Breeding your dog...

[Meeshy144]

My boyfriend bought me Dulce, and has hopes to breed her. I've read that its better to spade them, giving them less chances of getting mammory and inflamed ovaries. Is this true? I wouldn't mind having extra little Dulce's running around, but I still want the best for my pup. How long should I wait if I do decide to breed her? Thanks!!

[Gingergirlsmom]

Hello and congrats on your little girl!!!! I'm not a breeder, but as a pet owner, I would strongly rec. having your girl fixed. It is much healthier for her and it is better to leave the breeding to those who have researched and are doing it to better the breed.

I volunteer for a yorkie rescue and it is sad how many of these little pups end up in rescue a year or two down the road. Too many of them are being bred already. Please consider the safety of your little girl, the future of the breed, and all those little homeless yorkies and get your girl fixed.

Anyway, welcome to yorkietalk!!! I applaud you for seeking out answers before you make a rash decision. I hope to see pics of Dulce soon!!!!

[Meeshy144]

Originally Posted by Gingergirlsmom

Hello and congrats on your little girl!!!! I'm not a breeder, but as a pet owner, I would strongly rec. having your girl fixed. It is much healthier for her and it is better to leave the breeding to those who have researched and are doing it to better the breed.

I volunteer for a yorkie rescue and it is sad how many of these little pups end up in rescue a year or two down the road. Too many of them are being bred already. Please consider the safety of your little girl, the future of the breed, and all those little homeless yorkies and get your girl fixed.

Anyway, welcome to yorkietalk!!! I applaud you for seeking out answers before you make a rash decision. I hope to see pics of Dulce soon!!!!

I have wanted to get her fixed, is there a certain age limit they have to be before getting that done, I was told after their first heat.

[Rae Rae]

Vets reccomend different ages, my vet said 4-6months. I think that doing it after the first heat is better is just a myth. Talk to your vet and see when they recommend.

[Erin]

Hello! Welcome to YT!!!

I'm sure your boyfriend means well by thinking he wants to breed her, and he probably knows how expensive Yorkies are and thinks you guys might be able to sell the pups too, but please just get her spayed. Go to the Breeder's section on here and you'll find stories about mom dogs who need C-sections (expensive emergency C-sections, especially if it's needed in the middle of the night) and those who have lost puppies or even mom. You don't want to put your little girl at risk like that. Yorkies don't have easy births, which is part of the reason (besides popularity) that Yorkies are so expensive. They usually have 1-5 babies, not 10 or 15 like big dogs do. What if mom rejects the pups - are you willing to stay up all night bottle feeding? There are so many unknowns that it's just best to leave breeding to the breeders. If you are interested in breeding then do some research and speak to other breeders and when you are ready you should buy a girl to breed. There are medical tests you need to do and you have to know the pedigree and what "faults" the dog has and how to select a stud to minimize those faults. Just enjoy your little girl and don't try to breed her. Too much can go wrong.

You might get some nasty answers on here so be prepared. I don't usually respond to these posts but I thought I would explain why it's not a good idea rather than just tell you not to.

[Gingergirlsmom]

I've read lots of differing opinions on this, but my females have always been spayed around 6 months. (before 1st heat) What does your vet recommend?

[Erin]

Originally Posted by Meeshy144

I have wanted to get her fixed, is there a certain age limit they have to be before getting that done, I was told after their first heat.

You can have it done before her first heat, which avoids the mess. If you wait until after you must wait until 8 weeks after she is done with her heat. It's much easier to have it done sooner if your vet agrees.

[JaLaYorkieGirl]

If you have her spayed before her first heat cycle, her chances of mammary cancer is almost ZERO! The risk goes up with every heat cycle.

If you purchased her as a pet then I would highly recommend spaying her, it will make living with her so much easier. Although we breed/show, it still stinks to have to deal with heat cycles...I have two girls that will mark when they are in heat...grrr!!! LOL

[MyFairLacy]

So much can go wrong with breeding: emergency c-sections costing $1000-$2000, puppies can die, puppies can have genetic defects and diseases, mom could contract STDs, Mom could DIE...you always have to be prepared for the possibility of losing your pet when you decide to breeder her..it does happen.

Breeding is very expensive and time-consuming to do it the right way. Yorkies unfortunately have so many genetic health problems because of bad breeding. It's so important to health screen mom and dad before breeding to make sure you aren't passing on defects to puppies and causing heartache for a family in the future. Tests need to be done such as a bile acid test, blood panel, test for STDs (even if its the dogs first time), check for Luxating Patella, hips, eyes, ears, heart, etc. And you really have to know the pedigrees of the dogs - the size of the dogs, whether or not they are free-whelpers or have needed c-sections, and if there are any genetic illnesses in the lines. Yorkies are 36 times more likely to have a liver shunt than all other breeds combined...you can do a bile acid test on the parents to make sure they don't have it...but they could still be carriers as this disease has been known to skip 10 generations. It's also very important to check for Brucellosis (an STD...dogs can be born with this if mother was infected). If a dog is found to have Brucellosis the recommended treatment is euthanization because the dog is a public health risk - the disease can be passed onto humans which has been known to cause abortions in humans. You also need to make sure your dog meets the standard and is of quality to breed...most purebred dogs are not of quality to be bred because they have faults..they make great pets but shouldn't be bred. Yorkies are so overbred right now that most don't even look like a standard yorkie anymore. And you have to remember that millions of dogs are euthanized in shelters each year...do you really want to contribute to that?

If you spay her, you'll almost eliminate her risk of breast cancer and will eliminate her risk of pyometria. She will be a happier and healthier dog. And you'll be protecting her from the risks of giving birth.

[SET Yorkies]

Every breeder on this board started somewhere…. Let me tell you the story of our humble beginning as something to consider. I had an excellent mentor….. She was passing the torch of 25 years of knowledge and experience to me (how lucky was I?)…. My second litter was due being whelped by my most beautiful dog (not to mention that I was also attached to her as much as I was my children)…. Talk about a textbook pregnancy…. 42nd day ultrasound showed 6 very well proportioned, small puppies…. Delivery started…..no distress….easy labor on the first puppy… then nothing….and nothing… I was prepared…. I had read all of the books…. Not to fear, middle of the day, no emergency call…. We headed to the vet just to be sure (12 miles)….she died in my hands as I walked through the office door…. I called my mentor in horror and unbelievable grief….she said, “you’ll know in a few weeks if this is for you.” …. She said that because I had 6 very tiny puppies (5 saved through c/s) that needed to be nursed every two hours for weeks….I buried my Gizmo where our new kennel stands today and got started with her babies…..I would hardly close my eyes b/f it was time to feed again….two weeks into it, one just didn’t thrive….now I was at wit’s end….three days later one aspirated on the feeding tube….I was done, called my mentor and told her to come get them all… she said, “no, this was your choice”…. 20 or so weeks later of round the clock care, One by one, these tiny replicas of their mom, of whom I had become a surrogate mother, were picked up by new owners, placed under various Christmas trees….and absolutely delighted special families….One to 4 kids, one to a wife of 35 years, one to an only child, and one to new bride. To this day, I still grieve for my Gizmo, to this day I still check up on every puppy I sell… I’ve shoveled truck loads of poop, dried gallons of pee, built kennels, torn down kennels, delivered puppies at 2:00 am on every holiday celebrated by man (even my kids birthday parties which I had to miss)….Breeding is a complete sacrifice of everything else when the moment counts b/c your female is counting on you for everything….If you bring puppies into this world they are your responsibility and yours alone. My mentor made that quite clear to me. If you do not have the ability to deal with the difficulties with the same passion as you delight in the rewards, keep you little girl as a pet….. If you do have the ability, this could be the blooming of a wonderful new career…one that I love more with every pooper scooper full….

[abbey46923]

Originally Posted by SET Yorkies

Every breeder on this board started somewhere…. Let me tell you the story of our humble beginning as something to consider. I had an excellent mentor….. She was passing the torch of 25 years of knowledge and experience to me (how lucky was I?)…. My second litter was due being whelped by my most beautiful dog (not to mention that I was also attached to her as much as I was my children)…. Talk about a textbook pregnancy…. 42nd day ultrasound showed 6 very well proportioned, small puppies…. Delivery started…..no distress….easy labor on the first puppy… then nothing….and nothing… I was prepared…. I had read all of the books…. Not to fear, middle of the day, no emergency call…. We headed to the vet just to be sure (12 miles)….she died in my hands as I walked through the office door…. I called my mentor in horror and unbelievable grief….she said, “you’ll know in a few weeks if this is for you.” …. She said that because I had 6 very tiny puppies (5 saved through c/s) that needed to be nursed every two hours for weeks….I buried my Gizmo where our new kennel stands today and got started with her babies…..I would hardly close my eyes b/f it was time to feed again….two weeks into it, one just didn’t thrive….now I was at wit’s end….three days later one aspirated on the feeding tube….I was done, called my mentor and told her to come get them all… she said, “no, this was your choice”…. 20 or so weeks later of round the clock care, One by one, these tiny replicas of their mom, of whom I had become a surrogate mother, were picked up by new owners, placed under various Christmas trees….and absolutely delighted special families….One to 4 kids, one to a wife of 35 years, one to an only child, and one to new bride. To this day, I still grieve for my Gizmo, to this day I still check up on every puppy I sell… I’ve shoveled truck loads of poop, dried gallons of pee, built kennels, torn down kennels, delivered puppies at 2:00 am on every holiday celebrated by man (even my kids birthday parties which I had to miss)….Breeding is a complete sacrifice of everything else when the moment counts b/c your female is counting on you for everything….If you bring puppies into this world they are your responsibility and yours alone. My mentor made that quite clear to me. If you do not have the ability to deal with the difficulties with the same passion as you delight in the rewards, keep you little girl as a pet….. If you do have the ability, this could be the blooming of a wonderful new career…one that I love more with every pooper scooper full….

very well said. I think this is the most touching post I have ever read on this subject. Sorry you had to start out with the worst possible situation but glad you stuck with it. It is amazing bringing these babies into the world, but it can also tear your heart out when things go wrong.

[Yorkieluv]

If you spay before the first heat cycle, it reduces the risk of mammary cancer significantly...Good luck!

[Meeshy144]

Originally Posted by SET Yorkies

Every breeder on this board started somewhere…. Let me tell you the story of our humble beginning as something to consider. I had an excellent mentor….. She was passing the torch of 25 years of knowledge and experience to me (how lucky was I?)…. My second litter was due being whelped by my most beautiful dog (not to mention that I was also attached to her as much as I was my children)…. Talk about a textbook pregnancy…. 42nd day ultrasound showed 6 very well proportioned, small puppies…. Delivery started…..no distress….easy labor on the first puppy… then nothing….and nothing… I was prepared…. I had read all of the books…. Not to fear, middle of the day, no emergency call…. We headed to the vet just to be sure (12 miles)….she died in my hands as I walked through the office door…. I called my mentor in horror and unbelievable grief….she said, “you’ll know in a few weeks if this is for you.” …. She said that because I had 6 very tiny puppies (5 saved through c/s) that needed to be nursed every two hours for weeks….I buried my Gizmo where our new kennel stands today and got started with her babies…..I would hardly close my eyes b/f it was time to feed again….two weeks into it, one just didn’t thrive….now I was at wit’s end….three days later one aspirated on the feeding tube….I was done, called my mentor and told her to come get them all… she said, “no, this was your choice”…. 20 or so weeks later of round the clock care, One by one, these tiny replicas of their mom, of whom I had become a surrogate mother, were picked up by new owners, placed under various Christmas trees….and absolutely delighted special families….One to 4 kids, one to a wife of 35 years, one to an only child, and one to new bride. To this day, I still grieve for my Gizmo, to this day I still check up on every puppy I sell… I’ve shoveled truck loads of poop, dried gallons of pee, built kennels, torn down kennels, delivered puppies at 2:00 am on every holiday celebrated by man (even my kids birthday parties which I had to miss)….Breeding is a complete sacrifice of everything else when the moment counts b/c your female is counting on you for everything….If you bring puppies into this world they are your responsibility and yours alone. My mentor made that quite clear to me. If you do not have the ability to deal with the difficulties with the same passion as you delight in the rewards, keep you little girl as a pet….. If you do have the ability, this could be the blooming of a wonderful new career…one that I love more with every pooper scooper full….

I'm very sorry to hear about your baby. I would be devastated. I'm definitely not going to jump into any decisions. I appreciate everyone's input. It kind of felt more like an attack though.(Not from anyone in particular) I would definitely not breed my baby unless I first spoke to a professional. I haven't made a decision yet. I still have to talk to my vet and make sure that I don't do something to put her in danger. Thanks again for sharing your heart warming story with me.