Breeding your Chihuahua The first question you need to answer is should you breed your Chihuahua. There are risks involved in breeding that are some what greater than other toy dogs, including the possible need to provide a caesarean section (which can be expensive), and it is widely recommended that the whole pregnancy be supervised by the vet, especially when your Chi is in labour. In addition, it is estimated that only 67% of puppies survive. If you do not intend to breed her then you should consider having her spade which is thought to enable her avoid some cancer problems (possibly).
If you still intend to go ahead, it is important to choose the right size of male Chi (apart from any pedigree considerations). It is recommended that the male should be between 4 and 5 pounds (1.8 - 2.3 Kg) to minimize natural birth risks, otherwise a caesarean section must be anticipated. The majority of birthing mothers do need a caesarean section (your vet will admit there is some risk for a small dog with this procedure though). A full medical examination of the two dogs should be performed before breeding, and it is strongly recommended you avoid in-breeding.
The above sounds like we are trying to discourage you from breeding your Chi but our intention is only to emphasis that more thought and planning is required for Chihuahua breeding than most dog breeding.
Your Chi will be on-heat every 6 months, and this will last approximately 21 days (be aware that she may still be on-heat after 21 days - touch her tail, and if she moves it to one side she is still on-heat).
Natural Birth
If you are inexperienced at Chi breeding it is strongly recommended that your Chihuahua give birth at a vet clinic, and especially do this if she has been pregnant longer than 70 days.
Prior to giving birth your Chi is likely to be in pain but if judged to be in unbearable pain take her to the clinic immediately if you haven't done so. Do this also if it has been longer than 2 hours since delivering her last puppy and you know there are more.
In a natural birth event you can expect the puppies to come out straight after her waters break, and they may emerge one after the other immediately. However, some times there can be delays and the last puppy may only emerge 2 hours after (don't forget, take her to the clinic if longer than 2 hours).
It is natural for the mother to eat the sac and the umbilical cord (do not stop her), and lick her puppies clean. Make sure the mother and puppies are warm comfortable and in a safe out of the way place.
How many pups can you expect when breeding your Chihuahua? - it varies of course but often about 4 puppies.
See also our Pregnancy Schedule page.
If you would like to see a web site providing some interesting pictures of a caesarean section performed on a Chihuahua (not for the squeamish!) click on following: c-section web site