How long does the constantly yelping stage last?

[twofingerstoGideon]

My neighbour has taken up dog breeding apparently and the constant yelping of her dog's puppies is driving me mad. We live cheek by jowl in a small terrace. Can someone tell me how long this stage lasts - it's driving me nuts! I'd ask her in normal circumstances, but she's very agressive potty.

[twofingerstoGideon]

Anyone?
We had about three hours of it, followed by an hour or so of quiet, after which it started again. I'm guessing this is normal and they aren't distressed in any way?

[SpicyBear]

Not many breeders here OP.

[twofingerstoGideon]

Thanks. I'd given up hope of anyone answering and stopped checking! They're still yelping a lot. My neighbour has, I think, made an outdoor area for them and they spend a lot of time outdoors. I can hear them, but not see them, so no idea how many etc., but they cry and yelp a lot. I'm assuming this is normal for pups. I was concerned they weren't being looked after well, as she has other animals (cats) which look quite neglected (bald patches etc.)

[insanityscratching]

When we went to choose Eric at six weeks old one of the pups yapped pretty much constantly which helped us decide not to have him tbh. I wonder if some pups yap more than others and your neighbour has a noisy bunch?

[daisydotandgertie]

I am a breeder - and there aren't many on this board!

Yes, litters of puppies make noise. Yapping alone is unlikely to mean they are ill treated, but it really isn't desirable in a pet dog.

For the first three weeks of life, you'd not know puppies were there, after that they start to make a bit of noise. By the time they're big enough to be outside for parts of the day - usually at about 5/5.5 weeks they play like crazy, which is mostly noisy and then sleep for a while; then they're fed and the cycle starts again. They are often very noisy indeed when they see food coming - either Mum or in a bowl.

My line of dogs aren't very vocal, it is undesirable for them to be noisy, and it's one of the things I breed to avoid. It's often an inherited behaviour in my breed.

Most puppies go to their new homes at 8 weeks old, so there will be an end to it, although I know that some good breeders of teeny dogs like to keep them with Mum until they're 12 weeks.

[twofingerstoGideon]

Thanks, daisy. That's quite reassuring. TBH I'll be really glad when they're gone. The noise is really beginning to get to me now. Hopefully it'll only be a few weeks more. I imagine impact on neighbours is not something she's given any thought to and I won't be surprised if the whole cycle starts again. I'm off to google how many litters a bitch can produce in a year!

[daisydotandgertie]

Many bitches, but by no means all, come into season twice a year which theoretically means it is possible to produce two litters a year.

However, the kennel club will only register 4 litters per bitch and will only register litters from a bitch aged between 1 and 8 yrs old. That of course doesn't help if she's breeding mutts.

[twofingerstoGideon]

She's breeding labradors. So potentially three more litters to go! Thanks again, daisy.

[soddinghormones]

I didn't realise breeders were allowed four litters per bitch - all the Toller breeders I contacted only bred three litters from one mum - are there different rules for different breeds?

[daisydotandgertie]

Oh blimey. Yapping labradors! Bad, bad, bad! That's my breed too.

The rules are the same for all breeds, a max of four litters but with different rules for c section litters. I would usually stop at 2 litters from each bitch, maybe, maybe a third if the bitch had found pregnancy and whelping particularly easy, but not usually.

I don't know any breeders who would take as many as 4 litters from a bitch - IMO that's coming pretty close to puppy farming and absolutely not what is right for the dog.

[twofingerstoGideon]

Thanks for the advice. I hope you're right and she doesn't continue with the breeding. Apart from anything else, it just seems so wrong in a densely populated urban area. Also, it seems like only yesterday her dog was a puppy itself!

My friend got a bitch French Terrier from a puppy farm. She'd been through several pregnancies and was in a very sorry state. So terrible.