Our Breeding Program
General Philosophy
As a responsible breeder we work hard to improve the breed, focusing on things like health, structure, temperament, and more. We also leverage DNA testing of our dogs to aid in our program and help us produce not only healthy puppies, but a variety of coat colors and types as well. Our breeding philosophy is simple; protect our breeding dogs & protect our puppies. The primary consideration behind every decision is what is in the best interest of the dog. We run our operations right from our home and spend a lot of time and energy caring for our dogs to ensure they are healthy and happy. Every dog is different and therefore determining if and when to breed a dog is unique to each situation and each dog. It’s not the same for every dog. That being said, there are some overarching principles, detailed below, that guide our decisions.
When To Breed
The natural process for all animals, as designed by God, is for the female to go into heat when her body is ready for a pregnancy. With few exceptions, when left to nature, female animals mate every time they are in heat. The estrous cycle is different for different types of animals. For dogs, it is typically every 6 to 10 months. There are some additional and unique factors to consider with Frenchies as compared to other dog breeds, most notably the C-section birth. For a new dog, we want them to be at least 1 year old and be on their second heat before being bred. If they have already had a litter, we want them to have made a full and complete recovery from the previous litter and have confirmation from our vet that the C-section surgery is fully healed, and it is safe to breed the dog again. As with humans or other animals, the older a dog gets the harder a pregnancy is on them, and C-section births are harder than a natural birth. So, when deciding whether or not to breed a dog we take it case by case and base it on the specific circumstances and condition of that unique dog.
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How to Breed
Due to the anatomy of Frenchies, our dogs do not naturally mate. While some Frenchies can naturally mate, the vast majority are unable to and will hurt themselves trying. So, when a dog is in heat and we have decided to breed her, we perform standard non-intrusive methods of artificial insemination to get our females pregnant. This occurs in a controlled environment where our dogs can be kept comfortable throughout the process and ensure the highest chance of success.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy the dietary and care needs change. Pregnant dogs need a different diet and additional supplements to aid them during the pregnancy and prepare them to deliver their litter. The gestational period is typically +/- 63 days.
Birth
Some Frenchies can whelp naturally; however due to the large size of their heads and relative small size of their pelvis it can be quite dangerous for both the mama and the puppies to whelp naturally. Due to this high risk, all of our dogs give birth by way of C-section. In this way we can safeguard the health and wellbeing of both mama and babies. The days immediately following birth are the most critical to the pups survival and require constant monitoring to help ensure the mama accepts her puppies and properly cares for them. Many times the mama’s care must be augmented in order to keep all the puppies healthy, happy, and growing as they should.
Puppies
Our number 1 objective is to hand over healthy puppies to nice people who will provide them a great life. We have personally received both sick and well puppies and it is so much better to get a well puppy. For this reason, we want our puppies to be healthy and at least 8-10 weeks old before moving to their new home. This allows us to complete one or more rounds of vaccines and lets their bodies become more resistant to disease before making the transition to a new home. All of our puppies are up to date on shots & deworming at the time of transfer. We further register the litter with the AKC.
