefully protect the puppy from harmful drafts so that the small and still weak puppy does not catch a cold. If your baby often makes puddles, then he may have kidney problems. This is very bad for the expectant mother. It is necessary to exclude any mechanical injuries in the pelvic area. The breeding bitch is the cornerstone of breeding. It is the bitch that is the basis of dog breeding. She may not have the highest titles, but she must necessarily meet the breed standard, have fairly good working qualities and have increased intelligence. The bitch must be prepotent and produce offspring better than herself. This offspring must be of the same type. She must pass on to her daughters great stamina and the ability to nurse puppies. Great importance is attached to a predisposition to easy childbirth.

A bitch should be bred at no earlier than 20–24 months of age. Many dog ​​experts believe that changes in the body associated with whelping can affect the elimination of some puppy exterior defects, and the bitch becomes a brilliant dog.

To keep the bitch in good condition and get good offspring from her, she is bred no more than once a year. The number of matings during the life of a bitch should not be more than two or three times. With more frequent matings, the dog’s body becomes decrepit. Don't turn her into a "puppy making machine." More frequent matings exhaust the bitch’s body and have a detrimental effect on the quality of the offspring. A bitch must be judged by the quality of the offspring she produces.

A good stud dog should be successful in the show ring and in field trials or competitions. He must be prepotent and pass on the best qualities to his offspring and produce puppies better than himself. A male can enhance or correct a female's deficiencies. Therefore, it is advisable to look at the offspring of a male dog in the show ring and in field trials to see if he can correct the shortcomings of your bitch.

Carefully analyze the pedigree and check the documents for the absence of dysplasia. You need to be sure that he does not have eye diseases. If a male dog produces offspring of different types, it means you have not studied his pedigree enough.

Genetics is a complex science. Breeding is a constant process of selecting the best dogs and harshly culling the bad ones. It is not recommended to breed a male hunting breed before the age of two, as this may have a detrimental effect on his further development. Up to 3.5 years old, a male dog can be allowed to cover no more than two or three bitches. The biological foundations of breeding are heredity and variability, and the means of solving these problems is the selection of sires and the selection of pairs for reproduction. Heredity is the transmission to descendants of the characteristics and characteristics of ancestors. When selecting pairs, knowledge of the details of both the exterior and the field qualities of the producers themselves and their ancestors becomes essential. This is more important than knowing simply exterior grades or diploma degrees, since only individual components of these qualities are transmitted during breeding.

Currently, the main thing in breeding Labradors is to preserve and consolidate the achieved high working and exterior qualities. A factory breed is not a haphazard aggregation of similar-breed animals, but rather unified types and lines in a certain way. Dogs of the same breeding line descend from the same common ancestor. In dog breeding practice, a line descended from a bitch is sometimes called a family.

An important part of breeding work is the selection of pairs of sires for mating. When selecting sires, you need to evaluate the exterior, working qualities, health, and find out hereditary characteristics. You need to understand that the result of mating is determined not so much by the personal qualities of the producers, but by their combination in a pair. The number of hunting retrievers in Russia used for breeding is concentrated mainly in the hands of individual owners. True, a certain number of retriever kennels have already appeared. All of them are registered with the RKF. In fact, such breeding takes place on a voluntary basis. All of them must be guided in their work by the Regulations on Breeding Work, standards, rules and the results of exhibitions, broods and field trials. In fact, we don't see anything like that. There is only a conveyor belt for producing puppies. Nursery owners are only interested in money. Therefore, there is no talk of any improvement in the number of hunting retrievers. Those who have money try to bring a dog from abroad, although they themselves know nothing about breeding work. Their job is to promote the foreign manufacturer. Although he may not be anything of himself either in the field or in the ring.

To consolidate the high exterior and working qualities of Labradors, it is necessary to engage in targeted selection. For this, we need either large nurseries with well-organized breeding work, or special services in RORS and RKF, which are involved in selecting pairs for mating and monitoring the implementation of the recommendations of these services. Otherwise, we will not move forward in terms of the quality of the offspring.

Valery Gromyko December 22, 2021 at 00:00

Subtleties of the process

The optimal time for mating is 12–15 days of estrus. Previously, the girl simply would not let her partner in.

Signs of readiness for mating:

• the loop is enlarged and loose;
• there is a yellowish discharge;
• bitch flirts with males;
• if you stroke the rump, the tail moves away.

Mating is carried out on the territory of the dog. For everything to go smoothly, it is advisable to invite a specialist. Animals should be given at least 2 hours to get to know each other: in games and running, tension will go away and excitement will appear. So, it's time to start hand knitting.

A collar is put on the bitch to prevent it from biting the dog or owner. The owner strokes her stomach and back, calms her down. If the moment is right, the dogs can cope without the help of their owners. “Castle” lasts from 5 minutes to half an hour. Animals should not be disturbed during this period. Mating will be completed when the male's head returns to its normal size and the female's vaginal muscles relax.

Re-mating is carried out after 48 hours, this will increase the risk of fertilization.

Mating a Labrador - how to choose a male?

A male Labrador for breeding should be selected based on the goals and intentions of the owner. If the owner of the bitch is an experienced breeder, then he himself knows everything perfectly and does not need advice and recommendations. Such people are professionals in their field and breeding is the meaning of their life

If the dog owner is an ordinary lover of the Labrador breed and does not have the goal of raising show specimens that will win awards and medals, but simply wants to breed his favorite to produce beautiful offspring, then he should be guided by the following points:

• The male must be untied and experienced .
• The male must be healthy , with a stable psyche and correct conformation.
• The male must not be related to the female by blood

It is advisable to look at the existing offspring from this male in order to have an idea of ​​what the puppies can turn out to be like.

A couple of days before mating, the male dog needs to be fed meat and other high-protein foods and walked more often.

Advice! There is no need to feed just before mating. It is better to carry out mating on the territory of the male dog, since he may become confused when visiting, while the female dog, on the contrary, will feel like a mistress. If the bitch is acting aggressively, it is better to put a muzzle on her.

Features of the pregnancy period

The duration of gestation for puppies is 62–64 days. The initial symptoms of pregnancy begin after 3–4 weeks. The dog's nipples swell, the belly begins to increase in volume, and clear vaginal discharge is noted. Sometimes there are manifestations of toxicosis - nausea, vomiting in the morning, lack of appetite.

After 1 month, the bitch is shown to the veterinarian. The specialist examines, palpates, and performs an ultrasound to count the babies and determine developmental appropriateness.

Closer to the long-awaited day, the pregnant dog begins to be capricious, eats poorly, and looks for a secluded place. When the animal lies on its side, the movements of the babies are clearly visible. You should walk carefully - avoid other people's dogs and obstacles.

3 days before the expected date of birth, it is necessary to remove meat and fish dishes from the diet, as they can cause a surge in blood pressure, swelling and cramps.

Temperature measurements are carried out regularly from the 57th day of pregnancy. On the eve of birth it rises to 38–39 °C. The day before labor begins, the temperature drops.

The birth was successful, congratulations!

After labor is completed, observe the discharge from the loop. Gradually they should turn light pink. An unpleasant odor and greenish-brown color are an urgent signal to consult a doctor.

The birth can be considered completed if at least two hours have passed since the birth of the last puppy. Then you need to wash the bitch's genitals with warm water and take her for a short walk. Then place her next to the puppies and help them find their mother's nipples.

You have become acquainted with the general rules for mating Labrador Retrievers. And now you know how pregnancy and childbirth go in dogs of this breed. If you liked the article, like it and share it with your friends who will also be interested in this topic.

Tell us your opinion in the comments, tell us about your own experience, which may be useful for other readers.

How to deliver a baby

Before giving birth, it is important to prepare a place for the mother in labor, where the future retriever mother will feel cozy and comfortable. Place clean gauze, rags, a heating pad, scissors for cutting the umbilical cord, silk thread for tying the umbilical cord, brilliant green and alcohol in a separate box in advance. Birth takes place in 2 stages:

1. The prenatal period lasts from 6 to 30 hours. The bitch is worried and in pain.
2. Generic. Lasts from 6 hours to a day. The contractions turn into pushing. You can see how the muscles of the uterus contract, the peritoneum actively tenses.

Puppies are born with their heads and paws first. When the fetus appears, you should rupture the amniotic membrane in the muzzle area and pull out the baby. If the puppy is walking with difficulty, you can help the dog and gently pull the baby out, holding him by the body. The umbilical cord is cut at a distance of 2 cm, smeared with brilliant green and tied with silk threads.

The intervals between the appearance of puppies are about an hour. At this time, the bitch should be given a warm drink or broth and taken to the toilet. The babies are placed in a box on a heating pad.

There should be as many afterbirths as there are puppies. The dog should not be allowed to eat more than 2 placentas to avoid diarrhea. The tail and genitals are washed with warm boiled water, preferably with a disinfectant solution.

If your dog experiences convulsions or loses consciousness during labor, call your veterinarian immediately—these are symptoms of eclampsia. To help, add 5 drops of Corvalol.

Labrador giving birth

Although there is an opinion that Labradors give birth easily and they do not need help in this matter, you should not listen to anyone. During these days, the owner must be with the dog . It would be better to even take a short vacation at your own expense and completely devote these days to caring for the whelping bitch.

What the owner needs to prepare before giving birth:

• Zelenka
• Threads
• Scissors
• Old sheets cut into strips, ironed, for drying puppies.

So, the dog restlessly walks around the apartment, breathes heavily, restlessly looks into the owner’s eyes, contractions and straining begin, and at some point water pours out of the noose. This means that the puppies will be born soon.

The position of puppies during birth can be head-first or hind legs forward - both positions are correct.

If the fetus takes a long time and is difficult to come out, you need to help it by grasping it and smoothly pulling it towards you while pushing and in the direction that is natural for it. Do not pull the tail or fingers .

Important! A puppy is born, as a rule, in the amniotic sac, which the bitch ruptures herself. If this does not happen, you should break it yourself and allow the puppy to breathe. Then dry him with a sheet and cut the umbilical cord.

In this case, harsh threads are used, soaked in alcohol in advance for disinfection, and the umbilical cord is tied at a distance of 1-1.5 cm from the abdomen .

Then cut the umbilical cord , stepping back another 1 cm from the thread. Treat the tip with brilliant green.

If the umbilical cord is not damaged, an afterbirth follows the puppy, which the bitch often eats. There is nothing wrong with this, since the afterbirth contains useful substances.

Important! Count the number of afterbirths, it should correspond to the number of puppies. If even one placenta remains inside the bitch, this is fraught with serious problems. In this case, you need to contact a veterinarian.

The intervals between the birth of puppies are measured in minutes, or even hours. An interval of less than an hour is considered optimal. But if two puppies are born in a row, the next one will take longer.

After the umbilical cord has been cut, we give the puppy to its mother . She will lick him thoroughly, and he will begin to suck milk, which at first contains antibodies. They will protect the puppy until the first vaccination.

Usually the puppy has a well-developed natural instinct, and he can easily find the nipples, but if he cannot do this on his own, you should help him.

The first days after childbirth

In the first days after the birth of puppies, the temperature in the room should not be lower than 24 degrees Celsius. The litter in the box should be changed at least once every two days. On day 2-3, you can trim the claws with scissors. This procedure should be repeated once every 8-10 days.

Advice! In the first postpartum days, the bitch will feel the need to drink frequently, so you need to make sure that she always has fresh water. It is better to feed her porridge and fermented milk products.

It is better not to bring strangers into the house these days, as this will bring nervousness and anxiety to the dog.

When to contact a veterinarian:

• If the dog pushes for more than an hour and the puppy does not appear
• If more than four hours have passed between the birth of puppies
• If the position of the puppy during birth is transverse. That is, not with your head or hind legs forward, but sideways. In this case, spontaneous childbirth is impossible and a caesarean section is required.