Dog breeding guides

Plain-English how-tos for Australian dog breeders: tracking heats, planning matings and due dates, whelping and puppy weights, worming and vaccinations, puppy buyers and contracts, and the records your state expects you to keep.

Getting Started

Getting started with WhelpHQSet up your kennel profile, add your dogs and turn on reminders, so WhelpHQ can track heats, litters and puppy care for you.

Dogs

Adding your dogs: microchips, registration and pedigreesRecord each dog’s microchip, registration, parents and DNA results in WhelpHQ, and keep outside studs on file for your litters and pedigrees.

Breeding & Litters

Dog heat cycles: timing, signs and trackingHow often dogs come into season, how long a heat lasts, the signs to watch for, when she ovulates, and how WhelpHQ predicts her next heat.
How long are dogs pregnant? Working out the due dateDogs are pregnant for about 63 days from ovulation. Why the date from mating varies, how pregnancy is confirmed, and how WhelpHQ sets her due date.
Whelping: signs of labour and when to call the vetWhat normal labour looks like in dogs, how long each stage takes, and the warning signs that mean you should call your vet straight away.
Newborn puppy weights: what’s normal and how to track themHow often to weigh newborn puppies, how much weight they should gain each day, the warning signs, and how to log and chart weights in WhelpHQ.
Litter records: from whelping to the 12-week checkLog a litter, add each puppy, treat the whole litter at once, keep a waiting list, and close the litter off once every puppy has gone home.

Health & Treatments

Puppy worming and vaccination schedule in AustraliaWhen to worm puppies and their mother, the C3 and C5 puppy vaccinations, heartworm, fleas and ticks, and how WhelpHQ schedules the reminders.
Recording treatments, vet visits and vet approvalsLog wormers, vaccines and other treatments with re-treat reminders, record vet visits and illness, and keep your vet’s written approvals on file.

Owners & Buyers

Puppy buyers: waiting lists, contracts and the buyer portalKeep each litter’s waiting list and deposits, create puppy sale contracts and invoices, and give every buyer a private link to their puppy’s records.
Selling puppies in QLD, NSW, VIC and TASBreeder numbers, microchips, ads and paperwork: the rules for selling and advertising puppies in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.

Reports & Export

Dog breeder records and limits by stateWhat dog breeders in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania must record and keep, the limits on breeding, and WhelpHQ’s Compliance Record PDF.
Reports, spreadsheets and backupsDownload treatment, dog register, breeding and finance reports, export every record to spreadsheets, and keep a full backup of your kennel.

Account & Settings

Your kennel team and notificationsInvite a partner, kennel helper or vet with the right level of access, and choose when and how WhelpHQ sends your reminders.
Plans, the free trial and billingHow the 14-day free trial works, the difference between the Breeder and Kennel plans, and how to change or cancel your plan.

Keep your kennel records on your phone

WhelpHQ keeps heats, matings, litters, puppy buyers and health records in one place, and works offline. Try everything free for 14 days, no credit card.

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