How many months between litters?

[carmspack]

do the math from date of breeding not date of birth and you will see that this is not back to back - but most likely with a season between.

It is the nutrititonal plane , the emotional care , the nutrition during pregnancy, nursing and after weaning , plus the care of the pups taking away some of the pressures on the dams system that matter.

Any repro specialist , even human, will tell you that pregnancy at a younger age is easier and more likely . That is why we have so many people who delayed families going for repro help.

It is not how many pups (units) a female produces but why she is bred , what she contributes, and to which sire .

Carmen

[Alphak9]

Hi christine,
My calculation is that a female dog comes into heat roughly about twice a year and if it's not back to back breeding, then once a year is about right. I know it's not specific but a general statement.

Alpha

Originally Posted by BlackthornGSD

This might be true--and I am not a proponent of regularly doing back-to-back breedings. But there is so much myth and superstition around this issue--it's hard to find what is based on hard facts and what is based on the same sort of "mythology" that says puppies should be speutered before they're 6 months old and any "responsible" breeder has all puppies sold before they're born.

So, do you have any support for your statement?

Who recommends breeding only once a year and what is their recommendation based on?

What if your female is having 7 month heat cycles? That is only one litter a year but it's back-to-back breeding.

Is there any research that says the puppies will be healthier?

[Samba]

If I had a female whose contribution I was highly interested in, I would not let back to back breeding be a deciding factor if all else was in order.There are not an unlimited number of heat cycles. Breeding should not begin before 2 years old and after 5 reproduction may diminish. I remember a lecture from a reproductive vet where he noted the uterus was meant to be pregnant.

[PaddyD]

Originally Posted by carmspack

do the math from date of breeding not date of birth and you will see that this is not back to back - but most likely with a season between.

It is the nutrititonal plane , the emotional care , the nutrition during pregnancy, nursing and after weaning , plus the care of the pups taking away some of the pressures on the dams system that matter.

Any repro specialist , even human, will tell you that pregnancy at a younger age is easier and more likely . That is why we have so many people who delayed families going for repro help.

It is not how many pups (units) a female produces but why she is bred , what she contributes, and to which sire .

Carmen

This ^^^ is the answer.
I am just curious as to how soon after having pups does a bitch go back into heat? Does she stay on her 6 month schedule? ... which would put her in heat approximately 4 months after whelping.

[GSD Fan]

I agree with the fact that one thing it depends on is the female. Her recovery is paramount. I base this agreement on the three dog breeding books I am reading and thoughts from other experienced breeders.

Let me throw something into the argument, someone said NEVER breed before 2 years, right? What about if the female is having abnormal heats and usually breeding around 1 and half corrects it?

[wyominggrandma]

Some females come back into heat after a litter at exactly 6 months from the previous date, some come back in 6 months after weaning, etc. It is not really a certain thing.
I had a girl come into heat every four months, I did a prelim on her hips and bred her at her 4th heat, which was at 18 months. She did have a litter and then settled down to a regular 6 month heat after that.
Some of the leading reproduction specialists says breeding them back to back is healthier for them, keeps the organs in good shape. I think alot as said above, the care of her, the delivery, the weaning all take into account how good of shape she is in. If bred back to back numerous times, I think the female needs to be retired from breeding at a fairly young age, around 4/5 and then spayed. She could have had 4 litters by then.
Heck, thoroughbred horses, and alot of horses for that matter are bred back on their foal heat, which is usually 9-12 days after foaling. They will breed them every year until they can no longer foal or no longer come up pregnant.