Neapolitan mastiffs are somewhat average in terms of litter size, with 8 being the typical total puppy count. In 2004, a Neapolitan mastiff named Tia became the mother of the largest litter ever documented, when she gave birth to 24 puppies by cesarean section. The smaller a dog's gene pool, the smaller its litters tend to be; on the contrary, dogs that come from more diverse backgrounds tend to have larger litters. But understand that this is a statistical correlation, not a way to predict the number of puppies your individual dog will have.
While dogs can produce quite a few litters throughout their lives, it's important to realize that every pregnancy affects the health of dogs. Larger breeds usually have a larger litter of puppies, while small dog breeds will have a smaller litter, maybe just a pair. Miniature breeds generally produce litters of 3.5 puppies, while large breeds generally produce 7.1 puppies per litter. Humans have control over certain aspects of when and how a dog is raised that can affect litter size, but there are limits.
Many dogs have litters that fall outside this range; some dogs only give birth to a single puppy and others are known to give birth to more than 20 puppies. Within a given breed, individuals with a larger body size (in terms of build, not weight) usually give birth to larger litters. According to the American Kennel Club, Labrador Retriever has the highest number of puppies in a litter, with an average of 7.6.There is also a small time interval, between day 28 and 35 of pregnancy, in which the veterinarian can feel your dog's abdomen safely. TYLER, Texas (KLTV) -A homeless dog nearly set a world record when she gave birth to a litter of 20 puppies on Tuesday.
For example, dogs of breeds that normally produce litters of five puppies can only produce one or two for their first litter. Raising a dog so many times would surely jeopardize their health, and this type of metal pedal breeding is more characteristic of puppy mills and unscrupulous breeders than conscientious breeders who value the welfare of their puppies.
