7+ female still producing litters - Page 1

Has anyone on this board have had any litters from a 7+ bitch. What was the outcome? Litter size? Quality of puppies? Does the female produce better with age?

I would be interested to hear as well. I know the risk of complication increases and litter size theoretically decreases. I'm
contemplating breeding my just turned 7 year old female before I have her spayed (produced 3 litters, 7,7,4 , with the last
only having had one tie which was 2 years ago.) Super mother, always produced exceptional working dogs no matter the
male bred to. I've been on the fence, and leaning toward just going ahead and having her spayed and retired (she's not
going anywhere).

Melissa

I am pretty sure that my girl Janna's mom was 7 when she was born.....let me check.

She wasn't 7 at the time, she was just a few months Shy.  She was born Sep 15, 2003 and my girl was born late June 2010.  I know that she had one litter after the 2010 litter but i am almost certain there was 2, but the timing does not ad up unless he did back to back to back breedings....there must have only been just the one.  She whelped again in August 2011, and dam would have been just a month shy of 8 years old.  For some reason I thought there was another one between June 2010 and aug 2011 but I must be wrong, I can't imagine breeding three cycles consecutively.

I am not an expert but I think that my Janna is good quality.  We will find out better once I start to really work with her this year.  She could be a dud for all I know.  Looks wise she is pretty lovely.

Janna is out of City Vom Siegerhof, Jack Smith is the breeder, if you don't find he answers you are looking for here, you could try contacting him.....he can be slow to respond via email though.

ETA: thr were 9 puppies in janna's litter 7 males 2 females, one female did not make it.  If i recall correctly the 2011 litter was in the average GSD litter size as well.

yes, i have a female i used at 7 1/2 years the pups turn out fine, she had  8 pups in total so she is still producing good litter with most pups they are good and healthy. only one was still born. i think it depends on how good the females eggs are as some are not good. i did not own this female at a young age so cant really say about that part. i got her at 6 years. this female i am going to try one more time for a litter now she is 8 years , so we will see what i get. she does not act like an 8 year old ,more like a 5 year old so her health is very good. that should be one thing to look at how is her health?

I had a bitch that was accidentally mated when she was 10 years old - well she must have been but I didn't know she had been mated - my daughter kept quiet about it as I was at a show! First I knew was 9 weeks later when I came downstairs to find 3 puppies suckling! All was well but I wouldn't recommend it!
Mine usually have their first litter when turned 2 years and have 3 litters spaced out. I now have them spayed after that.

Not a GSD but a Dobie, http://www.padok.type.pl/ritaa.html

  She was bred 9 years old, died a year later. 

http://www.padok.type.pl/MIOTY/T_Oscar-z-Padoku_Sant-Kreal-RioritaA.htm

I was thinking about this breeder, but that really threw me off, I guess they do things a bit different over there.

One of my GSD's mother was 6 when she had him.  There were 9 pups in his litter, but 1 died.  In subsequent breedings, she had 10 puppies and 8 puppies at ages 7 and 8 respectively.  I don't know how many puppies died in those.

Just anecdotal though...

My girl's mother had a litter around Thanksgiving. At the time of the whelping the dam would have been 7 years and 8 months old. As I recall she had 4 puppies. Some people who live not far from me bought one of the males and he is fabulous (makes me wish I'd gotten a pup from that litter). It was to be her last litter, kind of makes me sad(not saying she should have been bred again, just that I would have loved one more out of her). She is enjoying her retirement, hanging out being the queen of the house from what I see on their facebook page :).
I don't know much about the other 3 pups except that the breeder kept one and he is doing very well.