Maximum age of breeding females - Page 1

Hi guys, I would appreciate opinions on what is the maximum age that you breed your females. I have only been breeding for 10 years and some of my girls are 6, 7 and 9. I bred the 7 year old last year. She produced one puppy, then again her next heat cycle, she produced 4 pups. No problems having any of them. Last breeding NO pups! My 8 year old (will be 9 in Sept)I bred her one last time going to keep the entire litter because I knew it would be her last, and he only had one huge pup and had to have it taken c-section and be spayed! The only pup died. My 6 year old (will be 7 in Aug) was bred and day before yesterday I took her in for an xray because no signs of labor had started (it was her 68th day past the first breeding and the 65th day past the last breeding)and again ONE HUGE PUPPY! She went into Labor yesterday after a drop in temp and 2 hours later and after me doing an extreme amount of pulling and her pushing, she had one pup that was 2 lbs. There was another pup in there which didn't show up on the xray. He was born dead and was 2 1/4 lbs. So....are all of you seeing basically the same things in older dogs? For me, it is very difficult to assess when you shouldn't breed a bitch one last time! She could have an excellent sized litter and no problems (and perfect health!) and then have a lot of problems and only one or two puppies the next breeding. It looks like the trend is to not breed them past 6 years of age? Would like to hear others opinions on what ages you stop breeding your females and what problems or concerns you have had or good experiences breeding older bitches? thanks guys.. Peggy

Hi Peggy, Just got through breeding my oldest bitch she will be 8 yrs. old in Dec. of this year. She had 11 pups with the last being still born but I would say that thats pretty good. Playing ball up to the day she whelped and ready to play ball right after.It seems the older she gets the better she gets at it!Every year i say this will be her last. My Vet says up to 10 years if everything goes good and the number of pups is good.But every bitch is different and you just dont never know Thats why breeding isnt for everyone. Things happen.A 2 lb pup is BIG. Never had one of those Been breeding 7 years. Good luck!

I let my girls tell me when its time to retire, if they are having a hard time with labor/feeding, are having smaller puppies or smaller litters then its usually time to retire. A lot of my females have retired at 6yrs, some females can easily be bred until about 9 (but those females are rare). Any time the x-ray shows under 3 puppies or any very large puppies, C-section is a MUST, otherwise you jepordize the health of the puppies and the bitch. Older females often have strange and inconsistent heat cyles, some of my older females will go 20-25 days before reaching the ideal breeding progesterone level. Inconsistensy in litter size is a problem older bitches often face. The risk for birth deffects is increased. Go with your instinct, if you feel like some of your girls are ready to retire, then its time. If you feel like they could go one or two more litters, then go for it. Just watch for signs of problems and c-section when necessary.

Hi Olga Ashley, Could you explain a little more about the increased risk for birth defects? I have an older female also and I am looking for reliable information on this very same topic. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out.

Typically as a bitch ages, she produces fewer ovum during each eustrus cycle. As a child I was told that all females (humans included) have a predetermined number of ovum, but I don't know whether that is a fact or the proverb of a farmer's wife. I face the same issue with an older breeding bitch that I own. She has whelped two (2) litters; the first of ten (10) healthy puppies, and the second with eleven (11) healthy puppies. She was five (5) years old during the last whelp, and had no issues. I did not breed her again because I had other females whose progeny I wanted to see. She is now nearly eight (8) years old, extremely active and her cycles are still normal. I intended to have her spayed expect that we acquired a male some time ago, who combined with her should produce a litter with extreme drive and focus. But, I know that this time we must proceed with extreme caution even though she did very well with the other litters. I don't like the use of x-rays on a pregnant bitch, but I think it is something that we must do this time. And be prepared for a C-section as well. Whether or not this final breeding and whelp occurs, she will be spayed after this last opportunity. Personally I will not take a chance past this age. Bob-O

Hi Peggy, I have heard of people having huge litters at 6,7 yrs old, and sometimes even older. However, I do think a lot of it has to do with how many times the bitch has been bred before. If your female(s) have been bred every, or nearly every heat cycle since they were 2 yrs old, then they may be past due for retirement. When a female starts producing small litters, I think it is a good time to skip her next cycle to give her a rest, and then breed her on the following heat. If she still only produces 1-2 pups then she probably should be retired. With having so few pups in so many breedings I would be really tempted to get a vets opinion on why this might be happening. Sometimes if a female isn't really healthy then she may not produce as well, either. Have you thought about changing dog foods, maybe?? It's just a thought. Some people swear by certain foods. Anyway, best of luck, and I hope things start going better for you. ~Kristen

Your comments are so encouraging to a 64 year old like me. I am sure it "not about the money"--- I am sure you just want to preserve the past! I am going to my grandmothers for dinner tomorrow and I am going to encourage her and gramps to have another baby. I will be watching my 13 and 14 year olds for another heat. Did someone mention every or nearly every heat since age 2? WOW!!!! You all definately into BIG TIME breeding. If this is not the "comedy column"---SHAME on you! Morgan

Hi guys, thanks for the input. No, of course I do not and have never bred my dogs every heat cycle. The only time I have done a back to back breeding was when my female only had one pup then I bred her the next heat cycle and she produced 4 pups. These are not the only litters that I have had lately. My one female, 4 years old, had a healthy litter of 10 pups 3 weeks ago. I wanted to breed the girl that just had 2 pups to carry on her lines as I have no puppies from her. People really should be reading ALL of the info instead of jumping to conclusions. I only breed my girls once a year, if that. Just concerned about when every one else retires their females. Peggy

depends on the dog and whelping history. I have seen some females after six and only a couple of litters be done for the most part and then have had a female who has 13 normally and one time 16 no problems, she remained healthy toned, good coat etc and still is a good producer today at seven. We gave her two years off and she had nine recently with one tie all healthy as well as her. One tip when buying a female for breeding check the history of her dam they follow the same for the most part.

I know humans(and probably most mamals) are born with a predetermined amount of eggs; as time goes on(and with every cycle) eggs are lost, as the female ages more and more eggs are defective and thus are non-fertile eggs. Obviously, as any mamal ages the risk for birthdefects (ie: heart problems, fading puppies, stillborns, early miscarrige or absorbtion, umbelical problems). In dogs, most serious birth defects end in absorbtion, stillborns or early death in puppies. As the females get older and get to an age of retirement, I would advise doing the last 2 litters back to back. Long intervals between breeding often result in problems, that is when most cycle inconsistencies as well as infections that I have encountered have occured.