Age of motherhood - Page 1

Does the age of a female have a bearing on the quality of the puppies produced. I know the mother has psychological impact on the puppies and a young mother may not do as good of a job at psychologically imprinting the puppies as an older mother. But does the age of of mother have anything to do with the structural quality of the puppies. The reason I asked is because I have noticed some breeders have not problem breeding a female that is 17-18 months of age and they are looked down upon, why is that? What is the problem if the female has had her hips xrayd and had a show rating and have at least a BH and AD.

Hips can be prelimed at younger ages, But not certified until 24 mos. or older. That is possibly why they are looked down on. I would never breed on a prelim personally.

Gimme10mins, there is a minimum acceptable age per the S.V. of twenty (20) months of age for females. In my opinion that is still just a bit young, but it passes muster with them. Every now and then I see an A.K.C. breeding where the dam was only about nine (9) months old at the time of whelp. Essentially a young child having children. If one intends to follow the S.V. rules, then it is possible for a really good female to have her hips "a" stamped, earn the BH, the AD, a breed survey and at least a "G" juvenile show rating by the time she is twenty (20) months old. That will certainly be a challenge to any owner unless he is a member of an S.V.-recognized club with an S.V.-recognized judge present and he can work easily with the schedule of events. Pursuant to these required certifications/titles is the minumum age of eighteen (18) months before the first certification (BH) can be awarded. And then follow this with the AD and minimum show rating required for a breed survey and the time is exhausted quickly due to training and showing. Certainly several young dogs have accomplished this, as evident by their score books. It is just my opinion, but I do not think that most females are mentally mature until they are at least two (2) years old, and that mental maturity is at least as important as the physical maturity. Please bear in mind that I could be incorrect as far as the minimum age is concerned, as there have been some rule changes during the past two (2) years. If I am not mistaken the sixteen (16) month rule was replaced by the eighteen (18) month rule during 2004. Bob-O

I agree with Bob-O the female should be 2 years or older depending on how mentally mature she is I have a 19 month old female she is very mature in the body and mind the other female is 2 years old and is very imature for her age she is like a puppy wanting to play all the time so she would not be breed from untill 3 years old the to females are physical fit but one more mature than the other the 19 month old one i still would not breed her until 2 and half as I feel this is time enough

Most bitches have not met requirements for korung before 24 months, hence they are technically inelligible for breeding. There is always someone who believes that they are too good to play by the rules. Some might be doing test breedings early and selling the pups as AKC pets.

JDH, I agree with you. Again, if one intends to follow the S.V. rules 100%, to do enough to obtain a published breed survey in twenty-four (24) months or less would require an excellent bitch, excellent trainers, and timely access to qualified events with qualified judges. The owner of a good bitch might be able to do this before she is three (3) years old, in normal circumstances. Bob-O

Everyone has made some of the same points that I would make. I think they are looked down upon because they are not following the breeding guidelines set forth by the SV, which state that the dog must have at least a SchH or HGH title, AD, conformation rating and be breed surveyed. Look at it this way: BH - must be 15 months old AD - must be 16 months old SchH or HGH title Conformation Rating Breed Survey - must be 2 years old Hips - can be done at 12 months for the 'A' Stamp Program or not until 2 years for OFA. If one breeds a female at 16-18 months of age, the female may be physically capable of being bred and whelping puppies, but she has not passed all the requirements to show that she is breed worthy nor is she completely mature mentally (as the others have pointed out). My personal opinion is that if someone is breeding at that young of an age 16-18 months, then they are not breeding for "the betterment of the breed". They are breeding to simply produce puppies. Marsha Seck

Thanks, Marsha. I forgot about the new (two years old?) requirement for the SchH1. I think that I must print a highlighted modern copy of the rules and paste them to my glasses. Bob-O

a-stamp - 12 months show rating - 12 months BH - 15 months AD - 16 months SchH1/VPG1/IPO1 - 18 months SchH2/VPG2/IPO2 - 19 months SchH3/VPG3/IPO3 - 20 months according to the new rules that came into effect 01/2004. KKL can be done the year the dog turns 2, but it does not have to be 2 yet. If all other requirements are fulfulled it can do the KKL at 18 months right after the SchH1. Quite a few dogs actually get their KKL in Germany before they turn 2. I use 3rd heat as a rule of thumb for the first litter. The first heat, as already mentioned above the bitch is still a pup. The second heat she is reaching maturity but usually still in puberty, and the 3rd heat she is pretty much a young mature female. Unless a female started her cycles very late or the cycles are longer apart, then the second heat might fit, but I'd always like to see the bitch at least 18 months (had other breeds). 20 to 26 months is a good age for a first litter. 16-18 months, the female is probably not through puberty yet. Its not just that a young female that is too immature may lack mothering and socializing skills for her pups, but her unfinished body will not be able to provide for growing pups and all their body parts, which can lead to a higher incidence of developmental (physical) problems. And it tends to wear out the young female because what still needs to go into her growing body goes into the growing pups instead. You would be chipping away at the physical foundation of the young female.

Thanks D.H.. I am retrieving my scissors and glue at this moment. Bob-O