Need some advice

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Collegegrandma
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Need some advice

Post by Collegegrandma »

I have both a male and a female chow. My male is named Rontu and my female is named Mei-Li. Mei-Li is now 8 months old and was born on July 1, 2010. I have had poodles in the past but this is my first time having a chowchow. I kept waiting on her to show signs of going into heat but she hasn't yet. The problem is she presented me with 3 puppies yesterday morning. No she has not been out of the house or yard so the only one that she could have gotten pregnant by is my male chow who is 18mths old. They are both registered through the AKC but now I am having problems registering the litter because she was under 8 mths at the time she got pregnant. Can anyone give me some advice on this matter?
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Tippsy'smom
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Re: Need some advice

Post by Tippsy'smom »

If they won't let you register the puppies, they won't let you register the puppies.

A PUPPY having puppies is flat out irresponsible, and why people NEED to get their dogs SPAYED and NEUTERED!
Last edited by Tippsy'smom on Tue Mar 15, 2011 9:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jess
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Sarahloo
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Re: Need some advice

Post by Sarahloo »

THAT is your question? You'd think it would be how to adequately take care of the puppies so that they grow up into happy, untroubled adults! Not some nonsense about papers! You have a huge task ahead of you! Maybe focus on that?
Also, I think it's very sad that your girl has seen nothing of the world in her 8 months of life. Why do you not take her out?
BTW: If she was alone in the yard for more than five minutes, any passing dog could be the father! So the puppies might not even be pure chow.
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Collegegrandma
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Re: Need some advice

Post by Collegegrandma »

Okay lets try this again. No my question was not just about registering the pups but I can see from the two reactions that I got that this is not the place to ask about anything as I have been condemmed already for being irresponsible. What I meant by that she has not been out of the house or yard is that she has not been out without me. I take both of my babies out with me just about everywhere I go unless I have to go somewhere that they cannot go in becuase I refuse to leave them in the car by themselves. and no she was not left in the yard by herself anytime she is outside to go potty or play Rontu, myself or my husband is with her and has been since the day I brought her home. The reason I did not ask about caring for the puppies is that I have had dogs have puppies before and I know how to take care of them. I know that she is very young and when I first suspected she was pregnant I talked to my husband about getting an abortion for her because she was so young and talked to our vet about it. She said that it would be better as far along as she was to go ahead and let her have them. I am not an irresponsible parent. I make sure my babies are taken care of with all shots current and all health records are kept up to date at all times. So yes I know that the puppies are pure blood as neither of my dogs are ever left by themselves. My husband and I are both retired and one of us is with them all the time. And yes she has seen a lot of the world as you say because we take them for walks and to the park and just about everywhere we go they go. I am giving her pet-cal and pet-tabs as supplements as well as mixing alpo can dog food with her puppy chow for food. I ask the vet if I needed to give her milk supplements and she said no that she has plenty of milk for the babies so there is no need for that. I was asking about the papers becuase I had never faced this problem before. I am sorry if I offended anyone and I will go away now.
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Tippsy'smom
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Re: Need some advice

Post by Tippsy'smom »

You are clearly NOT always with this or she would NOT have ended up pregnant. And as I said previously, if they will NOT let you register the puppies, THEY WON'T LET YOU REGISTER THE PUPPIES!

My purebred will be 11 in May and has NEVER been spayed and yet, she has NEVER once come up pregnant! Because I take notice of when she comes into heat! ALWAYS have! And YES, she HAS lived with unneutered male dogs MOST of her life!
Jess
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Collegegrandma
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Re: Need some advice

Post by Collegegrandma »

That is what I was trying to say is that she did not show the typical signs of being or going into heat. There was no blood dripping and my male did not even react like males usually do when one is going in heat. I am sorry that I have upset you so badly. and as far as the papers are concerned I could care less about the papers however, I figured if I could get them registered it would probably make it easier to find them good homes to go to that is why I asked about the papers. Forgive me for being so stupid as to think I could get some helpful advice here about taking care of them and her. I told you what I was doing as far as taking care of her and the pups but instead of saying that yes that was a good idea for the pet-tabs and supplements you want to rag on me about her getting pregnant. I won't be back as it is obvious that ya'll would rather rail at me for "letting" her get pregnant (which trust me if I could have told she was in heat she would have been seperated from Rontu until it was over) than tell me if there is anything that I need to do to help her with this litter that I am not now doing.
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Tippsy'smom
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Re: Need some advice

Post by Tippsy'smom »

Talk to the vet about what you can do health wise. Other than that, you NEED to handle the puppies so the are NOT fearful of being handled. Touch them all over; face, ears, feet, body, tail; so that when they are older they can be touched and examined.

You don't NEED papers to find GREAT homes for puppies. But you definitely CAN'T charge an arm and a leg for the puppies.
Jess
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Collegegrandma
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Re: Need some advice

Post by Collegegrandma »

Thank you for the advise of handling them to get them used to people and I am sorry if I was defensive. Part of it is that I am embarrassed that I couldn't tell when she came into heat. This is the first time that has ever happened as I said I have had other dogs (poodles, dobermans, and have fostered rotties before and was always able to tell when they started going into heat but she didn't act the same nor was there a lot of discharge (which the vet told me that sometimes when it is their first heat and the fact that they are so clean conscious that sometimes it is hard to tell especially when they have as much hair as she does. anyway, thank you and I hope you have a good day.
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Tippsy'smom
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Re: Need some advice

Post by Tippsy'smom »

You're very welcome and your vet is right. Chows are much like cats when it comes to their cleanliness. My girl is ALWAYS cleaning herself, just like my cats. The first time she came into heat, we only knew because our male poodle was pestering her, so we KNEW to separate them(Tippsy was my first female chow/dog).
Jess
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Zhuyos mom
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Re: Need some advice

Post by Zhuyos mom »

Congratulations for your three little angels, Collegegrandma! You'll have alot of fun watching the chowling grow. Please don't allow them to leave their mom until they turn 10 weeks old. They really do need to be in their mom's care all that time, get all the nutrients possible from her, maternal socialization helping them become well adjusted in their new home, etc. It made a difference with the chows I have adopted. Once they are ready for adoption, if possible, it's a good idea to interview their potential parents like a rescue would - making sure they have chow experience since the chow chow is not a breed for everyone, they have a home where the chow will be able to be safe - both physically and insurance wise. Most local rescues have adoption forms posted on their web site, so you can go on one and print out a form as a guide to questions you may want to ask the potential family/families. Doing so will help you find a better home for them than a home would be attracted to seeing the AKC label.

Are you planning to fix one (or both) of your chows in the future? If not, this type of accident will most likely happen again and you don't want your girlie to suffer another pregnancy so soon. Her body just isn't fully developed enough. Speaking of Mei-Li, if her fur shedded after giving birth, just make sure to keep it clean for nursing. It will grow back.
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Victory
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Re: Need some advice

Post by Victory »

Collegegrandma wrote:Thank you for the advise of handling them to get them used to people and I am sorry if I was defensive. Part of it is that I am embarrassed that I couldn't tell when she came into heat. This is the first time that has ever happened as I said I have had other dogs (poodles, dobermans, and have fostered rotties before and was always able to tell when they started going into heat but she didn't act the same nor was there a lot of discharge (which the vet told me that sometimes when it is their first heat and the fact that they are so clean conscious that sometimes it is hard to tell especially when they have as much hair as she does. anyway, thank you and I hope you have a good day.
Chow males are also part of the "no signs" of heat problem as the males will "clean the girls up" even after the girls just go potty. My male keeps his sister very clean, (and she's spayed) my other male also did it. I think it is instinctive on the part of the males, after all is there is nothing to attract every other male in a 50 mile radius, then they don't have to guard their females. And yeah chows are that smart.

It is the fact that you didn't witness the mating that is preventing the akc from giving you puppies as well as her age. You could maybe do a DNA test but those aren't 100% yet either. I would ask that you stay on this site to find a home for the puppies when they are ready. We have people who run rescuses who will be able to assist you in finding quality homes for them when they are old enough. Chows bond so tightly to their owners that they need forever homes from the very start.

Also like Jess said, socialization with humans needs to begin right from the start, They also should stay with mom and each other for the full 8 weeks, they will learn some very important lessons during that time, (a lot of socialization between dogs begins during this time) also sometimes dogs seperated before 8 weeks have issues with seperation anxiety.
Also like Jess said, you won't have trouble finding homes for those little puppies, one of the problems affecting the chow breed is the absolute beauty of the puppies. I have never seen an ugly or even plain chow puppie. But those cute little teddy bears grow up to be independent, stubborn adult chows, and need people who understand them. Please keep that in mind when interviewing prospective homes for them.

It is not a good idea for first time dog owners to take on chows, (like Rotties, dobermans or the other thinking assertive breeds) there are good people on this site, and we all care very deeply about the chow breed as a whole and every individual chow as well, (a lot of us dream of opening our own rescue/shelter for chows) so we tend to get riled when we hear about an unplanned pregnancy. Sorry. We are very protective of this breed. When you've had chows for as long as some of us have, (myself 20+ years now) you will come to understand why and how we feel the way we do.
Victory, Darkwind, (our angel), Firesong, and Dreamdancer
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crickle_22
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Re: Need some advice

Post by crickle_22 »

Hello there!

I don't think that the comments are ment to sound rude... more conscern is stressed then anything I think. It's hard to hear that you know for a fact that she didn't get pregnant from another dog when you weren't able to witness this happening. However, I do know that it's easier to watch your dogs while outside then it is to be around every moment while they are in the house. Let this be a lesson that you learn to be more aware. Are you planning on breeding your chows? If not then I think getting them fixed would be your safest bet. Your female chow hasn't had the time needed to fully develop herself before having puppies so I would watch her and make sure she is doing well and is healthy. Get a vet to check her out and make sure everything is good. Along with the puppies! I dont think the AKC will register them because you weren't present and can't be 100 percent sure from their point of view. BUT, you can find them really good homes... make sure you LEARN as much as you can!! (I myself am finding out how important this is)... this fourm is a great place to get information from those more experienced then you are. Socialize them with everything from children, to animals..cats, dogs, etc.. get them used to everything you can... grooming, touching... leave no stone unturned and you will have good dogs. It is important they stay wtih the mom for 10+ wks for them to learn behaviour only a dog can teach. When the time comes to adopt them out... make sure the people taking your babies are people with experince... I wish you nothing but luck on this journey.. in the meantime enjoy these little blessings.. they grow so fast. :)
ps. welcome to the fourm!
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