Breeding Help......I have 2 Labradors...?

Question

IM NEW TO THE WHOLE BREEDING SCENE AND I HAVE DONE MY RESEARCH BUT MY FEMALE LABRADOR JUST DOESNT SEEM TO EVER BE IN HEAT. AND ALSO THE BOOKS I READ TELL ME THAT A FEMALE HAS TO BE AT LEAST 9 MONTHS TO START BREEDING BUT OTHER PEOPLE TELL ME THAT THE DOG HAS TO BE 18 MONTHS SO DOES ANYONE EXPERIENCED WITH LABRADORS KNOW HOW TO HELP ME AND COULD YOU MAYBE GIVE ME A SLIGHT WALKTHROUGH OF THE PROCESS...THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

The female is 1 year and the male is 1 year and 7 months.

Answer 1

it you have done your research you would know these things...
1. you ask yourself whether your dog is worth breeding..is she registed are you a registed breeder, is she clear of dieases and is her pedigree clear of dieases and has a good temperament... If so then you need to find a mate that will complement and is also worth breedng from.

2. you should never breed from a dog under 18 months as before then they are not mentally able to look after the pups. I have heard many stories from breeders that an accident had happened and the female dog had it's first litter at 8 months! The dog wasn't intereseted in the litter and the owners ended up taking a couple of weeks off work just to look after the puppies!

3. Mating - dogs have there first season at about 6 months up to 2 years in larger dogs. Have you asked the question what if my dog rejects her chosen mate? Dogs have done this. They don't like a dog and won't mate and then will go and mate with another dog ha ha! They do have brains! Mating two maiden dogs (first timers) may need a little help. The girl may scream the whole time as she will be tight inside but some are quiet. You should keep the dog and female apart until the female starts to "flag".... When you sratch her back or touch her near her vulva her tail will go to one side. This is the sign she is ovulating, ready to be mated. Ovulation can happen on day 2 till day 29 so be on your guard but averge is about day 12. Bring the dog out to the female. The dog is a madain may take his time they will play around. They may play around being maiden dogs and may take a while to get the idea. The dogs will become "tied" you may need to sit with the dog to keep them steady as the ***** may drag the dog around or try and attack him. If they pull hard enough the dog can rip the females inside out so best to supervise! The dogs can't comappart till they are "unlocked" the tie has ended. Steadying them just makes it a litle less painful! The dog will be tied from 15 minutes to 2 hours. make sure you are comfortable! You need to witness a mating so you know that your female dog will probaly pregant. 2-3 matings is good over 4 days.

4.Do you have the time and money to look after a litter?
First three weeks you need to be able to give the mother extra care and weigh the pups every day to keep a record to see how they are doing. At 4-6 weeks weaning begins they need to be fed about 4 times a day. Monay... worming, mirochipping,vaccinations!

4 Finding new homes... Do you have time for people to come to your house for up to 3 hours trying to choose there pup. I love talking to people that are taking my baby home. You need to make sure that a puppy farmer isn't taking her asnd going to use her as a machine! Do you have the knowledge to educate these people that may be taking one of your "babbies" home! Are you strong enough to say no if you don't think a family is suitable!

5. What if you need to take a dog back for reason like...the owners moving or they are divorcing. Can you take the dog back and rehome it. There are to many irresponsible breeders that don't look after the adopted famillies.

Best Of Luck

feel free to contact me.

Answer 2

physiologically, the dog can breed the first time she has a heat cycle, which is typically at about 6-9 months old. However, it could be as late as a year old or more.

Many people may be telling you 18 months because the dog is probably not ready, mentally, to have puppies and be a good mother. Moreover, many lab breeders won't breed their dogs until they have had all their health clearances. For example, having the hips and elbows certified by the OFA. This is to protect the breed against dysplasia. These tests cannot be done until they are two years old, which is when their bones are finished growing.

Many breeders also have tests done to check their eyes and thyroids to be sure they aren't passing on anything heritable to the puppies.

Please think about doing these things before breeding.

How old is the female?

Answer 3

Do not get a dalmation. This is a breed who would not do welll in an apartment and having nop lae to run. A rooftop is not a safe running sopt really for any dog. Dals requirefar to much exercise and you would fast find the dog to become very destructive and have behavioral issues from lack of things to do. Labs can be slower going and need less exercise but not all are like that. A better choice in breed would be Greyhound, Irish wolfhound, great dane all of those are lower energy and can live happily with a walk or two a day and then a couch to sleep on. Keep looking at other breeds as there are better suited breeds for your lifestyle than either of what you are looking at.

Answer 4

While a 9-month old dog can physically become pregnant, it's much like an 11 or 12-year-old human female having a baby.

Both of your dogs will need to be a minimum of two years old to be bred, if you plan on being a RESPONSIBLE breeder. If you plan on doing right by your dogs, your pups, the pup buyers, the breed.

They need to be two in order to achieve their own full physical development, to be able to have their hips OFA cleared and to fully come into their true personalities. Breeding puppies is not the act of a RESPONSIBLE breeder.

You should also wait until both have gotten a good start on or have achieved titles, either in showing, obedience, field work, therapy work, something that proves they are quality Labs, not just two animals with working reproductive organs.

Another factor to really consider is the future of the pups. What plans do you have for them? Do you have a contract for the puppy buyers? Is there a clause in the contract that the pup be returned to YOU should the new owners ever not be able to keep them? This is what any RESPONSIBLE breeder does.

And, two months, five years, ten years down the road, should that pup lose their home for whatever reason, a RESPONSIBLE breeder takes them back. Thus, no pup created by a RESPONSIBLE breeder ever ends up on Petfinder.com, in shelters, in Rescue.

Here are two links for you to browse through:

http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeding.html
http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/medical/whelping.html

Answer 5

How old is your lab? There are a few females who have "silent" heats, which can be dangerous given you wouldn't know until it's too late. If she's over 1 (some larger breeds don't have 1st heats before they're a year) and has not had a cycle yet, talk to your vet. And large breed dogs should never be bred before they're 2 because they're not physically (or mentally) mature and you could do permanent skeletal damage to them.

Answer 6

A large breed like Labs you should wait until the female is at least 18 months and ideally 2 years or older. Large dogs take longer to mature and are still filling out at 9-12 months. Make sure you get both your dogs OFA'd & CERF'd before you breed. Labs are prone to hip & elbow problems.

Answer 7

My suggestion is not to breed at all. There are thousands of dogs put down every year in this country alone, the people that would be buying your pups should be adopting from a shelter. Have your labs fixed and maybe start a Lab Rescue. Please don't breed or buy while shelter animals die. Sounds like you have a lot of questions about breeding in the first place. Go to petfinder.com, type in lab and see how many are in shelters all over the country.

Answer 8

First no dog should ever be bred before the age of two, they aren't physically nor mentally mature enough.

Your dog likely experiences "silent heats". Which are genetic, and she should not be bred from

Your dogs should also be shown to prove they fit the standard by earning points toward a champion title.

Next they need to be tested for genetic defects know to breed, such as hip dysplasia. If they are found to have any of them, they are not breeding candidates.

You are better to find a reputable breeder to mentor you if really want to breed dogs for the right reason. To better the breed.

Answer 9

ANY breed of dog should NOT be bred under the age of 2 years. They are neither physically nor mentally mature before then. Also they can't be certified with many of the health tests under the age of 2. BEFORE even considering breeding you need x-rays of hips & elbows done and certified by either OFA or PennHip, you need eyes CERF/PRA, you need to show and or get working titles on your dogs or at the very least have them evaluated by at least 3 unbiased very knowledgable people/judges of the breed to see if they come to breed standard, you need to research their pedigrees for health, temperament and longevity, you need to learn everything you can about breeding, whelping, newborn care BEFORE you even consider breeding, you also need to learn a whole lot more about the Labrador Retreiver breed, it's genetic health issues, breed standards etc.
You need to learn how to breed responsibly.

Answer 10

Your b*tch should be not just 18 months, but at Least 2 years prior to breeding -- this is the only way that you will be able to have her hips certified free of dysplasia (OFA does only "preliminary" evaluations prior to 24 months old).

You are going to do this wth both dogs, right? I assume you are also going to have their eyes cleared by a veterinary opthalmologist? Labs are prone to PRA and cataracts, in addition to other eye problems.

Here are some links that can help you:
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm#breeding
http://www.dogplay.com/Breeding/ethics.html
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/non-breeding.html