Barking Up The Wrong Tree

How Old Should My Bitch Be For Breeding?

According to the Kennel Club (KC), the simple answer is that your bitch should be at least one year old before she is mated.

However, bitches have their first season at different times - usually between eight and ten months old - but if your bitch is a late developer her first season many happen after she is one year old. That means you could mate her on the first season. As a general guideline many responsible dog breeders say that you should wait until at least the second season before mating. That means your bitch is highly likely to be about eighteen months old before you mate her for the first time.

Be careful not to breed your bitch too early. Even if you bought her for breeding, give her time to grow and develop herself before you rush into breeding her. I know a bitch who was mated at her second season, according to the guidelines, so she was about fourteen months old when mated. She was a good mother and the pups were well and by all accounts it was a successful breeding. However, when she had her second litter almost two years later, the owner realised the difference. Compared to the second breeding, the bitch had taken a long time to recover from the first breeding and she handled the litter much better the second time around.