what age should a shih-tzu be before you should starrt to breed her?

Answer 1

If you talk to a good breeder, they usually wait two years before breeding their dogs. That is after alot of testing to make sure the dog is healthy and structurally sound, knees, hips, etc. Some dogs temperament changes after a year or more so you want to take care of training and all that before you even think of breeding. Do some research and talk to a reputable breeder and see what they do before deciding whether or not to breed their dogs.

Answer 2

If you do not know the answer to this question, you should not be breeding dogs. The only reason to breed an animal is for the betterment of the breed. Do you know for a fact (and can back it up) that your dog carries no genetic faults? If you are going into this with the thought of making money, THINK AGAIN!!! Start reading articles from breeders that know- many things can go wrong. Are you prepared to pay for a cesarean section if needed? Are you prepared to pay for a puppy to have IVs and other expensive medication and hospital stays if it gets parvo (and if one gets it, you will be treating them all!) Are you going to ultrasound the mother during pregnancy? What if she aborts the whole litter? What if you have to bottle feed all the puppies-are you prepared for that cost financially and time-wise? Puppies do not get bottle fed once or twice a day. Once you are done with the litter it's usually time to start over! And what happens when you've done everything you possibly can and they still die? Have you considered the emotional toll? Oh, and on top of that, don't forget their first shots and wormer. What are you going to do with the pups that do not sell-dump them on an animal shelter that already has enough animals? PLEASE, think this through!

Answer 3

She should at least have her second heat. (A 14 year old can have a kid but its not really that good for them).Check out this website for some good information. http://www.akc.org/breeders/resp_breeding/index.cfm
..there is a considerable amount of things that go into breeding...and you will want to make sure that your female meets all responsible and ethical breeding criteria before making that decision. This web link is for the steps in responsible breeding as outlined by the AKC.
It covers everything from making sure your female is ready to how to pick a good male to delivery time.
Please take into consideration the 960 ShitTzu/ShitTzu mixes sitting in a shelter as of 5 minutes ago....out of the 25 on the first page only 4 were mixes, all the other were purebred in my area.

I am a big supporter of spaying and neutering. If you breed, please follow the ethical guidlines...it is in everyones best interest especially the puppies...(to protect against passing on any genetic abnormalities).

Answer 4

At least until after she has had two heats Also remember that they do not have abig litter I have a shih tzu and we decided to spray rather than breed reason being I have bred collies in the past and it is a lot of work plus money . Please think twice before you do this.

Answer 5

You should wait until the proper testing for health problems are done. Shih Tzu's can carry PRA which can lead to early blindness, entropion where the eyelids turn in causing damage to the cornea's and juvenile cataracts, have her Eye's CERF'd, the can have problems with Hips, make sure you OFA her. They can have renal dysplasia. They can also have disc disease. You might want to test for Von Willebrand's and Thyroid disorders before breeding. Does she have a pedigree that supports breeding and carrying on the line? Are you planning on titling her in conformation, obedience, ect..? Ask the breeder that you got her from for help.

Answer 6

A question for your question,,,,** WHY** do you want to breed her?????? Is she a Champion???? or just a pet?????? Just what is it that she has to offer to the animal kingdom? Will her gets have the potential of offering something to society, or will they just become more of a burden on society?

To answer your question, NO DOG SHOULD BE BRED BEFORE THE AGE OF TWO!!!!
Would you want your daughter to have a child at the age of 12???? Breeding a dog before it is two years old is the same thing, the dog simply isn't mature enough!!

Answer 7

Most breeder sites say to wait 2 years.... because some dogs bodies are not meant to carry puppies until they are completely full grown.... but the general rule is NOT before at least 2 seasons (or heat cycles)

Best of Luck

Answer 8

females should not be bred until they are 2 years old and have had all of the proper genetic testing done, to make sure they do not pass genetic diseases down to her puppies. Breeding before the age of two could cause the death of the mother dog and her puppies.

Answer 9

Why breed her? Leave the breeding to professionals. Only the experienced should be breeding their animals. After reading the following links, you may understand why. So many things can go wrong from the female turning aggressive towards the male trying to connect with her to pyometra to stillborn births to emergency c-section to the mom killing the babies, etc. Spaying her is the healthiest life you can give her. Please read the following links.

http://www.my-dog.info/getting-a-dog/spay_neutering.asp

http://www.mateerlabs.com/breedingrights.htm

http://www.my-dog.info/getting-a-dog/breeding-your-dog.asp

http://www.brightlion.com/InHope/InHope_en.aspx

http://borntodiepets.com/html/video.htm

Answer 10

We waited 2 years before we breded Pebbles.