small females and breeding - Page 1

If females at 1 yr, 2 yrs of age are only 52, 54 and 60 lbs. would this have any influence on their breedability when the time comes. They have reached mature body size and are all healthy. I'm wondering how many of you have some females this size and if you wouldn't give it a 2nd thought to breed them. Or if you think possibly prospective puppy buyers may reconsider seeing the size of the dam on a litter. I hadn't given it a second thought until it was just brought to my attention twice recently so I thought I would post here to get some opinions and feedbacks from all of you. Thanks in advance

my bitch is 60 pounds.. has no problem having pups.. I don't think of 60 pounds as small.

Same here.... my females range from 60-70 pounds. Mine are are a working line shepherds.Thats what they are suppose to weigh.

I wouldn't consider females in that weight range to be small either.... I have a 55lb, a 58 lb and and a couple around 60lbs.. they are all the size a bitch should be.....

Ok, I did mention 52 and one 52, sometimes up to 54 lbs in the winter season when worked less. These are all 100% German Showline Females

52 pounds is in the standard and fine for breeding. I think always aiming for the middle of the standard is best. Your bitch should produce the middle if bred to the right male. The middle for a bitch is right around 60 pounds.

With the HUGH problem of oversize, I think bitches SHOULD be on the medium to small size to help this problem. As long as they are within standard it is good. I personally do not like masculine females. I like a bitch to look like a bitch.

Weight should be proportionate to height, which you did not mention. 52lbs is too light for a 59-60cm bitch. Then I would have to wonder if such a female would be lacking substance. But that weight is ok for a 55-56cm bitch. Breeding a smaller bitch that is still within the standard is quite acceptable. As a breeder you decide what is acceptable and what is not. Not the next person, other club members, and God knows who. It has to be your preference, not meet popular opinion. And it does not mean that her offspring will be on the small side either. Lean bitches tend to have an easier time whelping, so as long as they are in good shape, lean and fit, and get a clean bill of health from the vet before mating, you should be ok. Good luck.

The females that you mentioned are within normal range. My friend has a small female that had a litter 2 months ago that consisted of 10 beautiful-healthy puppies. Being on the small size does not effect the ability to produce or the litter size.

I think also in the next couple years you will see more of the smaller sized females when they start enforcing the size limits a bit more. I would rather have a nice medium size female for opens my options on breeding vs one that is at the top of the standard. As long as your girls are in good shape and health you should not have a problem with them carrying a litter.