At what age can you breed German Shepherds? (male and female, please)?

Answer 1

Two years old, but only breed a female once every 18 months she has to have time to heel and recover. Good luck

Answer 2

K,
"Your dogs must be at least 2 years old, AKC registered and have finished their championship in the conformation ring."

I know this was so long ago that you will probably never see this but I want to post my comment anyway for anyone else reading these posts now.
I completely agree with waiting until the female is 2 years of age and can be hip and elbow certified. I also agree with the rest of the posters on everything about both the male and female being completely health screened, health certified and genetically tested. And as K mentioned you must be willing to put in a lot, and I mean a lot of work, time and money. Also, breeding should NEVER be done only for profit or just to see what you will get or because you want some puppies to play with for a little while then hope to get rid of them when they're not so little and cute anymore and when you can't you dump them at the pound only for them to be put in the gas chamber and killed.
But there are other reasons to breed other than to show a dog. And to say to breed a GSD your dogs "MUST" be AKC registered and have finished their championship in the conformation ring is just completely and totally wrong. There are many working dogs that are not registered and are bred for their ability, temperament, disposition, genetics and health quality and it has nothing at all to do with AKC papers or obtaining a championship in the conformation ring, which to me those things are more important than papers or championships anyway. You don't need papers or championships to be a top SAR, SD or detection dog and that's not what people look for when searching for the right pup to do those things. They look for parents with ability, temperament, disposition, genetics and health quality. In fact I just read where AKC dogs were beginning to show signs of genetic disorders due to the fact that somewhere, recently, down the line, they all (within their breed) have the same family members in their pedigree. I'm not quoting that as truth or not, but it seems logical.
Now if you are wanting to strictly breed AKC show dogs, then yes, they would both have to be AKC registered and championships would be needed on both sides of the pedigree.

Answer 3

If you are looking for a snob show dog answer, read above. If you're looking for a simple genetic answer of when the dog is capable of breeding without, like most of us, EVER caring about show dogs, then the answer is pretty simple. When they're sexually mature. For males, you can stud them out as soon as their testicles drop, but doing it before 14-16 months of age is HIGHLY frowned upon (AKC won't even let you register a dog who has been sired by a male less than 8 months old). 14 months old for males minimum, preferably 16-18 months minimum to keep from having a runt litter. For females, a minimum of 18 months old, preferably 2 years old, same reason. Waiting until 18 months old for males, 24 months females, and having them x-rayed for hip and knee dysplasia is a must if you care anything about the long-term health of your pups, which you SHOULD, as a responsible breeder.

Answer 4

Your dogs must be at least 2 years old, AKC registered and have finished their championship in the conformation ring.
The show ring is the proving ground for breeding quality, so a dog that does not finish it's championship is not of a quality to be bred. Then, they must both undergo the genetic testing and health clearances available for the breed, and have a brucellosis test just prior to mating.
HERE ARE SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE DECIDING TO BREED YOUR DOG:

Have they completed their AKC championships in the ring, thereby proving their quality as breeding stock?

Have you studied their pedigrees to determine possible genetic defects going back decades?

Have you evaluated male and female against the written breed standard to determine why their particular offspring would make a viable contribution to the breed?

Have you done the requisite health tests?

Are you willing to have their eyes and hips certified?

Do you understand the risk to the female in breeding her?

Are you willing to pay for a Caesaran, (quite common, about $1,000.00 + postnatal care)

Are you willing to supplement and tube feed puppies for 24 hours a day?

Are you willing to spend 12 weeks hand raising puppies in your home?

Are you willing to go to the expense of 12 weeks of shots and wormings for however many puppies you bring into the world?

Are you willing to interview dozens of potential pet buyers to determine exactly which ones will be the absolute Best homes for your puppies?

Will you have a spay/neuter clause in your pet buyer contract requiring proof of spaying/neutering before each pup is 6 months old?

Will you GUARANTEE that for if ANY reason during the life of the puppies you've bred, their owners can no longer keep them, they must be returned to you?


K

Answer 5

Your first question about breeding should be... What kind of health clearances do I need to have on the sire and dam before I breed a litter? How Do I achieve an AKC Championship on my dogs to prove they conform to the standard of the breed? Where can I learn conformation of the German Shepherd...... Are my dogs a good match for each other in health and conformation ?
What types of genetic disorders does this breed have? Can someone help me with pedigree research? ...
You are puting the cart way before the horse and should not breed your dogs. Spay and Neuter.

Answer 6

You can breed them after the age of 2. They also need to have been x-rayed and certified free of hip and elbow dysplasia, they need their eyes checked for PRA, they need a brucellosis test and you need to be sure the dog involved is a top specimen of the breed. The only acceptable reason for breeding is to better the breed, meaning only a select few who are excellent representatives of their breed, structurally and temperament wise, should ever be bred.

This isn't a good breed for back yard breeders - too many health and temperament problems already because of it.

Answer 7

At the age they're at when all of K's requirements have been met. Let's say your dogs are three at that time.

And you'll happily meet them, because you love GSDs and can contribute to the breed.

Right?

Answer 8

ask yo9ur vet they shouldn't be bred until tested and some test can't be done on shepherds until 2 years.

Answer 9

Normally after the females first heat cycle is best but talk to your vet they would be able to give you an approximent age on when to breed