GRIFFON BRUXELLOIS. "Sparklets," the property of Miss Johnson.
The usual period of willingness to breed in a toy bitch is, more or less, one week. This is preceded by about a fortnight's preparation, a week or so of gradual enlargement of the parts concerned, and a week of a coloured discharge from the uterus and vagina. Either or all of the stages may last a longer or shorter time; but three weeks is generally accepted as the period. No attempt at mating the bitch should be made during the first two stages; it is when the discharge begins to cease that she is ready, and the correct judging of this time is what chiefly puzzles amateurs, though after they have once been through it they will not find any difficulty. As a rule, bitches are sent away too soon, and as the conveniences for keeping them at the stud dog's house are often few, they are cooped up for day after day, and may become quite "stale" and dull before the real mating time comes—a poor prospect. If the two dogs are in the house together, the male should be kept entirely away from the female from the very beginning of her attraction for him, until she is ready, otherwise he will worry her incessantly and become himself ultimately indifferent and useless in the matter. Toy dogs should never be left to themselves in breeding matters; it is highly dangerous to do so, especially if they are young and inexperienced, and I strongly advise the beginner either to get some experienced breeder to overlook matters and give advice, or failing this, when the female is ready, to send the two dogs for a few hours to some kind and sensible veterinary surgeon. They should be allowed to be together twice, either on consecutive days, or with a day between.
Once mated, the little toy bitch must be petted and taken good care of: not over-fed, but given plenty of good, nourishing food, and systematically exercised. If she is in pup it will become evident about the fifth to the seventh week. Some dogs show it much more than others; whether she has puppies or not, she will have the natural provision of milk for them. If she does not pup, she may very likely come in season again in half the usual time. A failure to prove in pup is generally evidenced by a time of great heaviness and dullness, the bitch sleeping a great deal, getting very fat, and decidedly stupid; under these circumstances give her extra exercise and one or two small doses of sulphate of magnesia in food, to ward off skin irritation, a not uncommon correlative. People are far too apt to decide that "missing" is the bitch's fault; certainly she is apt to miss if she is too fat at the time of mating, and Nature often, and very sensibly, arranges that she shall do so when she has been regularly bred from at her seasons for a number of times; but outside these occasions it is quite as often the dog's fault as not.
A question which is frequently asked is as to the desirability or otherwise of giving a toy bitch worm medicine, or an aperient, while she is in pup or just before her babies arrive. It is as well to give one mild dose of worm medicine about the end of the third week, if the bitch is known to be troubled with these parasites to any great extent; but it would be much better to have dosed her before her breeding time came on. As to the aperient before pupping which we often see advised, it is a totally unnecessary interference with Nature, and when castor oil, a violent irritant to dogs, is employed, it is a sheer piece of cruelty, likely to have very bad effects.
CHAPTER III
THE TOY BITCH WHEN PUPPING
Too much interference is generally alternated in the case of dogs with a disregard of their natural feelings where the arrival of puppies is concerned. It is quite natural that the little bitch, feeling distressed and uneasy, should claim a great deal of notice and attention, and if she has been made a pet of she will expect, and deserve, to be allowed to have her puppies in her mistress's dressing-room or some similar luxury; in which she should be indulged. But once she has got over the preliminaries, which I will presently describe, she should, if possible, be left to herself as far as manual assistance goes. Nature will bring the puppies into the world far better than our clumsy hands, and the merest little tyro of a year-old bitch generally possesses the marvellous instinct teaching her to put her babies comfortably afloat on the sea of life. The disregard of a pet dog's feelings at which I have hinted may take the form of sending a tiny bitch out to the stable to pup under the care of a coachman or groom, and this may or may not be cruel according to whether she has any affection for the man or any knowledge of her temporary quarters; personally, I should consider it an unkind thing to do under any circumstances.
The beginning of the toy bitch's trouble is apparent to her owner almost as soon as to herself. She pants, and runs about excitedly, scratching here and there, making wildly impossible and absurd nests for her puppies in all kinds of unsuitable places. This may last for days, but is generally only done for a few hours before the puppies arrive, which, by the way, will be nine weeks after mating. Some bitches shriek in a very distressing way before they pup, and, as a rule, food is refused, and the little mother that is to be is often sick. No anxiety, however, need be felt. As soon as she really means business she will quiet down and settle in the place prepared for her, which by choice should be a big, deep arm-chair, with a white blanket—any old thing will do that is clean—folded in the seat of it, and over this an old cotton sheet, likewise folded, and so secured that the bitch cannot scrabble it up in the foolish endeavour to improve human bed-making which always possesses dogs, and, if indulged, lands them in desperate discomfort on the top of a kind of volcano of rags!
In nine cases out of ten a bitch chooses to pup in the night, and the hours often seem very long, while she may lie and sleep in evident uneasiness, getting up every now and then to make her bed, and panting as if exhausted. It is quite safe to leave her in this condition for twelve hours, but if by that time she seems to be getting weaker and no puppies have come, the vet's services should be requisitioned. Probably she will not eat, but she may be offered a little cold milk. On no account give her anything hot, externally or internally, and do not be tempted to do anything whatever to her; the only interference which is ever excusable is the application of a very little sweet oil or vaseline externally, which she will lick off, and which does no harm and no good, in my experience.