Our thanks to Danette Weich, DVM for this post on weight control in breeding dogs.

Other than an accidental breeding a/k/a an “oops litter” most people plan their breedings well in advance. Some of the early plans include choosing a stud dog and deciding what method will be used to do the breeding. One other early plan that you need to implement is how you will get your girl in great physical shape before she is bred.

Years ago we leased a bitch, took her to the stud dog for a natural breeding and sent her home after she had been bred. Her owners pampered “the little momma” while she was home giving her lots and lots of extra treats and very little exercise. When she came back to us for the whelping she was very overweight and really out of condition! Her whelping was very difficult for her taking over 16 hours, almost twice the time it has taken any of our girls to whelp their litters.

In addition to the physical challenges out-of-shape bitches face, the dam’s and sire’s condition may also impact the puppies from an epigenetics perspective. FMI on epigenetics, check out our blog Might Dog Dads Contribute More Than Just DNA?

What we do know is getting your bitch and stud dog in shape prior to breeding is important for their fertility, the best chances of conception, an easy whelping, a successful litter raising experience and their general health.

Other than an accidental breeding a/k/a an “oops litter” most people plan their breedings well in advance. Some of the early plans include choosing a stud dog and deciding what method will be used to do the breeding. One other early plan that you need to implement is how you will get your girl in great physical shape before she is bred.

Years ago we leased a bitch, took her to the stud dog for a natural breeding and sent her home after she had been bred. Her owners pampered “the little momma” while she was home giving her lots and lots of extra treats and very little exercise. When she came back to us for the whelping she was very overweight and really out of condition! Her whelping was very difficult for her taking over 16 hours, almost twice the time it has taken any of our girls to whelp their litters.

In addition to the physical challenges out-of-shape bitches face, the dam’s and sire’s condition may also impact the puppies from an epigenetics perspective. FMI on epigenetics, check out our blog Might Dog Dads Contribute More Than Just DNA?

What we do know is getting your bitch and stud dog in shape prior to breeding is important for their fertility, the best chances of conception, an easy whelping, a successful litter raising experience and their general health.

Underweight bitches can have:

• Small liter size
• Low birth weight
• Increased neonatal morbidity and mortality
• Decreased milk yield
• Decreased immunity and decreased response to vaccination
• Decreased fertility in later years

Overweight bitches can have:

• Decreased ovulation
• Decreased fertility
• Increased incidence of silent heat
• Prolonged interestrous intervals
• Smaller litter sizes
• Increased risk of false pregnancy
• Increased incidences of dystocia

Overweight stud dogs can have:

• Increased scrotal fat deposits which can contribute to overheating of the testes and decreased sperm.
• Difficulties in mounting and breeding, including decreased stamina and increased breeding associated injuries, such as cruciate injuries.

So how can you tell if your dog is the correct weight?

Here are a few suggestions:

• Ask your veterinarian for an honest evaluation of your dog’s condition.
• Ask your breeder to evaluate your dog or bitch if they don’t live to far away.
• Check out the Body Condition scoring system developed by Nestle Purina.

Here are three key points to look for so to see if your dog has an ideal body weight.

1. Their ribs are easily palpable.
2. They have a waist (narrowing behind the ribs) when viewed from above.
3. They have a tuck up of the abdomen when viewed from the side.

(Coated dogs may require hands on to determine their ideal weight.)