Successful Dog Breeding: The Complete Handbook of Canine Midwifery

Howell reference books

by Chris Walkowicz, Bonnie Wilcox

Here, at last, is a revised and expanded edition of this award-winning breeders' reference. Successful Dog Breeding is a book for the first-time breeder and longtime fancier alike, no matter what the breed. Down-to-earth practical information is given to cover virtually every contingency associated with breeding and whelping. Presented in a humorous format, even the most serious information is made easier to understand.

Chris Walkowicz and Bonnie Wilcox, D.V.M., are both veteran dog fanciers who bring a wealth of personal and professional experience to every chapter. Covering topics from planning the breeding (should I or shouldn't I?) to problems encountered in breeding, delivery and neonatal care, the authors offer viable solutions to innumerable problems, whether old or new. Two highly extensive appendices on breed idiosyncrasies, compiled from correspondence with longtime fanciers as well as from research from veterinary journals, complete the abundance of information offered here. All of this is complemented by original drawings by the well-known canine artist Mary Jung.
A Howell Dog Book of Distinction

Genres: Dogs, Nonfiction

222 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1985

Reviews

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems like a pretty comprehensive book. And yes, it has enough scary information and responsibility warnings to try to scare anyone away but the serious and hopefully responsible person. Goes though all the stages and seems to touch on all aspects of breeding, caring for puppies and issues. Not really a fun read but a good reference book to have. Looks like a good sized book, but the Appendix starts on page 171 with Breed Specifics and Predispositions. Index starts on page 217 and finishes up on 221.

[Charlette Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very down to earth and easy to understand

I'd recommend this book to anyone considering breeding any breed of dog. The detailed instructions for problematic situations and techniques to eradicate them are invaluable.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely informative and humorous. Loved the pictures. Covered all aspects of the breeding and whelping process. Very helpful.

[Corina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has an embarrassing number of typos. Also, frequent misuse of the word ‘abortion’.

However, I learned a lot of layman information about whelping; turns out raising puppies is wayyyy more work than I ever guessed.

[Ashley Sabatka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of type-o's, some made it a completely different world (pretty sure meat in the last chapter at one point was supposed to be meal). Quite a few things that were said to do were overkill by a couple breeder friends. But hopefully I'm more prepared for some of the worst case scenarios

[L.M. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a supremely helpful book for anyone who plans on breeding or has accidentally bred their dog. I purchased the book as a member of the former grouping - having the intention of breeding my registered Miniature Pinscher. As it turns out, my dog ended up whelping all by herself while I was out grocery shopping and everything went off without a hitch, so I was lucky. But about two weeks later my neighbor, a member of the accidental doggy-mom club, knocked on my door because her dog was whelping and things were not going as planned.

Thanks to information in this book I was able to help out, keeping the mother calm and focused. I fed her some peanut butter because the whelp was taking a lot out of her and she needed an energy boost. She had seven puppies in all and the last two were very difficult for her. Fortunately I'd put together a whelping kit based on information in the book and then ended up using it to help my neighbor's dog, including lubrication because puppy number 6 got stuck and all of the amniotic fluid was gone by then. By the seventh pup the mom was just too tired to break the sack and lick the pup so I was able to do that and get her breathing.

Not only good for whelping - however, this book also provided useful diet and nursing information that proved invaluable for my own litter. I ended up with a runt that wouldn't nurse and, thanks to the book, was able to feed him through a tube until he toughened up.

This book is a MUST HAVE for any would-be doggy parents.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for anyone who is serious about dog breeding. It was my bible for three litters. Cute little illustrations too.