Best Answer: Can a Yorkie have 6 puppies?

Pregnancy in a dog is a difficult process for it, therefore, the owner needs to surround his pet with care and attention during this period.
The pregnancy process in dogs lasts about three months, and in almost all breeds it proceeds the same.

It is very difficult to say how many puppies a dog will have, since in this case it is influenced by many factors that are almost impossible to predict.

Each breeder wants to see as many puppies as possible, since the number of puppies, in this case, is equal to the income that he will receive from their sale.

What to look for after your dog gives birth

Here are some things to expect and pay attention to after your puppies are born.

Vaginal discharge

Vaginal discharge may continue in small amounts for up to eight weeks after the puppies are born. The discharge is usually reddish-black in color because it consists mainly of old blood.

If the discharge is excessively bloody, has an odor, or looks like pus, your dog should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Heat

It is normal for mothers to have a fever (greater than 102.5°F) within 24 to 48 days after giving birth, but this should not be accompanied by signs of illness.

Metritis (inflammation of the uterus)

Metritis, or inflammation of the uterus, can occur due to retained placenta or trauma during childbirth. If you notice signs of fever, lack of appetite, smelly vaginal discharge, lack of interest in the puppies or milk production, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Eclampsia (drop in blood calcium levels)

Eclampsia can occur within the first three weeks after birth and is caused by the mother's inability to meet calcium requirements during lactation. This is commonly seen in toy breeds, and calcium supplementation during pregnancy predisposes the dog to this condition.

Dogs suffering from this condition will experience restlessness, muscle spasms, a stiff gait, and even seizures. Please consult your veterinarian as soon as possible if you notice any of these behaviors.

Mastitis (infected breast tissue)

Mastitis, or inflammation of the breast tissue, occurs when the breasts become hard, red, and tender due to infection. The mother will likely be sore while nursing, but it is important for the puppies to continue suckling to reduce swelling and promote the elimination of infected material.

If you are concerned that your dog may develop mastitis, contact your veterinarian as your dog will likely need treatment.

Agalactia (does not produce milk)

Agalactia occurs when dog milk is either not produced or is not released. If puppies are nursing well but are not getting milk, it is important to seek help from a veterinarian.

The first milk, or "colostrum", provides the puppies with essential nutrients and antibodies from their mother to help them develop natural immunity to infections.

If they do not receive these important nutrients within the first few days of life, they may require additional veterinary care.

Accurate ways to find out the number of puppies

Of course, you can't rely entirely on a dog's age and, say, its weight to know how many puppies there will be in a litter. More reliable information can be obtained using an ultrasound, which is performed on bitches after the 25th day of pregnancy (veterinarians sometimes use ultrasound only to confirm pregnancy, and not to count the number of puppies). You can even more accurately determine the number of puppies using x-rays, but such a study is most informative only after the 55th day of pregnancy, when the skeleton of the puppies is fully formed. By the way, during the X-ray examination, the doctor will determine the position of the fetuses and decide whether the dog will need help during childbirth.

By the way, some owners, trying to calculate the number of fetuses in the dog’s womb, use the palpation method by pressing on the belly of their pregnant pet. You shouldn't do this! And not only because it is very difficult to find puppies. Just strong pressure can damage fragile babies, as well as cause pain to a pregnant animal.

Estrus and mating days

Despite the many records I have for each breeding female, it is simply not realistic to determine and highlight any average statistical data on the duration of the estrus of Chinese Cresteds and favorable mating days.
In some females, it is impossible to accurately determine the first day of estrus - males begin to sniff at them even when there is no bleeding. Other bitches are generally bloodless and the best mating day can be determined only by the behavior of the males. Several times I took a progesterone test to determine the best time to breed a bitch, but according to my data, this test does not affect the effectiveness of mating at all, especially during a bloodless (hidden) heat.

I will give some approximate figures. Most often we mate on days 11, 12 and 13 (if these days really are such). There are also extremes. Several of my bitches are in heat for only 14-16 days (Moonswift line), and with such a short heat they are ready to breed as early as 9 days. The other two bitches (Razzmatazz line) have a estrus duration of 30-32 days and mate later, up to 16-17 days.

Childbirth in Yorkshire Terriers

The Yorkieshire Terrier is not a very fertile breed of dog. They usually have 1-2 puppies. It happens less often that 4-5 puppies are born at the same time. There are also known cases of Yorkshire terriers giving birth to 12 puppies at once. If there are a large number of puppies in the litter - 8 or more, it is necessary to ensure that all puppies at least alternately receive portions of mother's milk. Usually you can feed 9 or 10 puppies without any problems, unless the bitch has a problem with milk.

Before breeding

Before we give you the answer to the question “how many times a year does a dog give birth?”, we first need to remember some important things.

To ensure that both your dog and her puppies will be healthy, there are a few things you should make sure are in place before you breed your dog.

Ensuring that the offspring that are to be born receive the best set of genes certainly has a lot to do with their parents and overall health.

Being a responsible pet owner and breeder means having your dog undergo regular veterinary checkups and making sure your pet has a good diet and exercise routine. Therefore, it is very important that you take care of your loyal friend before you start thinking about breeding.

Results

It is always worth remembering that the above figures are approximate, and it is almost impossible to predict the exact number of puppies.

Carefully select a male for mating, and also take care of the process of pregnancy and childbirth of your dog, as she is going through a difficult process for herself. Controlling the birth will allow you to avoid a number of problems associated with the future health of the dog and puppies.

By summing up the average numbers, we can summarize the number of puppies for different dog breeds in a summary table:

Source

Record-breaking dogs

Some might be shocked if their pet gives birth to 10 or 12 puppies. But this is far from the limit! History knows of cases where dogs gave birth to more than one and a half or even two dozen babies at a time:

Rottweiler Terry from the UK gave birth to 18 puppies [5]. Unfortunately, 2 babies turned out to be weak and soon died;
Also, 18 puppies were born [6] to the Dalmatian Miley from Australia. The dog's birth lasted, by the way, more than 12 hours;
In Voronezh, a Cane Corso dog named Kira [7] gave birth to 19 puppies. All cubs survived;
Neapolitan Mastiff Tia became the mother of 24 puppies, which is a [3] world record and is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. Although on average up to 12 puppies are born to dogs of this breed.

Impact of artificial insemination

If you want to breed your dog, you can either introduce him to a suitable male and let nature take its course, or you can artificially inseminate him. Both methods work, but natural insemination produces larger litters. Smaller litters occur with artificial insemination because some sperm inevitably die during the collection, storage and fertilization processes.

Although it produces smaller litters, artificial insemination is an excellent way to produce an uncooperative female who for some reason does not like her partner. This also allows deceased dogs with excellent personalities and breed characteristics to produce additional generations of offspring after their death. If you're worried about how your dog will handle a large litter, artificial insemination can help you control the size of the litter and make things more manageable.

How many puppies do females of popular breeds give birth to?

Now let's look at how many puppies are born to dogs of these 30 popular breeds:

Chihuahua – 2-5 puppies [4];
Yorkshire Terrier – 2-5 puppies [4];
Russian Toy Terrier – 2-5 puppies;
Pekingese – 2-4 puppies;
Pomeranian Spitz – 2-3 puppies;
Pug – 4-6 puppies;
Dachshund – 2-5 puppies;
American Cocker Spaniel – 3-7 puppies [4];
French bulldog – 3-6 puppies;
Welsh Corgi – 2-5 puppies;
Jack Russell Terrier – 2-5 puppies;
Beagle – 5-7 puppies;
Bull Terrier – 3-7 puppies;
Sheltie – 2-6 puppies [4];
Akita Inu – 3-7 puppies;
Shar Pei – 3-5 puppies;
Siberian Husky – 7-9 puppies;
Dalmatian – 8-12 puppies;
Pitbull – 7-10 puppies;
German Shepherd – 4-9 puppies [4];
Collie – 6-10 puppies;
Great Dane – 8-12 puppies;
Doberman – 7-9 puppies;
Labrador Retriever – 5-10 puppies [4];
Golden Retriever – 7-12 puppies;
Rottweiler – 8-11 puppies;
Cane Corso – 8-12 puppies;
Central Asian Shepherd Dog (Alabai) – 9-12 puppies;
St. Bernard – 9-12 puppies;
Bullmastiff – 5-13 puppies [1].

Of course, data on the number of puppies in females of various breeds is very approximate. For example, for the first time a young collie may have one puppy in the litter, but in the future she will be able to give birth to 10 babies at once. And a Pekingese dog, as already mentioned, can give birth to a dozen children, although on average these bitches bear up to 6 puppies.

Prematurity and mortality

Observations included examining a group of 218 puppies over 8 years (from 2008 to 2016). 17 fatal cases were identified (7.7%). Of these: 1 case of death of a newborn puppy during childbirth - No. 1 (0.4%); 3 cases due to birth defects - No. 2, 3, 4 (1.4%); 5 cases of critically low weight - No. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (2.3%). The remaining 8 cases were sudden death from unknown causes (3.6%). Complete data is presented in Table 8.

Table 8. Mortality of newborn puppies №	weight	description	days of life	Exodus
1	200 gr	strangled in the birth canal, stillborn	0	didn't survive
2	115 gr	birth defects incompatible with life, death in the first hours	0	didn't survive
3	108 g	birth defects incompatible with life, death in the first hours	0	didn't survive
4	117 g	birth defects incompatible with life, death in the first hours	0	didn't survive
5	48 g	critically low weight, premature, not breathing, stillborn	0	didn't survive
6	46 g	critically low weight, premature, weak, barely breathing, no sucking reflex, death	0	didn't survive
7	45 gr	critically low weight, premature, not breathing, stillborn	0	didn't survive
8	47 g	critically low weight, premature, weak, barely breathing, no sucking reflex, death	0	didn't survive
9	74 g	critically low weight, premature, weak, barely breathing, no sucking reflex, death	3	didn't survive
10	90 gr	inactive, weak, no sucking reflex, weight loss, bottle feeding, sudden death	2	didn't survive
11	121 gr	inactive, weak, no sucking reflex, weight loss, bottle feeding, sudden death	2	didn't survive
12	129 gr	active, pronounced sucking reflex, stable weight gain, sudden death	2	didn't survive
13	92 g	inactive, weak, sucking reflex present, weight loss, sudden death	4	didn't survive
14	107 g	active, sucking reflex present, poor weight gain, sudden death	6	didn't survive
15	120 gr	active, strong, pronounced sucking reflex, weak weight gain, sudden death	6	didn't survive
16	145 gr	inactive, weak sucking reflex, weight loss, sudden death	8	didn't survive
17	119 g	active, strong, pronounced sucking reflex, good development, stable weight gain, sudden death	15	didn't survive
					MORTALITY 7,7 %	study group - 218 puppies mortality - 17 cases

Photos of premature puppies. All photos can be enlarged by clicking. Premature Chinese Crested puppy, weight 46 grams
Comparison of two puppies: a premature puppy - weight 46 grams and his littermate - weight 173 grams

Premature puppy (pictured left) with his littermates

By prematurity I mean puppies with low or critically low birth weight. However, puppies are born with normal weight, but die for various reasons. As a rule, these are those born in the early stages of pregnancy (57-59 days) and die due to under-expanded lungs (as an assumption) or die during childbirth.