Large and giant breeds may be physically mature by the time they experience their first heat when they are 18 or 20 months old. Toys may cycle twice by one year of age. Experts state that full sexual maturity relates to the attainment of maximum capacity for reproductive performance, and that is no sooner than the second or third estrus period.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi dam with three precious puppies.
I suggest there is yet another important factor in the equation—the owner’s readiness to accept the responsibility of bringing a litter of puppies into the world.
Male Puberty
Males, like females, reach puberty at varying ages, depending on the breed. Most males of all breeds are sexually mature and capable of producing puppies by a year of age. The smaller breeds usually mature earlier than the large and giant breeds. Many litters of unscheduled, undesired puppies are the products of sexually precocious males that are physically immature.
I can recall many phone calls from distraught clients, saying, “Doctor, I need help. Who would have guessed that our neighbor’s little six-monthold Cockapoo-Rat Terrier cross was old enough to be romantically interested in my purebred Pekingese? I can’t understand how he managed to get over our three-foot (91 cm) high fence. Now, can you believe it? I think the ugly little rascal is somehow fastened to sweet little Ling Choy. Surely he hasn’t gotten her in a family way, has he?”
Never underestimate the virility or the persistence of a clumsy young neighborhood puppy. There is an old adage bantered among purebred dog breeders: “The uglier the mutt, the better the fence jumper.”
TIP
Carefully planned inbreeding should be left to experts with extensive genetic knowledge of their dogs.
If your beautiful, purebred show bitch is in heat and a wandering, nondescript pooch can find his way through, under, or over your fence, you may find it necessary to contact your veterinarian for a discussion of abortion techniques (see Pregnancy Termination, page 74).
Stud Dog Age
When breeding a young bitch for the first time, it is often best to use a proven stud dog. His experience will certainly help in the actual breeding process, and a secondary benefit is your ability to see and handle his offspring from previous matings. Such studs will usually be more than a year old, perhaps much older.
Males that are proven in shows or other competitions are usually also well over a year of age. The number of champions under a year of age is relatively small. In purebred dog breeding, a stud’s age is secondary to his quality and the quality of puppies he has produced with other females.
Some novice purebred dog breeders are guilty of a serious mistake—they obtain male and female puppies of their chosen breed at the same time. Sometimes the pups are closely related, often littermates. Before they have the opportunity to establish their quality in the show ring, the female comes into heat. They aren’t old enough for conformation shows, obedience, or field trials, but they are old enough to breed. The bitch shows signs of proestrus bleeding, and the owner leaves them together, either unwittingly or intentionally, to let nature take its course. Which it does.
The result can be a nightmare. The progeny of inbreeding between littermates or other closely related parents may exhibit exaggerated features found in their parents. Inbreeding may intensify physical faults that are easily recognized, or they may amplify unapparent personality traits. People shopping for pets are well advised to be suspicious of inbred puppies, which makes it difficult to place them in good homes.
Even if the pups are not related, first-season breeding is not good management technique. If it happened to you, read on; we’ll help you make the best of it.
Chapter 3
Choosing and Conditioning Brood Stock
Books written about specific breeds guide the prospective buyer through breed standards and explain how to select the best possible representative of each breed. They dwell on conformation, preferred coat type, colors, size, and personality of the subject breed. This is a generic book not limited to individual breeds, but one that supplements those written about individual breeds.
One fact is found in every good dog-breeding book. Cheap breeding stock is very expensive. It costs just as much to propagate average quality as it does to produce the top of the line.
In your breed selection process, you no doubt attended many dog shows and other competitions. You talked with other breeders and committed breed standards to memory. You plan to show your bitch a number of times, receiving appropriate awards, points, and ribbons. You are convinced that she possesses the potential to produce puppies that will be excellent representatives of your chosen breed.
You have studied your breed’s history and are not aware of any genetic faults and hereditary health problems that may be present in your chosen breed. You are aware of the AKC’s Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) registry and are taking advantage of the knowledge being accumulated.
You are financially and physically able to care for a bitch in whelp and willing to accept the responsibilities associated with delivery and raising a litter of puppies. You have formulated a plan for placing the puppies in homes where they will be loved and cared for.
Now you need advice on the specifics of breeding animal selection, such as the temperamental, nutritional, and reproductive health characteristics of a good dam and sire.
At five weeks, this Great Dane puppy investigates everything in sight.
Temperament
No matter which breed you choose, regardless of how similar they appear, all dogs of a breed are not identical. Each individual has its own genetic makeup. Its temperament as an adult reflects the dispositions of both parents as well as its bonding and treatment as a puppy. If you already own the dog that you plan to breed, it may be too late to look at its parents’ temperaments, but you can still objectively analyze your dog’s attitude. Your decision to breed a dog with a grouchy, snappy disposition might have horrible consequences.
Example: I knew a large male dog of a breed that is known for its aggressiveness as guards. I examined the animal in the clinic dozens of times without incident. I trimmed and sanded his toenails, treated infected ears, vaccinated him, and otherwise tested our relationship regularly. He was a pussycat—not an aggressive bone in his body.
In his exhibition career he was shown frequently in both conformation classes and obedience trials, where his handlers and judges saw no evidence of a disposition fault. He easily acquired the points necessary to receive both his AKC conformation championship and CD obedience degree. He belonged to a family with three small children, all of whom wrestled and played with him daily.
TIP
As a conscientious breeder, select a puppy whose parents are known to have an agreeable temperament.
He displayed one personality problem, and that was manifested only in his own home.
