Staffy Breaks Aussie Record with 22 Puppies

Congrats to proud mum Honey for recently giving birth to a record breaking 22 puppies – an Australian record. As far as dog birth goes, this powerhouse pup tops the average dog litter size four times over! On top of which, the Staffy was just shy of the largest dog litter world record by two puppies.

In this article, PD tells Honey’s story, looks at the dog birth world record, gives you the rundown on average litter size through to the largest litter size, and more.

Staffy breaks Aussie record for largest dog litter

While Honey may not have broken the world record for the largest dog litter, she’s certainly nailed the national record. With 22 puppies over a three day labour (kudos to you, Honey!) she’s made dog lovers across the country proud.

As you can imagine, 22 puppies means round the clock feeding. As a nursing mum after such a long dog birth, that’s a brutal schedule with no time to eat, sleep or do your own toileting. Luckily, Honey’s owner, Jayden Cousins, is watching over the puppies’ weight and helping feed them to give Honey some relief.

The puppies have two contenders as their paternal father: a Staffy named Boston and a Rottweiler named Buzz. Litters of puppies (and kittens) can be fathered by multiple dads. That means every puppy or kitten in a litter could potentially have the same mum and a different dad!

Three year old Honey is a service dog and her owner hopes the little guys will follow in her paw steps. Keen to know more about working dogs of this type? Read our article on the best service, guide and assistance dog breeds.

Average litter size for dog birth

When it comes to average litter size, dogs can surprise us with their tiny army of adorableness. On average, a mumma dog can unleash a litter of around six bouncing bundles of joy, but don’t be surprised if she unleashes a few extra recruits!

Some super mums have been known to deliver up to a dozen or more puppies in a single go and Honey is one of their highest achievers. If you’re the proud pet parent this would certainly mean you’d need more time for feeding, toileting, clean-ups, snuggles and more. Speaking of having enough snuggle time, find out if it’s a good idea to get a dog if you work full time.  

Dog birth world record for largest litter

The dog birth world record for the largest litter is 24 puppies. This Guinness World Record holder is a Neapolitan mastiff named Abellatino Arabella (Tia for short). Tia topped Honey’s 22 puppies by only two.

However, it’s noteworthy that each dog gave birth differently. Honey had a natural birth, popping her 22 puppies out over the course of 25 hours and Tia had her 24 puppies via C-section. If dogs had diaries, Honey’s might read:

Monday: giving birth to puppies
Tuesday: still giving birth to puppies

Cute!

How long is a dog birth from start to finish?

On average a dog will give birth within a few hours of going into labour with contractions. Labour tends to be between six and 24 hours long. It seems that Honey is leading the pack in that respect too, with her 25 hour long dog birth!

Award winning insurance for dogs and puppies

Did you know the younger a puppy is when you buy them pet insurance, the broader the cover they can get? The same goes for kittens. That’s because these little guys still have their whole lives ahead of them. They haven’t developed chronic health conditions and haven’t been exposed to as many pathogens or dangers.

The sooner you get your little fluff ball a pet plan, the better they will be safeguarded. If you’ve got yourself a cat and dog, or more than one of each, you could potentially get a multi-pet discount with PD Insurance. Better still, we cover hereditary conditions once the waiting period passes.

Plus, if you get award winning insurance with PD Insurance online we’ll give you one or months of FREE pet insurance.