The Midwoofery Blog

A vet who was never wrong on a puppy count taught me her method. Here’s how to read puppy x-rays, where puppies hide, and how I use the count on whelping day.

Your puppy's DNA test shows a few percent of a breed that isn't in the pedigree. Before you worry, here's how these tests work and why a small surprise result usually isn't what it looks like.

More puppy inquiries are being written by AI, not by the buyer. That changes how breeders need to read, screen, and respond. Here's a practical plan.

Your dog's DNA test shows a small amount of a breed you know isn't in the pedigree. Here's why close cousin breeds get mixed up, and when it's worth a closer look.

California's AB 506 makes a puppy contract void if it has a nonrefundable deposit and the buyer is in California. What the law says, what's going around that isn't true, and what nobody knows yet. Any idiot with an internet connection can write about legal matters. Reporting for duty. Take my read on all this with whatever grain of salt you have handy, and talk to an attorney who actually does California animal law. Here's what I can tell you.

I make three guarantees on my first call with a prospective family. Their puppy will bite them. Their puppy will destroy something they love. And their puppy will have accidents in the house. What I can't guarantee is that yelping and going limp will teach that puppy to bite softly, because that's not how any of this works.

We select for hips, coats, and temperament. Almost nobody selects for a dam who can whelp and mother on her own. Here’s why that matters, and what to track.

Most dams eat at least a few placentas during whelping. There are real benefits, real downsides, and the question of how many matters a lot more than whether she eats any at all. Plus a question about post-whelping loose stool that I haven't seen anyone else ask, and one weird thing I learned about human placenta recipes while researching this.

Quick answer: Health testing on the parents lowers the chance of inherited disease in the puppies. It doesn’t get rid of that chance completely. Knowing what testing does and doesn’t catch helps you ask better questions and have realistic expectations. When you start looking at breeders, you’ll see phrases like “fully health tested parents” or “all clearances done.” That’s a good sign. It also doesn’t mean what most people think it means. What does “health tested” actually me