dog breeding question.?

Question

okay I have seen people say wait two years and then some say you can breed her on her second heat. what is your opionion and why? and if all your going to say is dont breed there are a million homeless pets save your energy and dont answer this question. thanks

I know that cold hard facts but I do not need people to shove what they believe is the best thing down my throat. If people were not so rude it would be okay for them to tell me what they think.

I just want to learn what is right and what is best if I decide to breed. I want to be informed.

Answer 1

Good question! I appreciate that you are trying to learn before breeding, it shows concern for doing what is right & best for your dog.

The rule of thumb to wait until they are 2 is due to the physical maturity the dog should complete before breeding. This is especially true of larger breeds, as their bones & joints havent finished forming until they are 2 years old.

At 2 years, you can take your dog to the vet to have x-rays taken of the hips & elbows. These x-rays are sent to the OFA (orthopaedic foundation for animals) to determine if there is any dysplasia that might be passed onto the pups.

Also, by the age of 2, most dogs are mentally mature enough to be responsible mothers to their litters. This is not to say that 2 years is the be all & end all age for this, and much of their mothering skill will be based on how their mothers behaved when they were pups.

Good luck on your research & upcoming litter!

Answer 2

There are a couple of reasons surrounding the wait until 2 theory. Both are important. One is so that she is mature. You don't want to breed until your girl is actually mature enough to have, understand and care for her litter. Another is that you want her to be fully matured physically. The last reason I can think of is that health clearances, IE OFA, aren't official until the dog is 2. You have to make a choice in knowing what breed of dog you are breeding what health clearances are warranted and what age they are appropriate to do. As for 2nd heat cycle, my understanding is that some of the smaller dogs can come into heat before or around 6 months old and cycle closer together (I may be wrong about this). Medium to small large dogs, ie Retrievers, Setters, Shepherds, don't usually come into heat until closer to a year and usually cycle every 7-11 months. Some of the large breeds won't even cycle until well over a year, some not until two or older. It really depends on what you and your vet think is best. If you are breeding a breed that has inherent health problems and you need to have your lines checked before breeding, than wait at least for those to be done and your girl to be mature both physically and mentally.

Answer 3

There is a lotta opinion involved. The breed and the sport you participate in can influence that too. Performance breeders in my breed seldom breed at less than 4 yrs (dogs have their careers first) my sister has a breed that a maiden female couldn't be bred after 4 yr... My advice to you would be join a breed club and go out to dog events- you will soon pick up the majority opinion from talk and most importantly hopefully gain a mentor to help you personally.

Answer 4

If it is a large dog wait longer because they grow longer and it takes longer for the skeleton to reach maturity. That is the reason for the wait. Dogs can breed during the first heat, but it isn't good for them. If it is a small dog, they do mature faster. Ask your vet if yours is done growing. My vet is a wonderful asset to helping people learn about breeding or any other dog issue. I 'm sure yours will help you too.

Answer 5

Hi. First of all, you need to ask why you want to breed her. Is it to make money? To preserve a special bloodline that may not be available if you wait? To improve the bloodline? To have a puppy off of her? The list can go on forever. But the answer may help you out. As far as breeding ages go, it doesnt matter too much physically as long the female is healthy enough, and big enough. I personally never bred a female unless she proved herself worthy of being bred, just as an individual. Even when the pedigree is immaculate. But you can breed her if you want. She will let you know when you introduce the male if she is ready or not. Good luck.

Answer 6

Most breeders would recommend to wait unitl at least the third cycle - the second they are still a pup themselves!

There are plenty of dog breeding web sites around but I would suggest going back to your breeder and asking for their help. A good mentor is an invaluable source of knowledge.

Answer 7

If you don't want to learn, why do you ask questions? The reality is very, very few dogs are breeding quality, and even then, they need to pass vital genetic tests, like OFA and CERF. They must be at least 2 years old to be OFA certified. So you shouldn't breed before this is done.

Why are you wanting to breed your dog? Is she an exceptional specimen
of her breed, conforming closely to the breed standard? Has she any hard to
find virtues that would be a critical addition to the breed? Has she been
tested for genetic problems that can be passed on from the parents and does
she have an exceptional temperament? Has she been shown, and at least is on
her way to being a champion, if not already one?

If you want to bred and do it ethically, you must be committed to
learning all about your breed..its standard, its genetic diseases, the good,
the bad and the ugly. You must understand that your female could die. You
might have nothing but dead puppy bodies whether she lives or not. You might
have to pay for an emergency c-section to save her and/or the pups. If you
lose her, you are responsible for all the feeding of the pups, which will
require you to feed them every 1.5 to 2 hours. ALL hours, not just the
daylight ones. The puppies will poop 24/7, and this becomes your
responsibility to clean whether the mother survives to raise them or not.
The pups still need to be vet checked, vaccinated and dewormed no matter
what. When they reach certain stages of their lives, they need proper
socialization and guidance. They will be your responsibility at least for 8
weeks. After that 8 weeks, you are responsible to make sure they never wind
up homeless in a shelter or rescue. To ensure that, you will have to do
homechecks and make up contracts to be certain the new owners are going to
take care of them for life. You have to agree to always be available to take
back your puppies no matter what.

If you want to be a responsible breeder, look up your local breed
club, jump in and educate yourself. Listen to the advice of REPUTABLE
breeders and learn all you can about your dog. If you just wanna make
puppies to sell for lotsa money, don't bother. We have too many of those
already.

If you still don't understand, look here. Watch this WHOLE video to learn what you need to know to breed. If you can't, or won't watch it, DON'T BREED! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4630182195637750564&q=euthanasia+shelter&total=30&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=9

Answer 8

Dogs are able to be bred on their first heat.

PLEASE don't do this. Waiting until a dog is ATLEAST 3 years old ensures they are fully developed physically. Let the dog mature before breeding, it's better for the pups as well as mom.

Answer 9

I guess you won't be getting too many answers then if you don't want to fact the cold hard facts to what breeding can do.

Answer 10

You can breed her on the second heat. But it is better to wait till she is at least two.