That's too old for a bitch to have her first litter. Most people would retire a breeding bitch at that age.

 

Could it be that if the dog/bitch has any health problems that could be hereditary, they would most likely have shown up by 7 years of age? (Which could be useful for any hereditary conditions which there are no health tests for. Although it would be no help for conditions where dogs can be carriers but have no symptoms).

 

7 years would be much too old for a first litter, and would carry a far greater risk of something going wrong. Hormone levels would have passed their peak years before, meaning the bitch may not produce enough for a normal whelping to take place.

7 would be old age for most of the giant breeds, some of which don't live much past 8 or 9.

The same doesn't apply to a male, in fact there is a lot to be said for using older males who have already shown they produce good offspring, and have excellent health results. Sperm quantity and quality may decline with age although many will still be fertile enough to sire a litter.

 

thanks guys, i thought it to be to old for breeding too.....

 

sill cow iv mis-read it haha, its asking why its not recommended not why it is...sorry guys no wonder i couldn't find info haha

 

hi, im doing a diploma with compass education just now and theres a question im a tad stuck on and was hoping someone may be able to point me in the right direction......

so the module is on aggression...

and the question is :

apart from the reason given above (character of the dog fully established) why might it not be recommended to breed from the dog for the first time until it was at least 7 years old? And would this also apply to both dog and bitch??

i cant find anything on line that suggests this , it may be that im not searching the correct phrase etc but if anyone has any info on it or can point me in the right direction of a site with info or a book or pdf etc id be ever so grateful. its the second last question to complete in my module and it driving me crazy haha

thanks

Sounds like a trick question. You wouldn't breed from a 7 year old female especially not a first litter, most breeders would have retired a bitch long before that age.

A male on the other hand you could.

 

yeah i was thinking the same sled-dog-hotel. i think ill write how some people maybe would breed at that age but ill mostly write why not too and the effects on the bitch etc. thanks for everyone's input

 

The same doesn't apply to a male, in fact there is a lot to be said for using older males who have already shown they produce good offspring, and have excellent health results. Sperm quantity and quality may decline with age although many will still be fertile enough to sire a litter.

Interestingly - one thing I have noticed is, that for some dogs, the quality of their progeny improves as the sire gets older; it seems a strange thing to say - but I've seen it time and again with pups from older dads.

A lot of people talk about males' personalities changing after they've been mated (I'll can't say I've ever come across this personally) - but it could be argued that a dog of 7 or above could be more likely to undergo personality changes (although again - I've know of dogs this old being used for the first time without issue - with the advantage of improved performance in the show-ring (not that the dogs were exactly slouchers beforehand) - a confidence booster perhaps?

With regards to bitches - for a lot of breeds - this is quite close to the end of their breeds average life - so just as you would expect a lot of people in this "age range" to be putting their feet up and relaxing - the same could be argued for these dogs - certainly in my own experience - first litters seem to take much more out of a bitch than subsequent ones.

Having said that - there are a lot of medium and smaller breed where 7 is around half way through or less their average life-span.

Now of course, there may be physical reasons why some of these breeds shouldn't be having a first litter at 7 - I know I've heard a few members talking about reasons why early / late litters are not a good thing.

============================

From an academic perspective - the crux of the response would, I assume, be assessed on a reasoned argument of the pros and cons of breeding for the first time at 7, these arguments being used to determine your overall perspective on the subject - which may well differ for dogs and bitches.

 

Does anyone else read that as a double negative?
So essentially it is asking why it might be a GOOD idea to breed from a 7 year old bitch for the first time?

 

so the module is on aggression...

and the question is :

apart from the reason given above (character of the dog fully established) why might it not be recommended to breed from the dog for the first time until it was at least 7 years old? And would this also apply to both dog and bitch??

i cant find anything on line that suggests this , it may be that im not searching the correct phrase etc but if anyone has any info on it or can point me in the right direction of a site with info or a book or pdf etc id be ever so grateful. its the second last question to complete in my module and it driving me crazy haha

thanks

yeah i was thinking the same sled-dog-hotel. i think ill write how some people maybe would breed at that age but ill mostly write why not too and the effects on the bitch etc. thanks for everyone's input

The question is focussing on the reasons why you would breed from a dog for the first time at 7 years old.

If you forget the number 7 - I'm sure there will be both empirical and anecdotal evidence available on the pros and cons of breeding for the first time from older dogs.

To respond that it isn't a good idea isn't really answering the question.

You need to find the reason why theorists and practitioners alike argue for first time breeding of older dogs; once this has been explored, then (if you feel it appropriate) should you counteract it with the fact that there is greater evidence indicating that breeding from older bitches is not the best idea.

Avoiding the reasons why it MIGHT be advisable not to breed until the dog / bitch is older other than saying "some people might do it - but it isn't right" - doesn't answer the question and doesn't present a reasoned argument.

The question clearly presents that waiting until the dog is 7 before breeding gives sufficient time to assess the dog in it's entirety from both a health and temperament perspective - the fact it might not be considered ethically responsible to breed (in particular) a bitch of that age would form part of your counter argument to the other reasons why it would be OK to take such a late first litter.

 

Does anyone else read that as a double negative?
So essentially it is asking why it might be a GOOD idea to breed from a 7 year old bitch for the first time?

Yes - I did, and was about to comment after reading the thread.

To me, the initial questions suggests that EVERY bitch needs TO BE AT LEAST 7 before having a litter. And therefore, by implication, you shouldn't breed from any that are younger.

Has the question been copied correctly, OP? Not trying to pick on you, as it might be a trick one, but it can be easy to make an error copying something, and a single word makes all the difference.

 

hi, sorry i didnt see the new posts guys so apologies for not responding...iv copy and pasted the paragraph about it and the question. i have written my response but im certainly not happy with it, i asked my tutor and i have to give both pro and con reasons for it...but as i said before i can not find any pros for it

If someone is looking to breed a dog, it is crucial that they look at both the dam and the sire’s behavioural as well as medical history.
However if someone already has puppies the focus should be on the environmental influences around it, as by that point nothing will change its genetics. There is a line of belief that states that dogs should not be bred from until they are at least 7 years old, as by this point their character will have been fully established but this is a little extreme and definitely not to be recommended as far as the bitch is concerned.

Module question 4.7a) Apart from the reason given above, why might it not be recommended to breed from a dog for the first time until it was at least seven years old?

b) Would the same argument apply to both dog and bitch?


so i was reading it to be that i needed to state why it would NOT be recommended, but you can read it both ways haha, so i asked my tutor as she said that i had to fine reasons for and against.
so i ended up calling a few vets, they all said it was not advisable either haha, although my own vet said that if there were any "pros"it could be that it would give more time to evaluate a bitch/stud pair for genetic diseases, so iv went down that route for the pro...although when you go on to research those it certainly doesn't say that waiting till the bitch is older is any better

so thats my predicament haha

 

All I can say is what a daft question! What course are you doing?

 

its through compass education: foundations in canine behaviour management diploma. im doing it before i go onto the advanced diploma.

yep its a weird question alight hahah

 

hi, sorry i didnt see the new posts guys so apologies for not responding...iv copy and pasted the paragraph about it and the question. i have written my response but im certainly not happy with it, i asked my tutor and i have to give both pro and con reasons for it...but as i said before i can not find any pros for it

If someone is looking to breed a dog, it is crucial that they look at both the dam and the sire’s behavioural as well as medical history.
However if someone already has puppies the focus should be on the environmental influences around it, as by that point nothing will change its genetics. There is a line of belief that states that dogs should not be bred from until they are at least 7 years old, as by this point their character will have been fully established but this is a little extreme and definitely not to be recommended as far as the bitch is concerned.

Module question 4.7a) Apart from the reason given above, why might it not be recommended to breed from a dog for the first time until it was at least seven years old?

b) Would the same argument apply to both dog and bitch?

so i was reading it to be that i needed to state why it would NOT be recommended, but you can read it both ways haha, so i asked my tutor as she said that i had to fine reasons for and against.
so i ended up calling a few vets, they all said it was not advisable either haha, although my own vet said that if there were any "pros"it could be that it would give more time to evaluate a bitch/stud pair for genetic diseases, so iv went down that route for the pro...although when you go on to research those it certainly doesn't say that waiting till the bitch is older is any better

so thats my predicament haha

You could say that you have tried to research scientific confirmation regarding the 7 years minimum, and cannot find any. The absence of such evidence suggests that it is something which has no scientific basis, and may just be an 'old wives tale'. (or if you don't want to use those words , 'the personal opinion of a breeder or breeders, which has become enshrined as fact')

Like your vet has told you, it will allow for any inheritable/breed specific defects to appear, and also any weaknesses which might be not be common in a particular breed, but which that individual animal might suffer from.

Regarding not breeding from a male dog until he's 7. People here have said that litter quality improves when the stud is older. However, these are dogs that have been used for breeding since reaching maturity. WIth a virgin dog, he may have to be helped which would be stressful both for him and his geriatric bride, and it may be that he will prove to be infertile. If the cause of his infertility was a remediable one (there MUST be some!) you have lost your chance.

 

thanks lost bear, if you don't mind i may pinch your sentence haha, i wrote about the cons then stated i couldn't find any information for pro, and what my own vet had said, but i didn't execute it as nice as you haha

thanks for everyone's input, it has been very helpful

 

thanks lost bear, if you don't mind i may pinch your sentence haha, i wrote about the cons then stated i couldn't find any information for pro, and what my own vet had said, but i didn't execute it as nice as you haha

thanks for everyone's input, it has been very helpful

Oh, my word - you have me blushing now . . . :blushing:

 

The only pro I can think of aside from temperament (which I personally dont believe takes until 7 to develop!!)

But in breeds like Cavaliers, where there heart conditions and syringomyelia may present by that age

Or for example in boxers where the kidney condition unique to them presents itself at under 7 years of age


I am really scraping the barrell though there