How do you tell when a Sheltie female is in heat and ready to breed?

Question

We want to breed a Sheltie female with our Sheltie male and don't know a lot. So, how do you tell when the female is in heat and ready to mate? And, also, how old should the female be? We want to wait until a good age for the female.

Answer 1

Idealy you want to wait until her second heat cycle. She will be a much better mother then and she will be fully develped and physically capable to handle a litter of puppies. Has she gone into heat at all yet? HOw old is she? She should go into her first heat cycle between the ages of 4 adn 8 months of age. Then, she will have her second heat cycle about six months later - give or take a month. She should be ready to breed somewhere between 7 and 10 days after the start of her cycle. You will know she's ready when she 'stands' for your male. Meaning when she stands still for him w/o running, bitting, or nipping at him and lets him mount her. You can find a lot of useful information at http://www.debbiejensen.com - this lady has loads of information starting from heat cycles all the way through weaning a litter of pups, including everything you will need. Gestation is 61-65 days from breeding, but generally they will deliver (whelp) on the 63 day from the second breeding (tie). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [e-mail]. I'm a breeder of American Cocker Spaniels. Good Luck!

Answer 2

If you don't know a lot, you really are better off NOT breeding. Breeding dogs is not something you go into blindly. And the ONLY good reason to breed a dog is to IMPROVE the breed.. your dogs should be the best possible representatives of the breed... if they are anything but, all you're doing is hurt the breed.

First off, your dogs need to be TESTED. Yes, tested for genetic disorders and other health issues. This is EXPENSIVE. If not, you could spread a bad genetic problem to future puppies.

Also, the dogs need to be tested for temperament. Unstable dogs produce more unstable dogs. Prepare for lawsuits.

Do your dogs have conformation titles? Just 'cause they are AKC registered doesn't mean they are good quality dogs... AKC registration means they are purebred, that's IT. A dog with a deformed leg can have AKC registration as long as both parents are purebred.

Then there's the costs associated with breeding. After the puppies are born you have to get them checked out by the vet, all shots done, deworming, etc. That's assuming there are no problems with the pregnancy or birth. If there are problems... well, you're in for much worse.

Also, since I assume you want to be a RESPONSIBLE person and not just a backyard breeder that sells puppies to the best bidder, you'll want to do interviews and check out the people the puppies go to.

Please read the article linked below. It gives a very good overview of the process.

P.S. Need I remind you that 30% of dogs that are killed in shelters are purebreds that come from puppy mills or backyard breeders?

Answer 3

Sheltie Breed Info

Answer 4

Once a year is way too often - shouldn't breed her more than twice in her whole life - if at all. Why do you want to breed her anyway? If you have a "special relationship together" why are you trying to make money off her?? Get her spayed, way better for her health - and let her be a well loved, well taken care of pet, not a breeding machine. You breed that poor dog every year, and you certainly will be a back yard breeder. You need to get a fair concept of what a good, responsible pet owner is - and it isn't breeding your dog.

Answer 5

HOnestly hun Im not trying to be rude but if you dont know the answers to these simple questions then you shouldnt be breeding.....there is A LOT involved w breeding & birthing puppies. And when I say A LOT this is not an exageration!!! If you seriously want to breed your dog then you should consult your vet & get them to start you off in the right direction, contact other experienced breeders & LEARN the proper way to breed, care for the pregnant mother, what to expect at birth, possible complications w your breed, oh geez I could go on FOREVER with all there is taht you NEED to know....PLEASE hun, dont breed your dogs untill you KNOW FOR SURE what your gettin into & how to go about it safely & responsibly. Do you have responsible owners screened & already interested in taking the pups??? Are you aware of the expenses of new born puppies?? PLEASE get educated first

Answer 6

First of all, please consider why you want to breed your dog. There are thousands upon thousands of dogs that need homes, and you may be unintentionally contributing to this problem. Also, research the breeding process, and the issues of breeding shelties (genetic disorders, inheritable disorders, etc), and the financial and time commitment a litter of puppies requires. The mother may require a C-section, which is not cheap. The puppies will have to have their dew claws removed, they will need to be wormed, and they will need immunizations. You may need to get up at all hours of the night to feed puppies who aren't nursing... And I won't bore you any further, but please, do NOT underestimate the committment of breeding a litter of puppies, or enter into such a commitment without a great deal of prior research.

But to answer your question, the female's genitals will be swollen and pink, and she will bleed slightly. The female should be physically and emotionally mature, approximately two years old (minimum).

Answer 7

Please don't breed your dog. it is not a good idea to make others suffer just so you can make some extra cash. For every puppy born, thousands are killed.There are just too many homeless puppies in the world!!

If you don't know the basics about breeding, then you shouldn't breed. there are many risks involved.
What if you don't find homes for all of the puppies? You will probably just dump them at a shelter, and they'll add to the thousands that are killed each year.

Answer 8

Seriously, the person asked a question and wanted educational information. Not your Opinion or your beliefs. The facts mam' just the facts....

Answer 9

How are people supposed to LEARN how to appropriately handle breeding a dog unless someone tells them.... did you know how to breed your dogs.. no you learned.. dumb *****.... I mainly breed horses and am trying to get a litter off my dog so while I am knowledgeable about breeding and care for horses I thought hey .. the internet.. time to lear.. then I bounce up against all you retards and go wow.. humanity is going to ****...