how old does a male lab have to be before he is able to mate with a female?

Answer 1

Don't let people get to you when they start sounding off about breeding dogs. A lot of them don't know what they are talking about. A male dog should be at least a year old. AKC won't register a litter if the male is under 8 months old. Make sure the female is two and both dogs are check and clear from a vet..good luck to you and your dog.

Answer 2

That's pretty harsh "neuter the dog..." the story probably has a lot more, so I'm not going to judge.

I think you should ask a vet, or someone close who has a lot of pets/dogs. Then wait until the dog is fully mature (stops growing).

As an estimate, 5 or so is probably right, though it may be 2 years old... it depends on the breed. Again, ask a vet. Just use the yellow pages or something. It should be as simple as a short phone call.

Answer 3

When he's old enough to have started winning shows, cleared ALL vet checks, pedigree checks, and genetic tests.

When YOU are old enough to have been involved with the breed (showing, competing, 'interning' with a responsible breeder) for 5+ years.

Finalized vet checks typically can't happen until 2 years old. If your dog isn't being shown or you aren't involved with showing, then your dog should be neutered. While he may be a great pet, he probably isn't breeding quality.

Labs are INCREDIBLY prone to hip and joint problems. If your dog has not been cleared, then HE SHOULD NOT BE BRED. You also need to know the health history for 4-5 generations.

Where was he purchased from? Unless it was from a breeder who shows and personally has champion dogs, he's probably not breeding quality.

Remember, the ONLY responsible reason to breed a dog is to improve the breed. Breeding a fabulous dog, but one who is pet quality, is not the route to go. With 2-5 million animals being killed in shelters each year, many of whom are lab and lab mixes, there really isn't any good reason for pets to be bred.

Prevent testicular and prostate cancer on your dog and get him neutered ASAP.

AKC Breeding Guidelines: http://www.akc.org/breeders/resp_breeding/index.cfm

National Labrador Club: http://thelabradorclub.com/

Responsible Breeder Guidelines: http://dogplay.com/Breeding/index.html

Answer 4

How does he have to be or how old SHOULD he be?

I think most dogs are CAPABLE of procreation at around 6 months, but no dog should be bred until it's proven that there is a good reason to breed it. That takes YEARS. Get your dog neutered.

Answer 5

Don't breed him, you don't know anything about breeding. Get him neutered.

Reputable breeders will do the following before even CONSIDERING breeding their dogs:

a) Get him screened for ELBOW DYSPLASIA
b) Get him screened for HIP DYSPLASIA
c) Get him screened for PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy)
d) Get a champion title before his name (dog must be registered)
e) Research as much as possible on breeding BEFORE their first mating
f) Spend months researching dogs pedigree to make sure there are no lines of dysplasia or PRA

After you follow EACH and EVERY ONE of those 6 steps, THEN you can breed your dog.

Answer 6

Has his dad talked to him about the birds and the bees yet?