Gundog Expert Articles

Kennel Notes - Care During Pregnancy by Keith Erlandson

After mating, a bitch can be worked for several weeks, should she have been mated during the shooting season.  Some authorities claim hunting actually can enhance the working ability of the pups.  Experiments have been conducted with pregnant female rats.  A control group lived in an empty cage.  The experimental females were given toys to play with.  Upon dissection, the young from the group whose dams had toys to play with during pregnancy had developed a thicker cortex surrounding their brain which seemingly would have had a positive effect upon their brain power.

A bitch could be worked for several weeks during pregnancy but jumping should be avoided at all times.  An American authority has pointed out that a coyote bitch does not cease to hunt during pregnancy.  Agreed but she can take it easy and leisurely pick up gophers and other easy prey rather than trying to run down jack rabbits and like foxes here, coyotes do form a pair bond and the males doubtless carry some prey to the heavy in whelp females, so the situation is not quite anologous with a hard hunting gundog bitch.

Perhaps it would be advantageous for a  staghound bitch in whelp to be taken out with the tutters, then boxed up when the stag had been roused.

(posted 28/07/2003)