That is ridiculous.
Silverback came out of Missy when she was 10-11.
Not only wasn't she "too old," but Silverback was the best dog she ever threw.
The ridiculous "rules" people (who don't know shit about dogs) make up in their heads ... and then repeat as if it's gospel
Jack
PS: Who is "the governor of litters" you're talking about in The Netherlands?
I think that is a good rule to go by around 8 or so is what a lot of kennel clubs will go by for papers yes it does depend on the dog and how well she was taken care of etc. But remember the older the dog the higher the risk for something to go wrong will be. But its your dog an your call if u don't care about papersOriginally Posted by Nash
I have bred more bitches (and smaller bitches) than 99.999999999999% of the human population on the face of this earth, and I have had no more problems with older bitches than younger bitches.
That is a flat-out wives' tale.
Jack
Not only ditto what Jack said, but you're at risk for something to happen breeding ANY bitch of age. There are a number of things that can go wrong, and age has nothing to do with many of those things. There's no reason to stop breeding a bitch at 8 years old unless you simply want to. If the dog has been kept healthy her entire life, and you want to breed her again at 9, you're not going to because someone told you that 8 was too old? I laugh all the time when someone tells me their female is too old to have pups, only to find out they're anywhere from 7-9 years old.
That's just silly.
what about breeding an older bitch for her first time?
I was going to say, I am more nervous breeding a first-time young bitch than I am breeding an old war horse bitch who knows the drillFirst time bitches are often nervous and restless, and don't know what to do, whereas the experienced mama has the routine down and does everything right.
The only exception I would say would be older bitches that have gone to hell, are decrepit and horrificly-fat, because their stomach muscles are ruined and they don't have the oomph to push sometimes. But an older bitch at a good chain weight, or even slightly fat, are no problem at all.
To answer Crisis, an older bitch that's first time is no different really from any other first time, so long as she's active and in decent shape.
I would like to also add that, as an example, my tiny bitch Cherry Cola needed 2 c-sections when she was young, because she was so small, and (because she was inexperienced) she didn't let me help her push. By the time she was 7-8, I was able to get pups out of her naturally, but I would always lose most of them, because the vets were using injectibles rather than gas.
By the time she had her last litter she (in 2009), she was 9 years old and I got both pups out of her alive, and with less hassle than ever before, because by then Cherry knew the drill and let me help her without trying to stand up and "see what I was doing." Cherry was in great shape ... and her age, maturity, and experience allowed her to relax and let me get those massive pups out of her tiny, small-hipped self.
Jack
I have a bitch who I just had a litter off of this past April. She will be 11 March 2014.
She is a house dog, and unfortunately we give her unnecessary "treats" lol But she has more than earned it and is a spoiled brat! So she is a bit chunky, but still very athletic and can hang with the pup we have off her all day long romping and playing about.
She did have 3 pups in her, the first one was stuck and was extremely HUGE, we had to make a trip to the vet @ 4am and he did not make it. The 2nd pup came out with ease and the last was a struggle. The 2 surviving pups were good size, but my pups usually are so nothing out of the ordinary.
I really want to breed her again, she's in heat now, but I'm a bit conflicted. And concerned she will have trouble again, she looked like hammered dog shit after her delivery last time, and I felt horrible. but she sure looks great now!
It depends on the dog. If the last one was tough for her I would imagine this one would be as well. It is a tough call. There is no age that is too old. Some dogs are too old at 8 others still doing it at 12-12-13. I have a bitch now that I bred when she was 10. I was planning to breed her again because she did so well at ten, when she cam in heat she bled for about two or three days and dried up. Vet check said she was not 'in' and she has not been 'in' since. She is going on 13 now.
Best of luck. EWO
Thanks EWO, she has been whining to be let out and wants so badly to got to the yard and select a male herself! So she's having a good strong heat cycle, not to mention flagging us every time we pat her on the butt!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote