If you intend to breed your Pitbull or have a pregnant Pitbull, and you are a first-time owner, you must be eager to know how many puppies you should expect from a Pitbull bitch. Read on to know how many puppies a Pitbull can have, the factors affecting the size of the litter, and more about Pitbull’s pregnancies.
How Many Puppies Can A Pitbull Have
A female Pitbull can have an average of 5 puppies per litter. Many factors determine the number of puppies a Pitbull will have, like the parent’s age, mom’s health, breeding time, inbreeding, the litter that the mom’s parent was born in, the size of the bitch, and the type of Pitbull. A Pitbull can have up to 10-14 puppies in one litter.
Factors Determining The Number Of Puppies A Pitbull Will Have
Age Of The Parents
Mom
An older dam will produce fewer puppies than a young dam. However, the second litter is normally smaller than the litters that follow. For example, you should expect a small litter if you are breeding your Pitbull for the first time than for the third time.
It is not advisable to breed your female Pitbull after age 8, even if she is still fertile. Furthermore, if you breed your Pitbull more than 4 times, it will adversely affect her health.
Dad
Although the father’s age does not greatly affect the litter’s size, it still has an impact. When a sire is between 5 and 6 years old, his sperm quality starts to deteriorate. Even if the birch is extremely fertile, this may lead to fewer puppies per litter. As a result, some breeders decide to use artificial insemination to speed up the breeding process for older males.
Health Of The Mom
Your Pit bull’s health can impact the pregnancy and the number of pups born. Even if six or more pups are conceived, this does not guarantee they will live through the entire gestation. Your Pitbull requires a balanced diet, a healthy environment, and little stress, like pregnant women. Pit bulls under stress may find it difficult to carry all of their puppies to term. It might result in stillbirths and miscarriages.
If you overfeed your Pitbull female, she will get overweight. You should not breed your Pitbull when she is overweight as it can result in complications.
Breeding Time
Your female will produce more puppies the closer you breed her to ovulation. Your vet can assist you in choosing the ideal time for artificial insemination. Try to have several ties if you decide to breed naturally because doing so will increase the likelihood of having a large litter.
Size of The Mother
The likelihood that your Pitbull will have more puppies increases with size. Some large female Pit bulls have been known to have litters with as many as 10 pups. A large-size dog can have up to 14 puppies at once if this is her second litter. However, the average litter size is between 5 and 6 puppies.
Inbreeding
This practice in dog breeding is also known as “line breeding.” Close relatives are paired to establish desired characteristics, such as a blue nose, strong muscles, or a specific head type.
Only very competent breeders should use line breeding because it might easily result in abnormalities in the puppies. Additionally, litters from close-line breeding will produce only 2 or 3 puppies.
How Many Puppies Can A Blue Nose Pitbull Have?
Pitbulls with blue noses often have 5 puppies per litter. You might even have up to 10 puppies in the litter if the female is in great health and is bred near ovulation. Checking the litter sizes of your Pitbull mom’s mother will give you a good idea of how many puppies to anticipate. The size of the females’ litter is frequently compared to that of their mothers’ and grandmothers’.
A Pitbull Can Have How Many Puppies in a Year?
A variety of different factors influence the number of puppies that a dog produces. Compared to adult dogs, young Pitbulls normally go through one heat cycle every year. Usually, their estrus cycles are irregular.
While large breeds may only go through one heat cycle yearly, small breeds may go through three. A dog is unable to become pregnant in between heat cycles. Pregnancy, however, can happen during undetected heat cycles.
A dog’s health could suffer if she produces more than two litter in a year.
How Long Is A Pit Bull Dog Pregnant?
Pitbulls carry their puppies for 58 to 68 days. With an average of 63 days from conception to delivery, the gestation time is nearly equal across all breeds.
During the fetus’s stage of development, observe necessary dietary precautions. The crucial time during pregnancy is between days 21 and 28. Your dog is most likely to miscarry during this point.
You must minimize her physical activity during this time. Take her to the vet for routine checkups and adhere to whatever advice they have for her.
How to Tell If A Pitbull is Pregnant
You can determine whether your Pitbull is pregnant in many ways. However, you should not hesitate to call your vet if you are unsure whether your dog is pregnant or not. Signs of pregnancy in Pitbulls include;
Loss of appetite: If you notice your dog is not finishing the usual amount of food, take her to the vet for a checkup.
Swollen vulva: If the vulva is swollen and has some discharge, like blood, she might be pregnant.
Behavioral changes: If your Pitbull has behavior changes like getting angered easily, morning sickness, or shredding the bedding, she might be pregnant. Changes in hormones bring about these changes.
Large appetite: If your dog has an insatiable appetite, she might be pregnant. This is to provide food to the growing fetus.
Weight gain: It is normal for pregnant dogs to increase in weight because of the growing puppies in their tummy.
Firm abdomen– as the puppies continue to grow in the tummy, they make the abdomen firmer. You should provide your dog with soft bedding to enhance comfort during this period.
Conclusion
The number of puppies a Pitbull can have depends on several factors. Please take great care of your Pitbull during pregnancy to have healthy puppies.
Take your Pitbull to a vet before breeding to prevent miscarriages and spreading some diseases to the puppies.
