5 litters from a 6 year old bitch?? - Page 3

If a bitch is bred every year from the time she's 2, she can have 5 litters by the she's 5 years old. Just because she can doesn't mean she should.

Same here in Iceland ........you can only breed youre female after she is 2 years old and only one litter per year. And after she is 7 years old you have to have pappers from the wet that she is ok for breeding. Most people here only breed there females 4-5 times and than they retired.(All breeds)

Sorry, I meant to say she could have 5 litters by the time she's 6 years old.

The bitch in question is 6 years and 8 months old. Allowing for 2 heat cycles per year since she turned 2, that's 9 heat cycles. It doesn't seem to me that 5 litters in 9 cycles is excessive. Neither does it seem outrageous that they are asking $3,000 for a V-rated female who could produce another litter or two for someone who is just starting out or who wants to introduce some different lines into their breeding program.

Good points, p59teitel. I tend to think that a bitch should not be asked to produce a litter every year or more than 4 or 5 litters in her lifetime. However, with all the titling involved with GSD's I can see that might not be applicable to all breeds. I guess if I went to all the trouble to title, get a breed evaluation and a V rating on a bitch, I'd be more inclined to have a different take on that and would then base any decisions on the condition of the bitch rather than the calendar.