Fairly certain my 15 mo pooch is having a phantom pregnancy...

[duchesse]

...and it's really annoying. She's shredded a number of items, is whining all the time, completely crazy and is off her food.

She's adopted her rubber pig toy that she used to find scary (that's quite sweet really).

Does anyone know how long this is likely to last? It's been nearly a week now and I can't wait for it to be over. I've never had a bitch before. She's only had two seasons- I really hope she doesn't do this every time. I want to breed from her a couple of times and then have her spayed.

Yes, that's definitely a phantom pregnancy, classic signs.
Can last a few weeks I'm afraid, then suddenly one day she'll be over it.
One of mine gets them.

My Springer has had a couple of phantom pregnancies. They are quite distressing for her but I have learned that removing toys and blankets for a week or so seems to end it faster. She has had milk come in before and needed to go the the vet for an injection to stabilise her hormones.

Hullo
Its distressing isn't it?
May I ask why you want to breed from her....Why not get her neutered after this season?

She's a beautiful pedigree, given to me by my BIL, and he wants a puppy back at some point. Puppies are about £1000 each as long as I find her the right boyfriend.

Ooh...what breed is your girl?

It sounds like you've got experience of dog breeding in the family which is good to hear as I was asking because I work in animal welfare and we see a lot of people who want to breed from their pet without having a clue of the costs and risks involved. By the time stud fees and registrations are paid for, vet testing is done prior to breeding for both parents, extra vet care and feeding for mother and puppies, plus having to put money aside for complications like hand rearing pups, coping with returned adolescent puppies or heaven forbid having to deal with life threatening risks like emergency cesareans, they are surprised to find there isn't much profit when balanced against possible aggro. Good breeders are a dedicated bunch and hats off to people like you who are ambassadors for a particular breed.

Sadly in recent months we've been handed full or part litters of 'top bred' pups that the breeder can't shift and they want help to find homes for them before they get too big to be desirable at all. Certainly better than dropping the prices so low to appeal to buyers picking at a whim.

I hope your hormonal pooch feels a little more settled soon and Emmie says, the vet may suggest an injectable hormone to help her feel less stressed.

She's a particularly beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog, booboo. My BIL sells all of his before they're even born on the whole (unless he ends up with a load of boys when people wanted girls, in which case it takes him a couple of weeks to shift them). Photo on my profile of my dog when she was younger if you're interested.

And yes, I never understand the fascination for Bulldogs for example. I think they're mostly a status symbol aren't they? A face only a mother could love, tiny litters and the need for a caesarian at each birth...

Yeah bulldogs (esp French ones), huskies and pugs are all the rage at the moment....guess what rescues are getting handed in?!

Bernese are beautiful! My friend judges them. You've got a lot of fur to brush!

Yep! We were getting 100g a day when she was moulting in the spring. She must weigh a couple of kg less than she did in the winter.

A little unfair to the bulldog when the Bernese Mountain dog has a distressingly short average lifespan and genetic problems of their own (OCD, hip dysplasia, again distressingly high incidence of cancers, arthritis, cruciate ligament rupture etc.)

In the US, yes, they have many genetic problems with cancers etc... My dog's G Grandmother lived to be 11 years old, which is very old for the breed. She died of old age, not illness. There are no known illnesses in my BIL's line.

I would add that they are big dogs and as with all big dogs you have to be careful how you feed them during their growth phase and also be careful what sort of exercise they get. They mustn't be walked too much as puppies and you have to be careful about horseplay until they're full-grown.