I did forget to mention, that sometime within all of that, one of our adult females died unexpectedly. It may have been too hot for her outside, or she could have gotten any type of disease because we don't know what animals were all there before she was. So, we moved all of our dogs to another friend's house. We were alright with that. That one last pup I told you about though, about a week before she was ready to go, the mom dug a hole, put the pup in it, and then laid on it. They say a mom will do stuff like that if the pup is sick, but that's usually the new born pups, not seven weeks old!
We did have good experiences though, but if you do not have a proper set up, bad things can happen. If I could do it over again, I would have put it off until I was done having kids. To take care of babies and toddlers while you are trying to take care of pregnant dogs and puppies is just too much work. The puppies don't get the care they need. Also, the puppies poop way too much and they make your house stink and they roll around in it. The best set up is to get a shed like the ones you can buy at any home improvement store. Have a doggy door put on it and connect a kennel up to the front of it so they can walk in and out freely. Line the kennel with patio bricks so that all you have to do is hose out the kennel daily.
Now, when the pups come, the moms don't always know what to do, especially the first time. You have to be there with her. If a pup gets stuck or she has complications, you have to be able to rush her to a vet. When she gives birth to the pup, she may not know what to do. If she doesn't open the sack that is in, you have to. Be prepared with gloves, or get your hands dirty. If she doesn't chew the umbilical cord off, you have to cut it. Of course be careful not to cut it too short, and you have to squeeze it closed, or tie it with dental floss so it stops bleeding. There is a lot of work.
Another thing to consider is what if the puppy is born sick? I had one of the litters where one of the pups wasn't moving or breathing. I cupped my hand around its muzzle and gently blew to try to get it's lungs to open up. Once it finally coughed up a breath, I noticed its bottom jaw was not fully formed. It didn't have any skin inside of its mouth and I could see bone. Blood started bubbling out of its nose. It was evident that the puppy would never make it. What would you do? You can't let that baby suffer. Yeah, I had to put it down. The only thing I had to do this with was a shovel. I put the pup in a bag and whacked it with the flat of the shovel. It was disgusting. What else could I have done? It was the most humane way aside of putting it behind the car and backing over it. I for a moment felt terrible and it was hard to do. You have to be prepared for it all.
The main things that you should always do, which is what I would do different is, de-worm all your dogs bi-annually. You can buy a three day treatment at most any farm supply store. I'd also give all the puppy shots and the yearly boosters. If you are not comfortable doing this, go to the vet, period. If you are, however, you can also get these at a farm store. Also, take your dog to the vet annually to get it checked up, and make sure they are all virus, parasite, and worm free, because the mom can pass this to all her pups either inutero, or through breast milk. Sick moms can have sick pups, which can be contagious.
One last word, start small. If you are inexperienced, buy only one female and get used to that and get a good system down before you add more to the bunch.
