GO The Shepherd or Police Dog 
The bitch should be left entirely alone during her 
labors and should above all things have her whelp¬ 
ing quarters in a quiet, secluded place and should 
be disturbed by no strangers. An occasional in¬ 
spection by her master or by some one whom she 
knows well is advisable to see that everything is 
going smoothly, but as a rule most bitches whelp 
during the night and have no trouble whatever, 
though the whelping period may extend over an 
entire day. Should there be any apparent difficulty 
always call your veterinarian, but much of the seri¬ 
ous trouble is caused by too early an interference, 
instead of letting nature take its course. 
As soon as it is apparent that the bitch has fin¬ 
ished her whelping, she should be coaxed away from 
her litter and taken some distance away while the 
litter is changed to a clean bed. The double floor is 
advantageous here, for it permits a rapid change 
and so does not distress the bitch by a long absence 
from her puppies. A few hours after the bitch has 
whelped her last puppy she may be fed some warm 
milk, arrd the day following her regular feeding 
may be resumed, the food being mainly of a sloppy 
consistency, to induce the secretion of milk. During 
the suckling period all food should be abundant and 
of a rich nutritive quality, and the bitch should, dur¬ 
ing the whelping period and at all times, have ac¬ 
cess to plenty of clean, fresh water. 
Shepherds are very prolific and usually have litters 
ranging from 7 to 12 puppies. These large litters are 
not a blessing to the breed and are probably the result 
of intensive breeding, for wolves and wild dogs sel- 
