Carefully bred for working ability, Briar has more than fulfilled her breeder’s hopes.
The 4-year-old Golden Retriever has already earned the AKC Obedience Trial Championship and the AKC Master Agility Championship, as well as shown her ability in the field with a Junior Hunter title. She has learned the tasks for service dog work, the goal of her breeder Linzey Zoccola of Phoenix Assistance Dogs.
It was natural that Zoccola and Briar’s co-owner and trainer Heidi Buck decided to breed her and pass on her trainability and great temperament.
What was not natural was the active Golden curbing any of her activities. Like most breeders, Buck had to determine how much exercise was appropriate and healthy for Briar.
“As Briar entered the second half of her pregnancy, we eliminated any jumping or jarring activities. Since it was winter, overheating was not an issue we had to worry much about,” Buck said. “She continued training in obedience exercises, went on hikes, and even played some low-key frisbee.”
It is an issue that all breeders face – how much exercise should their pregnant bitches receive and how much is too much. Most breeder-veterinarians agree that exercise is important through the pregnancy but should be reduced to lighter activities as females near the delivery date.
Bitches that are in good physical condition tend to have easier and natural whelpings and recover from their pregnancies much quicker than those who are not exercised.
“Whelping is physically very taxing and if they are in good physical condition, they should have an easier time maintaining the strength needed during the whelping process,” said Dr. Kate Bremser DVM. “Normal exercise will also help keep them from gaining too much weight during early pregnancy. While we definitely want them well fed, being too overweight can also negatively impact their ability to whelp easily and recover well.”
Bremser is an English Springer Spaniel breeder and competes with her dogs in multiple sports, including conformation, agility and dock diving.
“For my girls, I allow them to continue their normal daily activities throughout pregnancy. I do limit their activities that may be too concussive for growing puppies, though. For instance, swimming is fine, but I don’t let them jump off the dock,” Bremser said. “I will also keep training for agility through early pregnancy, but I do lower the jumps to maybe only 8- to 12-inches and this may only go on for the first couple of weeks, depending on the bitch.”
Boston Terrier breeder and dog sports competitor, Dr. Betsy Ulrich King DVM, agrees that it is important to keep expecting moms in good shape, but take into consideration factors such as breed, time of year (outdoor temperatures), and the number of puppies being carried.
“It’s usually best to stop training in agility or other strenuous sports once females reach the end of what would be the equivalent the ‘first trimester’ in humans – 21 days,” King said. “My dogs are used to walking about 3 to 5 miles a day, so I would cut this by half for the next 21 days, then allow the bitch to self-exercise off lead in the fenced-in yard or go for short walks if she wants to.”
Hard physical exercise like treadmill, road work, and slat mill may be fine in the first few weeks but will likely need to cut back or cut out completely after week 4 or 5, Bremser advised.
Portuguese Water Dog breeder, Dr. Claire Wiley VMD DACVIM, advocates healthy exercise to maintain appropriate weight and musculature, but cautions that all exercise should be carefully supervised.
“Generally, during the last 3 weeks, strenuous exercise should be avoided. The added weight during the last few months can put additional strain on the ligaments,” Wiley said. “Even in earlier stages, exercise should be monitored as physiologic changes impact blood flow. Any stress may have more of an impact on a pregnant bitch.”
Breeders also should consider if they want to take their bitches to dog shows, trials, and other public events where many dogs gather.
“I recommend caution in exposing pregnant bitches to competition events or classes. I don’t want to risk compromising my bitch in anyway,” Wiley said. “As a small breeder without a way to keep my other dogs separate, I limit my entire household until the puppies have gone to their homes.”
Swimming is great exercise, but Wiley does not swim her girls in lakes or other natural bodies of water during pregnancy or even during the heat cycle if they are going to be bred.
Cane Corso breeder Stephanie Rudderow shows her dogs in conformation and protection work. She continues training until she has confirmation of their pregnancy around 28 days. Rudderow believes continuing to work females is important to the development of the puppies in the uterus.
“When the pregnancy is confirmed, they begin their light duty. We stop protection training, obedience and rough housing with the other dogs and stick to tracking and daily walks, Rudderow said. “I continue to walk my mommas-to-be daily through day 59 and give them the last few days off.
When in doubt, listen to your mom-to-be. She often is the best judge of what she needs, Bremser said.
“I think the best policy is to let them guide you. Some girls are going to want to remain really active and busy while some may not,” Bremser said.
Keeping Briar active paid off with an easy delivery and quick recovery for mom.
“She had eight pups and popped them out in less than two hours,” Buck said. “Six were born in the first hour, and all were healthy and thrived.”
Buck kept a female from the litter, Talyn, who helped mom get back in condition by playing with her daily. About 12 weeks after her puppies were born, Briar resumed training in agility and obedience and has started competing again.
“I truly believe being in shape led to an easy and successful delivery as well as a speedy recovery,” Buck said.