Despite the age of the prey, the first 2 litters will generally be smaller than the later ones. According to a Royal Canin article, third and fourth pregnancies are generally the largest. If a female is not raised until after age 5, she may have smaller litters on a permanent basis in terms of puppy count. If she was raised before age 5, then she will probably have a slightly larger litter size.
Dogs between 2 and 5 years old tend to form the largest litters. The first heat in a female dog is usually between 6 and 18 months. The AKC recommends that females be bred in their second or third heat for good dog welfare (and not before). Women, at that childbearing age, are at their best fertility.
Many dog breeding enthusiasts suggest choosing puppies from the mother's second or third litter. By then, it will be easier to know how the puppies will turn out. After personal experience and talking to friends and family, the consensus was that Raven could have between 1 and 16 puppies. Larger litters will most likely occur when the male dog is less than 5 years old, since it is easier for sperm to enter the female's eggs and most sperm are of higher quality.
A healthier, thinner female is more likely to have a larger litter than those who are overweight. Adding a little more protein or additional protein supplements to the diet during pregnancy will greatly reduce the chance of having a smaller litter. Now, even if it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to actively determine and decide the size of your next puppy litter, several factors can more or less heavily influence the size of the dog litter. The study's findings were that supplementing high-quality formulated dog food along with small servings of cottage cheese could increase litter size at a cost to health.
Breeding in limited genetic groups, such as dogs that come from smaller breeding groups where genetic diversity is very limited, is known to produce a (much) smaller litter size of puppies. Although the results are relative, it clearly shows that the more inbred the puppies, the lower the puppy count. The largest litter was twelve adorable eight-week-old Golden Retriever puppies who rushed into the house from the outdoor yard. However, keep in mind that some small breeds can still produce large litters; the Pekingese, for example, can produce up to 10 puppies in a litter.
According to the American Kennel Club, dog mothers give birth to larger litters in spring and smaller litters in summer. You may be planning a breeding and wondering how you can increase the litter size, or you may have already bred and wonder how you can figure out the litter size ahead of time. And, every time a dog becomes pregnant, she is more likely to have even more puppies with the next calf. You can't put two parents who previously produced large litters and expect puppies to produce large litters two years later as well.
For example, spaniels and retrievers usually have four to eight puppies at a time, while smaller dogs, such as terriers, can only have two, maybe three in a litter.
