breeding back to back - Page 1

how many people out there breed back to back what does it do to the female and does it have any effect on the litter size or quality

does nobody want to give me advice at least what they have seen from ther no names

I would assume that considering the reactions this board invokes the people not responding would feel rather uncomfortable at the possibility of having their breeding practises attacked publicly here if they were to annouce they breed back to back, how often etc. You can not give a generalized answer to this question unless you want people to list numbers, which can be summarized as this: Regardless of how frequently females are bred - some throw only small litters, some have varying size litters, some always have full litters. Some females start to produce fewer pups as they get older, others do not, or litter size may even increase. Same goes for consecutive breedings. Some females handle birthing and raising any size litter as if it is nothing. To others it is a physical and mental chore regardless how small the litter. Some females wear out quickly from raising litters, they seem to age prematurely. Some females "regulate" breeding stress by absorbing, giving birth too early, eating their own pups, not looking after them, etc. Others thrive on birthing and being a mom. It really depends on the bitch. Some females are very prolific. When I researched a pedigree a while ago I came across a female called Gipsy vd Schafbachmühle, she had produced 57 live pups from 9 litters in her lifetime (35 HD a-stamped with 80% HDa1 BTW). Average is about 3-5 litters during a bitches lifetime. That will give you an idea about the most common frequency of breedings. Most common practise if you breed a female regularly is either to breed her every other heat, or breed her two times in a row and then let her rest once. Older females seem to do better if there is not too much of a wait between litters. Regardless of what direction you decide to go - if a female is going to be bred should always depend on her condition prior to breeding. That is my personal rule of thumb anyways. Get a proper check up by a vet while you are getting brucellosis tests etc in order. If you use your own stud, a vet check should still be a given.

Super answer, D.H.--very balanced and informative.

Nice information there D.H :)

i really appreciate the answer and did not want to put anyone in a bad position or mean any harm in it maybe i asked the question wrong but you definitly gave me the answer i needed thank so much

:o)

DH your post is excellent and I agree 100%. I always look to the female - her condition during and after whelp - to decide whether I might breed her in the next season, or skip one. IMO older females do better with back-to-back breedings, this is the opinion of ALL repro vets I've spoken to as well - as long as they remain in good shape, condition and coat throughout the whelp/nursing - breeding them back to back is actually easier on them than skipping a cycle and getting their body "out of condition" again for pregnancy/whelping. So for older females I do back-to-back breedings, but always looking to the female's condition before making that decision. Molly Eichenluft Working German Shepherds http://workinggermanshepherd.com

I also agree with D.H's post 100%... ....condition...condition....condition...