On average, a large dog breed will have seven pups in a family, while small breeds will only have three. Dog breeds such as Great Danes and Labradors can have litters of more than ten puppies at a time. Humans have control over certain aspects of when and how a dog is raised that can affect litter size, but there are limits. Determining litter size can help breeders know if the mother dog has given birth to all puppies and recognize early signs of possible complications, such as large puppies that may be difficult to transmit.
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. A Chihuahua from Kansas gave birth to 11 healthy puppies, breaking the Guinness World Record for the number of puppies born in a Chihuahua litter. In addition, in these cases, most veterinarians recommend a cesarean section as the safest way to deliver healthy puppies without putting the mother at risk of complications. The average litter size ranges from three to seven puppies depending on the breed and size of the mother.
Their bodies are designed to handle the development and delivery of so many puppies better than other breeds. After having had their first litter, older Chihuahuas tend to give birth to larger litters of five to six puppies. Dogs are most fertile between two and five years of age, and their litter size will decrease as they grow. The number of puppies a dog will have will vary widely with smaller breed dogs that typically have between one and four puppies in a litter and larger to medium breed dogs having up to 10 to 15 puppies in a litter.
Although the results are relative, it clearly shows that the more inbred the puppies, the lower the puppy count. There are some breeds that will only have one or two puppies, while other breeds can have up to 15 puppies. The biggest problem with a larger Chihuahua litter is that both mother and puppies can experience health complications. Let's say that for your breed the average litter size is between 8 and 12 puppies, some breeders want to help their mother reach 11, 12 or even 13 puppies.
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.
