Five puppies born in three hours on day 62. From our bitches first litter. We wrote an account of our own experiences and decided to publish it here in the hope that it may help other people who are thinking of breeding their own animals. The information on these pages are simply a week by week account of what we went through and how the puppies changed over the weeks that we had them.
We did extensive research and took expert advise from our vet to ensure the whole process was as safe as it could be for our Bichon bitch before making our decision to breed her. Our first experience of breeding went very well and the puppies left for their new homes in December 2011. You can read all about it on the links below.
Birth | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8
Read the whole story from birth through to when the puppies left for their new homes. Each week we added new pictures, a new video and a short report detailing what the puppies were up to. Just click on the links above to view.
In October 2011 our Bichon Frise gave birth to a litter of five puppies. We will give a weekly account of what it is like to experience such a wonderful event. We hope that the information we give on these pages help others who are planning to breed their own dogs. This is our own journey and we hope it gives you an insight into what it is like to raise a litter of Bichon puppies.
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There is a view held by a few professional breeders that if you are not qualified or experienced at breeding then you have no right to put your pet at risk by allowing them to have puppies. Well, all we would say to that is that if you are prepared, and you ensure you educate yourself, take expert advice to ensure the risks are as low as possible and you have as much right as anyone one else to breed a dog. There is surely no better environment than a loving family home to raise a litter of puppies and the early interaction and experiences the puppies will encounter can only help them to develop into stable, friendly, loving animals and help to prepare them their life ahead.
Things can go wrong, sometimes very wrong, but as long as you have experts standing by, the risks of serious problems are reduced significantly. All we would say is don't breed simply for the money, breed because you want to give your dog the experience of being a mother, it is a serious business and can be very expensive and emotionally upsetting if things were to go wrong.
If you are thinking of buying a Bichon puppy, or any puppy for that matter, please, please do take great care that you are not buying from a puppy farm or a relentless breeder who's only intention is to make money. Always ensure the mum can be seen with the pups and that the mum is well cared. She should be very protective of her pups and although she will be tired you can usually tell that she is healthy and well cared for by how alert she is. There are warning signs to look out for and we will create a page dedicated to these over the next few weeks to help you make your decisions.
We know we aren't the only Bichon owners in the world and would love to hear any of your own hints and tips or advice that you would like to pass on to people and of course we will give you the credit (and your pet) with any information you kindly pass on. The information we provide is simply from our own experiences, these are as Bichon owners, not as medical advisers. Remember your vet plays a very important part in ensuring the wellbeing of your dog.
The story starts here...