working a bitch after pups

[dogs and quarry 40]

I have a bull x whippet about 4 weeks in pup, she works and puts everything in to her running.

As this is her first litter I'm a bit unsure as to when she'll be ready to work again once the pups have arrived. I don't want to risk any injuries, I was thinking maybe once the pups are ready to leave, but is that too soon?

 

 

Any help on this would be great, cheers.

[Tiny 7 1,694]

Should be a great topic this one, Iam intrested in myself cause ill be having a litter in the next few months (Hopefully), As my bitch is my only running dog ill be without a dog for a while cause of the litter ect (I used too males and my other bitch anit being worth breeding off in the past),

 

But like you abit of information on this subject would be apprieciated,

[3 Turns 326]

ONCE THE PUP,S HAVE GONE 6/7WKS START GETTING HER FIT AGAIN AND AS SHE GETS FITTER REINTRODUCE HER NICE/N/EASY 2/3 MTHS AFTER THE PUPS SHE SHOULD BE BACK TO HER BEST

[morton 5,367]

It will all depend on the dog,some bitches will not leave the pups for weeks and have little exercise,once weaned from pups the fitness regime will have to start from scratch and they may not be fully ready for 6 weeks,depending on the quarry.My last bitch wanted to tag along with me after 24 hours,she was still picking up rabbits whilst feeding the pups,i tried to lock her with the pups and she took her frustration out on the pups,when the pups where weeks old she had to be in the field or she was a nightmare.Allow the bitch to do what she is comfortable with,a tired worn out bitch will struggle to support a litter.

[dogs and quarry 40]

Thank you 3 Turns and Morton, both of your reply's have given me an idea of what to expect. Cheers

[rolysmate 49]

Make sure your bitch is kept active/fit before whelping as this will help both with the whelping and getting back to fitness, after my current bitch whelped she was back out in the field by the time the pups where weaned maybe not 100% but on her way.

She was still out ferreting a week or so prior to whelping and in fact the day she whelped was actually chasing squirrels in the local park.

[iworkwhippets 12,247]

Make sure your bitch is kept active/fit before whelping as this will help both with the whelping and getting back to fitness, after my current bitch whelped she was back out in the field by the time the pups where weaned maybe not 100% but on her way.

She was still out ferreting a week or so prior to whelping and in fact the day she whelped was actually chasing squirrels in the local park.

 

good reply, and same here, out in the fields until the week before she whelped, gave birth to 7 healthy pups in less than two hrs, and back out again, shortly after weaning

[dogs and quarry 40]

Cheers, she is still keen on working. I'll keep that in mind.

[skycat 6,172]

It is important to remember that the bitch's body really changes whilst she is in whelp: her muscles soften, her ligaments slacken, and although some lightly built, very fit bitches may come back to fitness quite quickly, dogs which are more heavily built, were less fit to begin with, and who are rearing large litters and have a lot of milk, may take a lot longer to get back into shape.

 

The worst thing you can do, IMO, is to get the bitch out and running game too soon. She is far more likely to suffer from muscles tears and strains in this state, not to mention damaged joints as a result of slack ligaments and general lack of tone.

 

A large litter puts the bitch's body under a huge strain, depleting her body of minerals etc. Even with the very best of diets, she will take a while to get back to normal.

 

Suppose the litter is 8 pups (a good average) and she starts to dry up when the pups are around 5 weeks old. I would be looking at a further month of steady conditioning exercise before I even though about getting her working again. It is the fast work which will damage her body when she's unfit. A couple of half hour brisk walks per day whilst she's feeding the pups, then gradually upping the pace so that she is trotting beside you while you jog or bike.

 

There's no point trying to outwit or speed up a natural process, and the fact that you have put the bitch in whelp presumably in order to keep a pup back means that you value the bitch highly enough to warrant breeding from her in the first place. Don't ruin the rest of her working life by trying to get her up and working again too soon.

 

A good indication of when her hormones will allow you to work on her fitness again is the state of her teats: all the time she is producing milk she can't be got super fit. Keep her ticking over with steady regular exercise and let nature decide on when she is ready for longer training.

[dogs and quarry 40]

cheers for all the advice folks, will keep it in mind and take it easy with her.