Appropriate age to breed bitches
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I never did until after two years old and I had hips , heart , eyes etc checked . That was only half the battle as the sire had to have a good line and all the tests too . Then it was why I even would have a litter !! I did mainly to keep my line going ....also I always had a waiting list as I never had a litter every year .
At least two years. After that, the younger, the better when it comes to the health and the wear and tear of the uterus in the bitch. With each heat cycle that passes, the uterus becomes more and more unhealthy, so you don't want to wait too long. Definitely not before two years. AND, definitely NOT BEFORE the proper health clearances and titles are obtained. I personally would not breed a bitch older than five either.
H
At least 2 1/2 years. It takes til 2 before you can get the health certs done and by the time you get your results back her cycle would be over anyways. 
So two and a half IMO. You need to find a suitable stud, preferably CH titled or hunting/field title depending on the breed as well as health certified himself. Your bitch could probably stand to have a title on her as well or at least in her pedigree.
So two and a half IMO. You need to find a suitable stud, preferably CH titled or hunting/field title depending on the breed as well as health certified himself. Your bitch could probably stand to have a title on her as well or at least in her pedigree.
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Thanks for the info. The reason I asked is because a breeder has a dog which is now pregnant with a second litter and the bitch isn't 2 yrs old. It struck me as being very young and worse that this will be the second litter so soon. I also didn't know it took over 2 yrs to obtain the required health tests.
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Most clubs have a min of 18 months - most wait 2 years some 3 years or more.
Truth is genetic issues dont crop up sometimes till 3 4 0r 5 years of age.
So if breeding from a unknown line without the help of a mentor to know what to look for. The older the better.
But then that brings in how old is too OLD to breed???
How many litter can one expect to get from a older bitch?
Truth is genetic issues dont crop up sometimes till 3 4 0r 5 years of age.
So if breeding from a unknown line without the help of a mentor to know what to look for. The older the better.
But then that brings in how old is too OLD to breed???
How many litter can one expect to get from a older bitch?
OFA prelims are quite accurate depending on the age they are done at. Accurate meaning a Good or Excellent at a certain age has an x% chance of passing...meaning FAIR OR BETTER at 24 mos. OFA has all that info on their website. PennHip can be done as early as 4mos old.
ETA: Here it is...
"A recent publication* compared the reliability of the preliminary evaluation hip grade phenotype with the 2 year old evaluation in dogs and there was 100% reliability for a preliminary grade of excellent being normal at 2 years of age (excellent, good, or fair). There was 97.9% reliability for a preliminary grade of good being normal at 2 years of age, and 76.9% reliability for a preliminary grade of fair being normal at 2 years of age. Reliability of preliminary evaluations increased as age at the time of preliminary evaluation increased, regardless of whether dogs received a preliminary evaluation of normal hip conformation or HD. For normal hip conformations, the reliability was 89.6% at 3-6 months, 93.8% at 7-12 months, and 95.2% at 13-18 months. These results suggest that preliminary evaluations of hip joint status in dogs are generally reliable. However, dogs that receive a preliminary evaluation of fair or mild hip joint conformation should be reevaluated at an older age (24 months).'
ETA: Here it is...
"A recent publication* compared the reliability of the preliminary evaluation hip grade phenotype with the 2 year old evaluation in dogs and there was 100% reliability for a preliminary grade of excellent being normal at 2 years of age (excellent, good, or fair). There was 97.9% reliability for a preliminary grade of good being normal at 2 years of age, and 76.9% reliability for a preliminary grade of fair being normal at 2 years of age. Reliability of preliminary evaluations increased as age at the time of preliminary evaluation increased, regardless of whether dogs received a preliminary evaluation of normal hip conformation or HD. For normal hip conformations, the reliability was 89.6% at 3-6 months, 93.8% at 7-12 months, and 95.2% at 13-18 months. These results suggest that preliminary evaluations of hip joint status in dogs are generally reliable. However, dogs that receive a preliminary evaluation of fair or mild hip joint conformation should be reevaluated at an older age (24 months).'
Depends on the bitch. If a bitch is being say...sectioned every time then it should be less. If she is a bitch that passes pups in her sleep then perhaps the decision is different.
My guideline, is 3 in a lifetime spaced however I feel best for the bitch, but that's hardly set in stone. Dr Hutch, a top repro expert....actually holds that it is detrimental to the bitch to skip seasons...that she should be bred back to back then spayed ASAP after age 2 or whenever certs are done.
Some say there is actually MORE risk in waiting too long to breed a bitch the first time..say past age 4-5 than doing it early...like 18mos-2 years.
So many theories but in the end you decide based on your knowledge of your bitch...her experience of motherhood and what you are needing for your line.
My guideline, is 3 in a lifetime spaced however I feel best for the bitch, but that's hardly set in stone. Dr Hutch, a top repro expert....actually holds that it is detrimental to the bitch to skip seasons...that she should be bred back to back then spayed ASAP after age 2 or whenever certs are done.
Some say there is actually MORE risk in waiting too long to breed a bitch the first time..say past age 4-5 than doing it early...like 18mos-2 years.
So many theories but in the end you decide based on your knowledge of your bitch...her experience of motherhood and what you are needing for your line.
Ask her to show you all the appropriate certificates for the testing. The required tests for a breed often differ from one breed to another. You need to check out what health issues are a problem within the breed you are looking at. Then ask the breeder for proof of the testing. As others have already stated, OFA is should be done after 2 yrs of age, but that is only done once. BAER (deafness) is done once, usually as a pup. CERF (eyes) should be done every 6 months - 1 year for breeding stock. Those are just a couple of examples.
A rep. breeder often spends a small fortune each year testing their breeding stock.
And a regular vet can not do some of the tests. The dogs have be taken to specialist in that given field.
And if a breeder tells you that their lines are clean.........RUN AWAY.
No lines are clean and that breeder is either uneducated or is lying.
A rep. breeder often spends a small fortune each year testing their breeding stock.
And a regular vet can not do some of the tests. The dogs have be taken to specialist in that given field.
And if a breeder tells you that their lines are clean.........RUN AWAY.
No lines are clean and that breeder is either uneducated or is lying.
Yes I agree waited till age 4.5 to breed my 1st bitch ( because we could not find a OFA male or anyone willing to xray)
She had hard labor 5 live pups 5 dead last one by c section. NO females to carry on her line.
I asked the vet when she was doing the c section if she had any damage to spay her.
She did not _so we bred her again a year later - wanting that female ( skipping one heat).
She did it again 3 live males 1 dead female and one retained pup dead female.
This time we said just spay her I cant go thru this emotional crap..again.
First litter had imhumane defects, no one is being bred from that litter I have the last remaining dog in which i neutered...( x factor)
Pick male from that litter with OFA Good CGC and Many titles was killed by a hunter at someones else home.
2nd litter One pick male I have kept on ice to see he is now age 5 No issues.
The other pick male was hit by ATV ( owned by same owner of that first dog killed)..
The other pet doing well..
So was it her age? or was in because she was inbred on a recessive color ( liver).
Or both? Dont know. Either way I will NEVER breed a bitch older than age 4 for the first time. I will never breed a recessive color again,and if the bitch is _proven not to be able to whelp a litter naturally I spay them.
I know that is a bit harsh maybe throwing out the baby and bath water.
But I dont like to risk things too high on my emotions.
She had hard labor 5 live pups 5 dead last one by c section. NO females to carry on her line.
I asked the vet when she was doing the c section if she had any damage to spay her.
She did not _so we bred her again a year later - wanting that female ( skipping one heat).
She did it again 3 live males 1 dead female and one retained pup dead female.
This time we said just spay her I cant go thru this emotional crap..again.
First litter had imhumane defects, no one is being bred from that litter I have the last remaining dog in which i neutered...( x factor)
Pick male from that litter with OFA Good CGC and Many titles was killed by a hunter at someones else home.
2nd litter One pick male I have kept on ice to see he is now age 5 No issues.
The other pick male was hit by ATV ( owned by same owner of that first dog killed)..
The other pet doing well..
So was it her age? or was in because she was inbred on a recessive color ( liver).
Or both? Dont know. Either way I will NEVER breed a bitch older than age 4 for the first time. I will never breed a recessive color again,and if the bitch is _proven not to be able to whelp a litter naturally I spay them.
I know that is a bit harsh maybe throwing out the baby and bath water.
But I dont like to risk things too high on my emotions.
Penn hip and OVC ( canada) can be done earlier than 2 years.
I OFA and OVC a 18 month old bitch got a OFA Excellent and a OVC clear.
So we bred her when she turned 2. Some molosser only cycle once a year and waiting 3 years to breed so we can get a OFA when teh bitch is in season is just not feasable.
So we Penn hip between 18 -26 months.
I OFA and OVC a 18 month old bitch got a OFA Excellent and a OVC clear.
So we bred her when she turned 2. Some molosser only cycle once a year and waiting 3 years to breed so we can get a OFA when teh bitch is in season is just not feasable.
So we Penn hip between 18 -26 months.
IMO breeding past age 4 is a risk to the bitch and pups both...in your case I'd suspect it was more due to the age of the bitch and the ensuing degradation of her eggs due to that.
Women who are older than the prime childbearing age have a higher risk of birth defects for the same reason...egg quality degradation.
Women who are older than the prime childbearing age have a higher risk of birth defects for the same reason...egg quality degradation.