Bichon Frise Had Her Litter Sept. 11th!

[Ewe Mama2]

I hope all goes great with your little lady and her babies. Can you have an ultrasound done at the vet's office to make sure there all is well and that she will be able to safely deliver them?

Just my two cents, but all breeds that exist today were crossed with others to make them what they are today. Who knows, maybe Bichon/Yorkie hybrids will be a new breed recognized by the AKc some day?

I absolutely adore my Yorkie/Maltese hybrid. She has the best personality and is very healthy. We looked into getting "purebred" dogs, but always ended up finding health problems lurking at every turn (because of far too much inbreeding). We opted for "hybrid vigor" and are very happy with the results.

Let us know how everything works out!

 

[Riocotesei]

I would love to see pictures of her!
I used to breed Chihuahua's and I would measure around the widest part of the their belly then write down how many inches it was and how far along she was.
Then, when you have puppies and compare it to your measurements, you can make a pretty good guess on how any pups come from certain amounts of inches. Of my 2 girls, Pepper would get 21" around and she consistanly had 5 puppies.

 

[Muggsmagee]

Thank you parjackson! We have a great relationship with our vet. An ultrasound is an expensive test...and if no negative symptoms are present, it isn't necessary. I'm very hands on with delivery. I won't really have a choice if it goes like last time. My Bichon's name is Georgia...she tried having her puppies ON me as I was sleeping in bed. When I say on...I mean it! Other than seemingly huge, Georgia is perfectly healthy. I have all my supplies ready for the big day. The puppies will be seen by the vet at day 2 or 3 to have dew claws removed. There are some small breeds that run the risk of c-section and water babies (look it up...graphic!)...sadly Bichon Frise fall under that. We are prepared for it all.

I had a mutt (Havanese and ?), purebred doberman pinscher, and a purebred black lab growing up. The itty bitty mutt was my favorite! She was just so smart. The other two were fun in their own way, but my little Poppy holds a special place in my heart.

Once I find my digital SD card from 2 years ago, I can post pics. Unless I can get them from facebook? I wish I was tech savvy.

 

[bagendhens]

i just wanted to step in here for the "hybrid vigor" aspect...

it DOESNT exist because a bichon x yorki (or any other mixed breed) is NOT a hybrid...

2 dogs of different breeds = mixed breed...

to get a hybrid you would have to cross a DOG (of any breed) with another SPECIES...
a wolf x dog is a hybrid
a coyote x dog is a hybrid
a Lion x tiger is a hybrid.
ect

but a dog x dog is NOT a hybrid

a mixed breed CAN be healthier than a purebred simply because of bad breeding practices, puppymills, petshops ect.
but its not "hybrid vigor".

just wanted to clear that up because its a huge pet peeve of mine. lol.

i would DEFINTALY take your girl in for an xray, if shes prone to large litters and is larger this litter than last it could be either shes got alot of babies in there OR shes got some large babies in there...having an idea of how many (and in the case of large puppies how big) is a huge help during whelping. knowing how many to expect gives you a good prep for the whelping, if the vet sees 6 skulls and after hours you only have 2 puppies you know theres a problem...if the pups are large she may need a c-section so being prepared for that ahead of time is a good way of ensuring your girls health.

 

[Muggsmagee]

Sorry bagendhens...that is NOT true. We have discussed this in earlier posts and because some people were being rude, their comments were deleted.

This is the ACTUAL definition of dog hybrid:

A dog hybrid is a cross between two different breeds. Hybrids are also known as crossbreeds or crossbreds. A dog of unknown parentage is called a mixed-breed dog.

Definition of hybrid
In biology, the word hybrid has two meanings. The first meaning is the result of interbreeding between two animals or plants of different taxa. Hybrids between different species within the same genus are sometimes known as interspecific hybrids or crosses. Hybrids between different sub-species within a species are known as intra-specific hybrids.

The second meaning of "hybrid" is crosses between populations, breeds or cultivars of a single species. This second meaning is often used in plant and animal breeding. The cross-breeding of domestic dog breeds is this type because while they may look very different, domestic dog breeds are all the same species.

In less technical conversation (and particularly in the dog world) the word hybrid refers to selective breed crosses and their progeny, even if outcrossed to other breeds. For example, the Queensland Wild Dog Management Strategy, September 2002, states that hybrid will also refer to the descendants of crossbred progeny.

Designer dogs
Some dog hybrids are now being selectively bred. The term designer dogs is often used to refer to these crosses.

Whilst the trend to produce hybrid or designer dogs is considered new it is, in fact, a continuation of the centuries-old practice of selective breeding. All dog breeds were created for a particular purpose, usually some form of hunting, herding, or guarding. These tasks have been largely replaced by the need to produce healthy dogs with good temperaments as domestic companions or pets.

Proponents point out that there are bona fide reasons for the breeding of some specific crosses (the Labradoodle, for example, was first bred as a guide dog for visually impaired people with allergies), and also that the available research shows that crossbreds on average live longer and healthier lives (see mixed breed dogs and heterosis/hybrid vigor).

In some dog sports, particularly flyball, hybrids have become very popular. For example, the Borderjack (Border Collie/Jack Russell Terrier) is desirable because it retains the small size of the Jack Russell but has the athletic ability and trainability of the Border Collie. The Borderstaffy (Border Collie/Staffordshire Bull Terrier) is prized because it has the speed of a Border Collie and the strength of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Registration and recognition of hybrids
Dog hybrids are not recognized by the main breed registries. They should not be confused with independent breeds, which are also not recognized. The difference lies in the longevity of the breed, the numbers of breeders and the existence of a legitimate breed club, the number of specimens of the breed past a certain number of generations, whether or not it breeds true to type, for how long a breed registry has been maintained, and the reason for the nonrecognition. Often independent breed clubs oppose recognition, for reasons which usually concern maintaining independent control of the qualities of their chosen breed.

Portmanteau names
With the long-time popularity, of the "breed" name cockapoo, used since at least 1970 and constructed by combining elements of its two contributing breeds (Cocker Spaniel/Poodle), it has become extremely common to find mixed-breed dogs named with breed names likewise invented by portmanteau. The tendency for using such names in a jocular way dates back at least to Queen Elizabeth's Dorgis (Dachshund/Corgi). However, extremely few of these become mainstream "breeds" over long periods with determined breeders, and, as of 2006, Cockapoo and Labradoodle are still the only such combined names to make it into the dictionary. Nonetheless, names such as these commonly appear in for-sale ads and often lack consistency; a cross between a Maltese and a Poodle, for example, may be advertised as either a "Maltipoo" or a "Moodle".

Among the better known dog hybrids are Labradoodles and Australian Bulldogs, which each have their own breed fancy associations. Poodle crosses are also popular.​

 

[bburn]

....anyway, what I wanted to say is:

My first Bichon was a rescue that I got when I was in Texas. Mollie Margaret was a wonderful dog who when I brought her home for the first time walked in, looked around and found a place to sit down and sighed real big....kinda like 'finally, I'm home!!' She was six when I got her and lived to be 17 years old and I finally had her put to sleep. She could no longer see to get up the three steps of the deck and kept hitting her chin....she was running into doors and she was the worst thing of all....hurting. I still cry but feel blessed to have had her. Then eight years ago I bought a Bichon puppy for my daughter who is special needs. She still has him and they now live in independent living.

In my mind, in my eyes, there is not a better dog. Yes there is a lot of grooming for a Bichon but the personality and the loyality more than make up for that.

So, mix just about anything with a Bichon and you will have a fine dog!

 

[arabianequine]

I hope you have a great delivery and healthy puppies. Pic please. As far as breeding.....I don't care what anyone says in response to your reason to breed you actually don't have to have one or give one and who cares if not good enough either because they can't stop you anyway....its your choice and not illegal. 3/4's of the people disagreeing are probably mixed breed themselves and we still have to accept them, and respect them or should I say we should. Don't stop them from being born day after day.

 

[Muggsmagee]

bburn...thank you for that beautiful story!

My Bichon is my shadow...she accidentally gets stepped on so much because she doesn't leave me room to move.

I did a lot of research into this breed when we were looking for my son over 4 years ago. They are easily trainable, they are natural performers (comedians reincarnated perhaps?), great with kids, hypoallergenic! My dog wants to mother EVERYTHING. Pregnant or not, she has that instinct. She introduced and protected our new kitten to the other dogs, wouldn't let them play with the kitten for the first few weeks! She has jumped in a full brooder and layed down and let chicks hop all over her!!! I have a few pics of her looking in, just before that. Even our bunnies are tolerant of her and will let her lick them. She sits at the fence of the alpacas and just wags her tail at them...no barking, no growling...just an expression of wanting to make a new friend. The alpacas are freaked out by her, though! I love that natural bond dogs have with other species. It is a beautiful sight!

Other than the occasional brown gift she gives me when we leave the house, and the fact that she is JUST warming up to my husband (some reason she does not like men), oh yeah...and the fact that she has a coat that is a nightmare to maintain, she is the PERFECT pet!!!!

 

[bburn]

 

[Ewe Mama2]

I was looking back through old posts and was wondering how your Bichon did with her litter. Did she do ok?