I'm starting to look towards my next litter, which should be sometime this summer. Things have changed a lot since my last litter nearly two years ago though. The biggest change has been the opening of Karlene's K-9 Academy, my dog training school. As we just opened in September, I pretty much live here, with group lessons every night and private lessons during the day.

In the past, I've spent the first two weeks with the pups pretty much 'round the clock, so I'm there if they need me. I can't just close the school down, so I'm trying to decide how I'll handle this.

I have a stockroom off limits to my clients, and I could easily set up a safe puppy area back there. No dog is allowed into my facility without current parvo, distemper and rabies vaccinations, and as I said, clients are not allowed in that area at all. Of course, it shares the same air as the rest of the building, although we don't have central heating and air so no forced air blowing in. Mama would have to walk over the same carpeting as client dogs do, however, and use the same potty area.

The bitch is a good mother, very calm and good with her puppies, and she's never resented it if one of my other dogs walks in to check out her babies, so I don't think she would get upset over hearing other dogs in the building. None of them should get even close to her door, because of the way the building is set up and where the training floors are.

I wouldn't want the pups left here with Mom overnight, and I need to spend time with the rest of the crew as well, so I'd need to take the pups home with me each evening, so they'd be in the car twice a day.

If I did this, would the travel and being in the same building as thclient dogs put the pups in the "danger zone" so to speak? We live outside the city limits, so I don't know that I could find someone to puppy sit. I thought about setting mom and pups up with a puppy cam so I could monitor from the school, but even if I saw a problem by the time I got home to them it could be too late to save a pup.

As I said, I'm pre-thinking all of this, so I would love some feedback.

Trainers I know shut down a school for a week, with maybe a helper to check in folks for ring time rental, or a schedule by phone with an honor system and a combination lock on the door. You have months to come up with a helper at home and/or at the school. During the summer, maybe a pre-vet student or vet student can be available to help at school or puppy sitting. Or you hire a tech.

Maybe change the carpeting to something you can disinfect and also check your air exchange rate so that you can help keep down your chances of herpes virus and kennel cough, etc.

That being said, your girl is probably pretty much immune if she has been shown and to training buildings a lot. She may be the one who needs a puppy cam the last three weeks of pregnancy, when she should stay home to avoid problems. Do NOT underestimate a Lab's power to dig under a sidewalk or foundation or slab, so don't leave her in a diggable back yard if you leave her home, or you may have a wolf-sized den under the house!

If you progesterone test, you will know weeks in advance when you want to take a break, as you probably don't want to whelp at the school! (Nothing like that smell and discharge on the carpeting, and even the lochia for up to 6 weeks post whelp can kill the carpeting.)

How about NOT having a litter? Seriously, if it isn't going to be the best thing for the puppies, the Mom and you--why do it??? If you want a puppy for yourself buy one.

Sometimes something has to give.

There are some things that people don't often test for - like herpes. I like to keep my bitches in a separate room and also potty them where none of the other dogs go. I still take my dogs to classes and to field work - but Mom is not exposed to any of that for the first 3 weeks.

I would leave them at home, take the first week off and then have someone check in on them. I would think that transporting them twice a day would be upsetting to mom - you never know how she will be until your "in it"

As just noted in a seperate post, it's to easy to pick up bad "stuff" from unkown sources when you have dogs coming and going. I'd keep the babies as far away from your business as I could.

I work a 8+ hour day and still manage to whelp an occasional litter. I take vacation time for the first couple of days and then leave mom with her family. I am blessed with a neighbor "nanny" who loves to come in midday to check on things. She lets momma out to potty and gives her and later the babies lunch.

In your situation perhaps you could schedule your day time private lessons so you can check in at home every few hours if you don't have a nanny resource.

Karlene, can't you close for a week to whelp the litter, then have someone fill in for you for a week, so you have a total of two weeks off with the litter and mum? Then you will have a routine down, shedding your clothes at the door, bleaching your shoes etc... I would absolutely not bring a brand new litter of puppies to your training facility.

Sounds like you need to wait. Why would you put the mother dog or babies in harms way or the risk. And as you know one week is just the start of protecting those litters. Can't do both, make your money with obedience, sounds like that is off to a good start.