Litter Size??

[booferdogs]

If a female has a smaller litter (like 4 puppies) on her first time whelping, does this mean that the female will continue to pattern smaller litters? Or is it common on the first time to give birth to smaller litters, then having bigger litters in the future?

[targonrotts]

so many things play part on litter size.
the lines which she came from, breeding timing, sperm quality,etc.
you can have a large or small litter the first time...it does not matter, but as they age, most females will have smaller litters.

[frontierrots]

as above some lines have large or small litters (typically looking at what her dam and sisters have whelped will give you a good idea)

However litter size also depends upon when bred. Bred too early or late will result in no or small litters as well

Then again some bitches seem to do their own thing My Molly had a litter of 5, 6 and then when I bred her I the last time i said to her "remember no more than 7" (I prefer 7 or less) and "this is the last time you will be doing this".. So for her third and final litter she gave me 10 ! LOL

[targonrotts]

very true!
i knew a breeder who had a bitch, that when bred will only have one pup...female. for 3 generations, he had one pup, female, survive and carry on the same routine.
i've had a bitch whelp 13, then for the next 2 litters have 7.
you just never know....
but many factors play part.

[silent assasin]

one of my bitches whelped 14 on her first breeding.i too prefer litters around seven or eight.a lot of things contribute to a large litter size.if you are interested in increasing litter size,you should start your bitch on Nu-Vet vitamins.thats what i had mine on an i experienced unbelievable results and a lot of lost sleep too taking care of this amount of pups.

[Canadianrotti]

Not that I am a breeder or ever intend to be, but Raelin can from a littler or 13!! And the previous year, the same parents produced a litter of 13 also. It was quite the sight to see, 13 little black and tans wiggling all over the place