My GSP is a year and three months old. the breeder i bought her from told me that she had gotten in with one of their sires and got pregnant at 8 months and succesfully had the pups. I know that is way to young to breed and im giving her lots of rebiliation time but what is a good age that I should breed her at, due to getting prego at 8months? please let me know! Thanks!

the word I used is rehabilitation NOT rebelion. 

and yeah the litter was successful but I don't want the same stress on her young growing body. that is why I asked if what would be the best age to re-breed her. She has had all of the following: x-rays, blood work, she does the agility corse flawlessly, she fetches, enjoyes water, and, is beyond obedient. I hope that answers any of your questions.

The condition she was in was pretty sad. She was 15 lbs under weight, she had horrible dandriff, and she had no spunk. Pretty sad. But she is in a lot better condition now. She will be coming into heat in the next two weeks.

I personally don't ever even consider breeding a female until she is 2 1/2 to 3 yrs old. 15 months is still FAR too young, especially when you consider this poor baby just had a litter on her last heat. It is never recommended to breed on two consecutive seasons. As far as I'm concerned, it would be negligent to breed her at this age under any circumstances. Additionally, she is too young to have had OFA or PennHIP and as far as I'm concerned, you should never breed a dog until at the very least, that has been done.

Why are you in such a hurry to breed her?

Jean

Bruce - that's interesting, if you find that link, I'd like to see it. Something I'd like to read, but like you, wouldn't probably change my practices with regards to breeding. Our dams are competitors, hunters and family members so I'd give them a rest no matter what. We set our max at 3 litters per girl anyway so there's not a rush.

Jean

Jean,

I have looked high and low for a link that has in depth discussion on the topic and have only been able to find excerpts and small pieces, including from Dr. Hutcninson(Hutch). He states in affect, that by breeding every cycle we are protecting the B!tches Uterus from the effects of Progesterone, over-simplified by me. I will continue to look for an abstract that I can post, but that is the jest of the idea.

My somewhat educated opinion - like I said, I don't breed on subsequent cycles, if for no other reason than just that I like my girls to be able to rest and recuperate in between. Plus I don't like them removed from wild hunting or competition that long. You probably aren't going to hurt her, it's just not what I like to do. At 5 and having already had a couple of litters, it's not like there is a big rush. To skip one cycle won't hurt her. Your choice though. Small litters are easier on the mama than big ones. That's another reason why we give our girls a break, they have LARGE litters. Rosie had 11 all three times.

Hi Guys!

I have been away for so long but I have to put my 2cents in for whats its worth. In regards to the bitch being bred too young causing her problems...I have a bitch that had her first heat cycle right at 6 months. We were traveling at a show and it was very hot so we put all the dogs in our hotel room in crates. Only 1 was left loose for security purposes. When we returned to our room, my 6 month old puppy had chewed out of her crate, with some help i am guessing. We could only assume that they had "done it".  We freaked! but tried to reassure ourselves that she was only on day 7. ha ha. 63 days later we had the most beautiful Gerslas (Vizsla X GSP). My then 8 month old puppy was the best mom! The puppies thrived and so did mom. She bounced back almost immediately and was back competing.

I surely wouldnt suggest anyone do this on purpose! I just had to share to let you know that being bred too early was not likely the cause of her being underweight or down in the dumps as much as pure neglect!

Now, when do you, as a repsonsible breeder, decide to breed? Only after you have health testing done. Hips/elbows xrayed, Cerf on eyes, CD on eyes, heart at a minimum. The hip xrays can not be completed until age 2. Then, consider conformation. No dog is perfect, but you should only breed to better the breed. A conformation CH isnt a gurantee, but it sure gives you an idea if she is breedable. How is her temperament? Hunting ability? All of these (and more) need to be considered prior to breeding. Then you cant just breed to joe blow down the street. Stud fees can be expensive. Plus you have to find a male that compliments your bitch and can begin to fix any faults.

Breeding is not cheap either. Whelping supplies must be purchased, what if complications arise. Do you have space for puppies? what happens if you cant place them all? What if you have to take one back? Will you? Prior to breeding, go check with your local rescue and see how many are there!

To answer your question, you really should wait until they are at the very least 2.

Bruce, I also have heard the same thing about breeding each cycle. I'm thinking it was from Dr. hutchinson as well. I have to agree with all, i dont feel comfortable doing it!. I know i need time to recover from each litter! I think they do too.

If you choose to breed, good luck! Hopefully we'll see you around the show ring ! Sorry if i got a bit wordy!!!