Why won't my twins go into heat?

[Kristindsullivan]

My girls are 11 months old and never gone into heat! Is this normal? My breeder told me to expect it around 6 - 9 months! Should I be concerned?


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[Xeph]

Lots of bitches don't come in until a year or after

[wyominggrandma]

Each female is different. When her body is ready, she will come into heat. Just like little human girls, everyone is different.
It will happen.

[LoveEcho]

Be prepared to deal with two siblings potentially in heat at the same time... it can get really, really ugly, really, really quick. Most breeders will not sell siblings to the same home for this reason. Keep a good crate-and-rotate strategy ready!

[Kristindsullivan]

Thanks guys! Echo - I didn't get them from a "breeder"! My friend owns mom and her mom owns dad! Mom had 8 and she was too small to handle it! She quit nursing after 5 weeks and my friend got very overwhelmed! So I took 2 of them! Sweetest girls ever though! My twins should do fine if they have big litters because they are huge like their daddy! We do, however, only intend to breed one at a time! That is mostly because one of them broke her hind leg at 12 weeks old and needed surgery! We want to make sure her leg is fully grown and strong before she adds the weight of babies! Her sister will go first!


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[N Smith]

Originally Posted by Kristindsullivan

Thanks guys! Echo - I didn't get them from a "breeder"! My friend owns mom and her mom owns dad! Mom had 8 and she was too small to handle it! She quit nursing after 5 weeks and my friend got very overwhelmed! So I took 2 of them! Sweetest girls ever though! My twins should do fine if they have big litters because they are huge like their daddy! We do, however, only intend to breed one at a time! That is mostly because one of them broke her hind leg at 12 weeks old and needed surgery! We want to make sure her leg is fully grown and strong before she adds the weight of babies! Her sister will go first!


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Dare I even get the ball rolling....

When are you planning on breeding the first girl?

Do you have a link to their pedigrees?

Do you have a link to the OFA page displaying the results of their health tests?

Out of curiosity, of course...

Are you active in any dog sports? Conformation?

[GsdLoverr729]

I just feel a need to mention this to you, OP:
Litter mates are not recommended, especially two females. If they go into heat and decide they no longer like one another, they WILL fight. And females fight to kill.
It is also possible the first girl will attack the other to "defend" her puppies. And it is just as possible for her to decide they are in danger and kill them herself (as well as for her not to react to her sister and the sister to kill the puppies).
What will you do if your dog needs a c-section?

Any of this can happen. None of it may occur. But do you have solid plans in case they do???


Also, if your friend BRED the dogs to get puppies that makes her a breeder. If you breed your girls, even once, that also makes you a breeder.

[LoveEcho]

What are the parents titled in? What are their OFA ratings? Why were they bred?

What do you plan on doing with your girls? What sort of arenas do you train or show in? Where do you plan on finding a stud?

My warnings about two female siblings, especially in tact, and especially who may go into heat at the same time, is not to be taken lightly. My point in saying that breeders will not place them together is because it is more often than not (especially with females) VERY dangerous and can lead to lethal fighting. If you bring puppies into the mix and pregnancy hormones... that takes it up even another notch.

[lhczth]

Neither girl should be bred before they are fully mature and have at least their hips/elbows certified with OFA if in the USA. That will make them some where around 26 months. This is a minimum requirement for any dog being bred. Don't be in a hurry.

Most dogs don't nurse their pups full time past 4-4.5 weeks at which time the breeder will start to supplement the milk with some type of solid food. This is when the real work begins whether the bitch has 2 puppies or 12. Puppies should not leave the litter or the breeder until 8 weeks and, yup, it is a lot of work. Lots of poop. Lots of pee. Time spent playing with the puppies, feeding puppies, cleaning puppies, imprinting puppies, cleaning puppies, feeding puppies, playing, cleaning, feeding.............. This is what is best for the puppies and their future owners. Please, if you are not willing to put in this time, then don't breed.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted by Kristindsullivan

Sweetest girls ever though!

My first two GSD girls were best of friends. Neke was about 2 years old than Tessa and they would play and eat and sleep together. Then Tessa had her first season and everything changed.

I came home from work and it looked like someone had filmed a slasher movie in my living room. Furniture overturned, curtains ripped off the windows and blood splattered EVERYWHERE!!

I found Tessa cowering behind the overturn sofa and Neke sitting in the kitchen. Tessa had to go to the vet and ended up with multiple bite wounds - several that needed drains. It took her a couple weeks to completely heal.

I never in a million years would have thought anything like that would happen between them.

There's a saying in the dog world - Males fight for breeding rights; females fight for BREATHING rights.

Please be prepared.

As for breeding them - please make sure you at LEAST get their hips and elbows certified by either OFA or PennHip so that you are not passing along problems to the people that purchase your puppies.