Breeding Your Chihuahuas
If you have decided to breed your chihuahua's I am assuming the you know the basics such as
No small female, under 4 pounds should be bred
The male should always be smaller than the female
You should be very careful breeding two recessive genes, this can be very dangerous as genetic mutations can result
You should breed your female to the best stud dog that you can buy or have service her
And that you have screened for any heredity problems
You should always breed for healthy, quality puppies. Never for the smallest pup that you can get. Many times if you have small puppies they can die within the first few weeks of life. Even a pup that is 3 lbs full grown is born at 2 ounces, much smaller than that and you would need a microscope to see the pups!!
If you want to breed for certain colors, you need to study the color genetics of both the dam and the sire. For example you CANNOT get a black dog from breeding two chocolate dogs. I would be happy to help you to the best of my ability with color genetics. Email me if you like.
DO NOT INBREED OR LINEBREED!!! This refers to the breeding of relatives and line breeding refers to the same name appearing several times on the pedigree. If you are going to spend the time and money breeding, please breed the best litter you can and avoid these two methods that can result in heredity problems and losing most or all of the litter.
When choosing a stud look for one that is strong in the area that your bitch is lacking, for example, if your female is short legged, look for a long legged stud.
Be sure that your female is in tip-top shape before you breed her. She should not be over weight or under weight. She should be on her second heat cycle or at least one year old. You also need to be sure that her vaccinations are up to date as she can't be given any until the pups are weaned. Also, be sure that she is free of any worms or external parasites. If you are having stud service performed, a brucellosis test should be performed, and it may also be a requirment in the stud service agreement.
About 3 weeks before your female is due in heat, check daily for a bloody discharge. It will start off being a very light pink, mark that day on your calander as it is her first day. She may also show other signs such as aggression and dominace. She may even try to mount other animals, toys and pilows. When the discharge turns to a light straw color you know that she is ready. She will also flag when she is ready. From day one of her cycle rub your hand from her neck to the base of her tail. On the day she lifts her rear in the air and flips her tail to one side she is ready. Get her tou your stud ASAP.
Once you have found to perfect stud to use, ask the stud owner to provide a written contract that clearly states the fees and when they are due whether your dam has 5 pups, 1 pup or no pups. Make arrangements with the stud breeder to breed your female with the male several times during her most fertile days, usually days 7-18 of her heat cycle. It is best to breed them at least every other day until she will no longer accept the male. If the dogs have never met before, the female will probably have to be held for the male. Most stud owners will allow your female to stay at their place until she will no longer accept the male, or you can bring her to the male each time for the breeding. The copulation act usually only takes a couple of minutes, but usually this results in a "tie" that lasts for 10-30 minutes. This is when the male turns butt to butt with the female.
Once the first mating has occurred, mark your calendar for 63 days, however chihuahuas are usually early rather than late. You will want to switch your dam over to a puppy food while she is pregnant and you may wish to use a vitamin supplement. We use Red Cell, as you can mix it in with their food.
There are signs to help you know for sure, the earliest being that her vulva will stay swollen a little even after she goes out of heat. Her teats will grow larger and stay more firm. Mine tend to get even more clingy during the last six weeks. Some may even have morning sickness! After about 30 days, you vet can palpate her belly. Have your vet show you the correct way to do this if you wish to do it at home, you don't want to hurt those precious babies!! I have noticed that most of my chis "hide" the babies and then over night it looks like the swallowed a bowling ball. This is usually around 6 weeks in. About a week before they are due you will feel them moving and kicking! This is the best part!
Be ready at least one week in advance. You need to provide your female with a nesting box to have the pups in. The box should be set on towels and be lined with towels to keep the cold out.
You will need to following:
A rectal thermometer
Many clean towels
A nasal aspirator
Dull Scissors
Dental Floss
Heat Lamp
Start to monitor her temperature about day 56. Take it morning and night, as close to the same time as possible. When it drops to about 98 degrees you will know that her pups will be there in about 12 hours, it will also be higher that it has been in about 2 weeks about 12-24 hours before it drops. I prefer a digital thermometer to use, the plastic covers that they make are great and make clean up easy. Be sure that you lube the theromometer well, we use K-Y Jelly. Be sure to keep her calm while taking her temp, if she is one that is squirmy, get a friend to hold her for you. It is also very important that you WRITE IT DOWN!! You will be suprised how quick you will forget what it was. This can be very vaualbe when breeding from the same bitch or one from the same line. Be sure to use the same thermometer to get consistant readings. When her temp has dropped warm her box to 80 degrees and make her as comfortable as possible.
As the delivery approaches, she will become restless, her eyes will dilate, she will demand to go outside, refuse to eat, be unalbe to get comfortable and first time mothers may even act confused. If this is her first litter you may need to help in the birthing process by rupturing the pups sac and clearing the mouth so that the pup can breathe. During the second stage of labor she will dig up her bedding, shiver, pant, lick her vulva and have mild contractions. The third stage of labor starts when she has hard contractions and starts to push the pups out. Before the first pup is born there is a water sac that is pushed out to enlarge and lube the canal for the birth of the first pup. If you dam has been in hard labor for over an hour and made no progess or seems to be in pain, you may need to head to the vet. It could be that her pelvic bones are too small to allow the pups to apss and an emergency c-section may be needed to save the pups and the dam. This is a quick procedure now a days that usually lasts less than 15 minutes. Make sure that your vet uses a inhalent anethesia, as it is safer.
The pups must be kept warm in order to keep them alive. During the first week the whelping box temperature should be 90 degrees, the second week 85 degrees, the third week 80 degrees, the forth week 75 degrees and after the fifth week at 70 degrees. If the temperature drops for as little as an hour it can be fatal to the pups. If the dam has many puppies you may need to supplement the pups food with a replacement milk. Use the chart below for feeding. If your dam rejects her pups and you have to hand feed them exclusively, be sure to keep them on this schedule, even through the night. That's right, even at night!! Their lives will depend on it!
| Age of Pup |
How often to feed |
| 1-7 days |
Every two hours |
| 8-14 days |
Every three hours |
| 15-21 days |
Every four hours |
| 22-28 days |
Every five hours |
If you wish to remove the pups dewclaws, it must be done within the first three days after birth. The eyes will open around day ten, but some chi's are very sluggish about this. Their ears will open around day 14. Around three weeks of age you can start offering solid food to the puppies. You can mix puppy food with a little warm water and baby food(be sure that it DOES NOT contain onion powder) and put this into the blender to create a paste. Most puppies will readily accept this and eagerly lick this off fingers and bowls. Be prepared for a mess though, puppies try to eat with their feet!
At the age of 2 weeks you need to worm your puppies and the mother. Most pups get worms from their mothers milk. You need to worm again at 3, 4, 6, 8 & 10 weeks of age. Worm the mother too at the same time. At the age of 6 weeks you need to give them their first shots. They will also need a second shot at 9 weeks old if you still have them at that age, third and final shots are due at 12 weeks.
Now that you have done your best raising your babies comes time to find good homes for them. This is one of the hardest things that you will ever do. After spending 6-10 weeks with these babies, it is hard to get rid of them. Be sure that they go to the best possible home. These puppies lives depend on the homes that you choose for them. Make them good ones.
And last of all, DO NOT plan to get rich buy breeding chihuahuas. Most breeders are lucky to break even once all the expenses and time are added up.