I have been blessed to have a wonderful friend and trusted neighbor help out with previous litters by coming during the day to let momma dog out and feed her, make sure the pups are OK, and check on things for me while I am at work.

She is going on a 3 week vacation right around the time my next litter is born and I'm a little concerned.

I work 40 hours a week and my job is too far away to drive home at lunch.

So how do you guys who work full time do litters??

I couldn't do it without help from my husband and sons. All three take time off and help me out when puppies arrive. My mom also helps out. It's almost impossible to do a good job raising a litter without help from family and/or friends. Those who haven't done it have no idea how much time and effort is involved if you do it right!

That said, a retired friend of mine has begun a second career of sorts raising a couple litters a year for a labradoodle breeder who works. The pups are whelped and raised in her home until they're six weeks old or so, and then they go back to the breeder. I think she's paid the price of one puppy, which is quite a deal for the breeder. Maybe you could find a retired person who would be willing to do something similar for you.

Barb

I hired a professional pet sitter person. She came and let my girl out, fed her and watered her. She didn't touch the pups and she wrote down everything she did while there and what time. I would do it again for sure.

You can arrange to take vacation in half days also, and hopefully find some help for the second half of the day.

My last litter, I had help until week 4 and then I was on my own. I had a friend come over 2 x a week and the other 3 I had to suffer it and go home at lunch. It typically is too far to go home, but I did it anyway.

Where do you live? I am a "puppy Nanny" and just finished caring for a litter of 10 bull mastiff pups. This is the second time I have helped this breeder and I have raised a few litters of my own. I am in New Hampshire.

I wish we could clone you to Pennsylvania, Mary. What a great business that must be. Fun and rewarding for you and a super help to breeders.

True puppy sitters or nannies work well. Her normal dog sitter was not going to be enough for a friend. Just make sure the dogs know the sitter and trust the sitter, as most good Labs will. I sat for a friend who usually works at home the first week that her litter is on the ground. I went in a couple weeks before the litter was due to make friends and distribute treats, as the breeds at her house are not known for their trust of strangers. I went in just before she left for work (earlier on the first day). She made sure we were settled, and I sat near the box all day, rotating the pups from a big litter on and off mom and in and out of the "hot box." The line is also known to smother pups, but with a normal sized brood at one time, the new mama did just fine, and we could see that all the pups were safe and not smothered. I did have to work extra hard on a couple pups, supplementing, and reminding the regular dog sitter that the peanut pups couldn't catch up if she were holding the puppy in her arms instead of putting them on mama when it was their turn at the milk bar. All pups lived and did well, even after a setback after dews were removed. We were all happy! The second week, the litter owner worked more from home, and by day 10, the pups were doing well all with mama at one time. She also used a heated room with a puppy run and shavings for potty for the whole litter by about week 4, with the dam having access to jump in and out with the litter. This was a late winter litter in NJ, so heat was important for the newborns and for the puppy run. It would not have worked so well if the dam had not accepted outside help--there were times I had to haul her off a puppy after she got back in the box clumsily.

I have to disagree with the comment about it being "impossible" to raise a litter and work full time. The puppies have a momma dog to care for them.

I have a full time job and it is too far away for me to come home from work at lunch time. I have had several litters that I've raised in addition to my adult dogs while holding a full time job. It CAN be done. However, if you are not the festidious type that can multi-task like crazy then you probably will need help. I'm an A type of personality with 30 things going on all the time. I don't watch TV like all these folks watching Idol, DWTS, Survivor etc. I limit my social life when I have a litter as well. My priority is the puppies and my adult dogs besides caring for myself and working to pay the bills. The dogs/pups are all well socialized, well trained, clean, receive plenty of exercise, fed twice a day, and my house is spotless too.

I do take days off as needed to whelp or for emergency situations with dogs/pups. I can also work from home if needed in a pinch (I almost never do because of my work load though).

It can be done!

I have to disagree with the comment about it being "impossible" to raise a litter and work full time. The puppies have a momma dog to care for them.
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My inner worrier immediately asks, "But who looks out for the momma dog?" :-)

I didn't say having a litter and working is "impossible," I said "almost impossible" because I know a few people who juggle pups and work as though it were the easiest thing in the world. I would love to be like that! Instead my mind always dwells on the most horrendous whelping and puppy- raising incidents I've experienced, read about, or heard about when I have pups at home, and I can't stop worrying -- especially for the first few weeks. I would be too uneasy if no one were available to check in and make sure all was well for the 8 hours between when I leave and when my DH gets home from work. That's just my personality,however. I wish I weren't such a worry wart!!

I LOVE having puppies and caring for them regardless of these feelings of anxiety when I'm away from home. Having others check on the pups makes me feel like I have some tiny bit of control over the myriad things that "could" go wrong if the mom and pups were unattended. I know Nature/Mom knows best, and I know my puppy sitters give me a false sense of security, but it's all I've got until I retire!

I am in the same boat as "Done It". I have a full time career outside the home as does my husband. We live to far away to come home over lunch. Vacation time is carefully planned around litters and we are able to work from home on occassion if some extra time is needed. Generally after the first week or so,everyone is in their routine and I have to trust that Momma dog should know how to care for her babies. If she is a horrible mother, than she certainly should not be bred a second time.

Don't get me wrong, I would much rather be home full time with my dogs and watching over my litters, however my job is what supports this hobby/passion. My job is what affords me the ability to pay for emergencies when they happen.

My free time is spent with my dogs and when I have a litter, I am a zombie until they go home. I certainly do not have the luxery of watching tv and you certainly have to be good at multi-tasking...but it can be done. I am fortunate that my job allows some flexibility and my husband is a partner in helping with the dogs. So it can be done, it just depends on what your priorities are.

Well said .... Now if only I could borrow your hubby. I don't have one of those. LOL

He certainly comes in handy!! LOL

This particular dam has had two previous litters and this is her last. I know she is a good mom which is why I'm still considering doing this litter even though my puppy sitter will be gone for several weeks.

....and I wish I lived in New Hampshire. I'm pretty sure the 20 hour commute would not be worth it.

My puppy sitter will be gone from about day 5 or 7 until week 3. I'm thinking since mom is a good mom, she will be fine to take care of them from 7 to 4 before they start on solid food. It's not ideal of course, and I certainly wouldn't consider it for a first time mother, but in this situation I am seriously considering it.

I live in a more rural area where puppy sitters are not heard of. My only other option would be neighbor kids or something and I would rather trust them with mom than people I don't know who may hurt them or pass a disease on to them.

I did not mean to imply that your girl was a poor mother. It is just something that I set as criteria for my dogs here. Because of my situation, I just cannot keep a dog that I have to worry about being careless with puppies.

I am in the same boat...we are in very rural mid-west...we don't have dog nannies and our farming neighbors are quite busy tending to their own animals and fields.

This does not mean my anxiety level is not high with each/every litter we plan...particularly new mom's. But I have learned to handle each challenge as it arises. As much as I would love to "control" every aspect of my life, I have finally accpeted the fact that I can't.

Good luck with your planned litter! It sounds like your girl will do just fine.

The first days, I am home. After that, this is how I set up for the mom/litter.

The room the whelping box is in is on the ground floor. There is a door to the outside that is not visible from the street. I temporarily have a board with a dog door in the opening. I use an x-pen to fence off a small area outside the door. I leave food down for the mom and lots of water. She can eat, drink and go outside when she wants. She can step over the wall of the whelping box to care for the puppies.

I've always worked full time and I've been breeding almost 18 years now. Is it easy - of course not. Is is possible - YES. I find the first 4 weeks the easiest because that's when the dam does all the work, all I do is snuggle puppies and change bedding. The next four week are when things get crazy. But, it's all about routine. Develop a routine that works for you and your puppies. For me the hardest part of raising a litter is actually keeping up with puppy buyers. Constant emails and phone calls with each family giving updates, taking and sending pictures, recommendations on books, finding qualified training clubs in their area etc. I'm not saying I don't love it - but if all I had to do was care for the puppies it would be much easier. Yet, I continue to do it. You'll be tired but you'll be happy you did it! Best of luck to you!

For those that do work full time (like Liz) - what do you do about feeding the puppies? I've always fed puppies 4 times a day from when they eat consistently, to about 7 weeks, when they go down to 3 times a day. Do you leave food down all the time for free-feeding, or ?? Just trying to figure out how to work things if/when I go back full-time from just part-time.

I work full time. My norm is to feed my litters only 2x per day. With a litter that I really feel needs it, I'll go to 3, (morning, the instant i get home and the last thing before bed). I've never fed 4x per day. It works. I don't leave food down. A) they scarf it down at once and B) Mom is with them all day until about 5-6 weeks old.

I work Monday thru Thursday full days, so I am away from the pups between 9 and 9.5 hours. I am lucky that I have over 5 weeks vacation time. The first two weeks I use vaca time, the third I work 50/50 office and home and beginning with week 4 I have someone who comes in at noon, cleans the pen, feeds Mom and pups (when they go to three meals), and in general checks that all is well. If she isn't available, I do call upon the kids across the street. I don't ask them to clean up as much, but they can feed and potty Mom and feed the pups if needed. I don't know what I will do when they move out, they have been my backup for years.
I feed three times a day, starting with dinner, then moving to breakfast and dinner (so I can monitor all the feeding for the first couple of weeks) and then adding lunch beginning in week 6. It works, though most nights I am happy if I can sit down and check the computer out by 10PM, then up around 5AM with pups. I agree with a previous poster, you can't work and have a litter and have a social life! Social goes out the door for 8 weeks. It's worth it, pups are plump and happy and clean, well socialized and in good health. Sleep for me - well someone once said you can sleep when you're dead

I am able to take a "break" from work and run home, but I use a webcam...can watch them while I work. It's worth its weight in gold!