Factors Influencing a Dog Litter Size
Now, even if it is extremely hard (if not impossible) to determine and actively decide on the size of your next puppy litter, several factors can influence with more or less weight a dog litter size.
One of the most forgotten factors affecting the size of a puppy litter is the influence of a high coefficient of inbreeding.
The Institute of Canine Biology published a chart illustrating the comparison of data taken from the litter size of six particular breeds of dogs from the records of the Swedish Kennel Club: English Springer Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, Finnish Hound, and the Swedish Elkhound.
Although the results are relative, it clearly shows that the more inbred the puppies are, the smaller the puppy count will be. Usually, when a dog breeder uses a close inbreeding or linebreeding, it is to fix some desired traits but the price to pay is a much smaller litter.
The breed of the dog makes a huge difference in litter size. Generally, it is known that the smaller the breed the smaller the litter size and the same goes for larger breeds, larger the breed larger the litter.
For example, Spaniels and retrievers usually have anywhere from four to eight puppies at a time while on the other hand, while smaller dogs such as a Terriers can only have two maybe three in a litter.
The female’s age is a major point in determining the size of a puppy litter, and this is factual. Usually, dogs under the age of seven will have smaller litters than those that are of old age – but they should never be bred too early or too old. The very first litter, no matter the age, will usually be smaller than the others to come.
If a female is not bred until after the age of 5, she may have smaller litters permanently in terms of puppy count. If she was bred earlier than 5 years then she will probably have a slightly larger litter size. Dogs who are between 2 and 5 years usually make the largest litters.
The first heat in a female dog is usually between 6 and 18 months. The AKC recommends that females should be bred in their second or third heat for good dog welfare (and not before). Females, at that fertile age are at their fertility prime time.
The age of the male will affect the size of a litter but much less than the age of the female will. When a male dog gets older, his sperm count and the quality of it will decrease. Larger litters will most likely occur when the male dog is under 5 years of age as it is easier for the sperm to enter the female’s eggs, and the majority of the sperm is of a higher quality.
This is why the most famous dog show champions are bred extremely often and intensively in order to impregnate as many quality dams as possible. But this can lead to the popular sire syndrome.
Health plays a vital role in litter size. In summary, both parents need to be in excellent health to maximize their chance to have more puppies.
Dogs that are not genetically sound and healthy will inevitably tend to have a smaller puppy count. A healthier and slimmer female’s chance of a larger litter is greater than those who are overweight. Adding in a little more protein or extra protein supplements to the diet during pregnancy will greatly reduce the chance of having a smaller litter size. It is best to feed the female dogs high-quality dog food with no supplements.
A female fed poorly will not give her body the required support in order to produce a larger litter; therefore, providing a quality diet throughout the year is key to your female’s health and, well-being, and thus improves her fertility.
In a study by Russ Kelly, a renowned nutritionist, three dams were fed three different diets:
A balanced diet without any supplements produced the largest litters. Diets too high in protein seemed to produce smaller litters. High doses of supplements (e.g. cottage cheese) may have caused fetal abortions.
The study’s findings were that supplementing top quality formulated dog food along with small rations of cottage cheese could increase the size of the litter at a health cost.
Breeding in limited gene pools, such as dogs coming from smaller breeding groups where genetic diversity is very limited, is known to produce a (much) smaller litter size of puppies.
Many traits have high heritability, but fertility is definitely not one of them. Heritability has about a 10-15% influence over litter size, this means that one cannot rely on genes for increasing the size of the litter alone.
On the other hand, it is useful for dog breeders to know inheritable traits in dogs such as:
You cannot put two parents who produced large litters previously and expect the puppies to also produce large litters two years down the line. Factors that influence the size of a puppy litter. An infographic by Breeding Business.
How to Increase Litter Size in Dogs
The number of puppies your dam will have isnt just a casual happening depending on how the stars are aligned the day of the mating. Rather, you are in control of several factors responsible for dog litter size but may not be aware of it. Following are some factors that play a role in the dams litter size.
Your Dog’s Age
Age has an effect on litter size. As your dam ages, you should expect a decrease in the number of puppies born compared to a younger dog. Generally, this decrease is noticed in dams of large breeds over the age of five. It is still not well known what causes this decrease, but its speculated that it could be caused by a decreased number of follicles or an abnormality in the dams uterine lining. It could also be due to premature embryonic death, causing fewer pups to make it to term.
However, dont get ready to celebrate yet; according to an article by Dr. Bretaigne Jones published for Royal Canin, very young females will also produce smaller litter sizes. So dont plan to breed that dam on her very first litter, shes not yet mature enough, and she will have a smaller litter compared to the average number for her breed. Generally, litter size increases steadily after each litter, with the largest litter generated generally at around the third or fourth litter. Afterward, expect a decline.
Dog Litter Size FAQs
Its relatively quiet in your house right now, but in just a short time youll hear the pitter patter of puppy feet, and your house will explode with canine activity. While youre wondering just how many puppies you can expect, the fact is that theres no surefire way to know until not long before the birth. when your vet can perform an X-ray revealing the magic number. However, some factors influence dog litter size, and from them, you can estimate a puppy ballpark number. Whether you have just a few puppies or quite a few, make sure to enjoy every minute of the experience.
A dogs breed dramatically influences litter size. The American Kennel Club notes that Labrador and golden retrievers, the nations first and second most popular dog breeds, have an average of seven puppies per litter. Labs and goldens are relatively large dogs. The tiny Yorkshire terrier, seventh in overall popularity, averages just three puppies per litter.
That example tends to hold true when it comes to dog breed size. Little dogs have small litters, medium-sized dogs have mid-size litters, and big dogs tend toward large litters. A Norwegian Kennel Club study conducted in 2006 and 2007 bears this out.
In the study, the flat-coated retriever, a relative of the Lab, had the largest average litter size, at just over seven pups, with the German shepherd coming in a very close second. Tiny dogs like the Norfolk terrier, Pomeranian, and the toy poodle had the smallest average litters, at just three pups.
The age of the mom plays a role in litter size, so the number of offspring a dog may produce per litter may change over the years. Young and old dogs have small litters, while females in their prime have more puppies. The male also plays a part. Sperm quality declines with age, so female dogs in their prime bred to an older male may have fewer puppies than if they were bred to a younger dog.
An unhealthy dog should never be bred. However, plenty of females in poor health or kept in poor conditions will have pregnancies unplanned by people. A female who is in less than good condition at the time of mating and during the pregnancy will usually have fewer puppies than a similar, healthy female.
When a dog is bred may also affect litter size. A female dog bred by natural cover or artificial insemination may have a larger litter if the breeding takes place within 48 hours of ovulation, according to Whelping Puppies. However, if frozen rather than fresh semen is used for artificial insemination, the best time for breeding for litter size is three-to-four days post-ovulation. Determining the exact time of ovulation requires the measurement of the mom-to-bes progesterone levels.
Overall, litters conceived naturally rather than via artificial insemination tend toward the larger. The way semen is artificially inseminated also plays a role. If the semen is deposited directly into the uterus, an average of 1.4 more pups are born per litter than if the semen is deposited into the vagina.
The only way you can tell how many puppies to expect before delivery is via X-ray, but such an X-ray isnt accurate until just a few days before the puppies are born. The University of Missouri extension notes that fetal teeth, a good indicator of the number of puppies, arent visible on an X-ray until days 51-to-66 after breeding, but whelping occurs between days 57-to-69. That means you have about a week before the due date to bring your very pregnant dog to the vet for such an X-ray. Although the X-ray can give you a reasonable estimate of the number of puppies to expect, it cant account for a pup â or two â hiding beneath a sibling when the X-ray is taken.
Always check with your veterinarian before changing your petâs diet, medication, or physical activity routines. This information is not a substitute for a vetâs opinion.