Sire at what age???

[Peta-Gaye]

What is the ideal age to allow your male puppy to mate. My puppy is 8 months old, and I have a friend with a female that would love to mate her with my male. But, we didnt know what age my puppy should be. Her female is old enough.
I would appreciate some feedback from YTers in the know

[HillbillyBelle]

IMO, your boy is still a bit too young and immature to be used for breeding. There are a number of factors to be considered..First, you can RUIN a stud for life by allowing him to be injured or traumatized during an attempt that it difficult. Is the female experienced enough to help him hit the target? Is she rough? Will BOTH dogs let you hold them for the tie and all during the time they are tied? If she jerks him around, he could be hurt and frightened. I guess you get the idea that I would not use a stud that young unless there were some really urgent situation. Then, AI might be the best bet.
I personally, don't know what the rush is (although I know there could be some reason that you don't feel you want to reveal) so I cannot say that you absolutely should not use him..But only a really experienced breeder should be supervising the process. This is just MHO and others might disagree with me..

[Ladyhawk]

He's got at least an other 4 months so you have plenty of time to get his health testing done and an evaluation by an experienced breeder, exhibitor, or judge. You'll need to study his pedigree and get ahold of the breeder's of his ancesters so that you can learn as much about his line as possible to make sure that you won't be passing on any genetic, hereditary problems.He may not even be breed quality. Breeding is serious business, with the market already flooded and all of the health issues popping up for this breed caution is called for.

[BamaFan121s]

I agree with what the others have posted. At this point he is still very much a puppy. He will have to reach full adulthood before you can even evaluate if he should be bred.

[Peta-Gaye]

Originally Posted by HillbillyBelle

IMO, your boy is still a bit too young and immature to be used for breeding. There are a number of factors to be considered..First, you can RUIN a stud for life by allowing him to be injured or traumatized during an attempt that it difficult. Is the female experienced enough to help him hit the target? Is she rough? Will BOTH dogs let you hold them for the tie and all during the time they are tied? If she jerks him around, he could be hurt and frightened. I guess you get the idea that I would not use a stud that young unless there were some really urgent situation. Then, AI might be the best bet.
I personally, don't know what the rush is (although I know there could be some reason that you don't feel you want to reveal) so I cannot say that you absolutely should not use him..But only a really experienced breeder should be supervising the process. This is just MHO and others might disagree with me..

Ok, there seems to be some miscommunication here. Let me make this clear - I AM NOT IN A RUSH!!! I was simply asking for some feedback. The female in question is old enough, as verified by her vet. The owners, who are close personal friends of mine, have actually made 2 attempts to mate her before, but were unsuccessful. The male that was used was a bit aggressive and the female resisted him. Our dogs have become familiar with each other, and she is already comfortable with him, thus, we believe that when MY puppy is MATURE ENOUGH, he would be a good candidate.
And, YES, we fully intend for it to take place with the vet present!

[Peta-Gaye]

Originally Posted by Ladyhawk

He's got at least an other 4 months so you have plenty of time to get his health testing done and an evaluation by an experienced breeder, exhibitor, or judge. You'll need to study his pedigree and get ahold of the breeder's of his ancesters so that you can learn as much about his line as possible to make sure that you won't be passing on any genetic, hereditary problems.He may not even be breed quality. Breeding is serious business, with the market already flooded and all of the health issues popping up for this breed caution is called for.

I was under the impression that posting this in the Breeder Talk section was the best thing to do, however, what I now realise, is that it has resuslted in premature opinions and decidedly condescending responses.
Neither myself nor my friends have any intentions whatsoever of continually breeding our dogs, nor do we desire to show them. We are not and have no desire to become "breeders", we are simply people who have 2 VERY HEALTHY dogs, and would like 1, yes I said 1, litter of pups.
Both our dogs have gotten clean bills of health are have no signs of genetic problems.
You know, there are some of us regular civilian yorkie owners, that are capable of reproducing our dogs in a responsible manner, and don't consider ourselves irresponsible for wanting puppies from our beautiful, healthy dogs. Our dogs may not have some great lineage, or be of "show quality" in the eyes of some, and we are not contamination the yorkie population as some would like to judge.
The woman I got my puppy from was not a professional breeder, she was a private owner, who in a responsible, and carefully monitored manner, bred her dogs once, so that her niece could acquire a puppy as beautiful as her's. Her dog gave birth to 2 puppies, one of which I now have. My puppy, like his parents, is in great physical condition. He is now 8 months old, and has never had ANY health issued. Vaccinations have passed without incident, no episode of hypoglycemia, his liver is 100%, and he has superb knees.
When I asked this question of my vet, she had said to wait until at least 14 months, pending another health check. I posted the question here on YT, merely for some constructive feedback, not for assumptions to be made, and judgements to be passed.

[Tnyorkiemom]

very very well said...good luck to you and your friend.....as for the original question i think you were asking.....most vets say between 14 and 18 months...because of many factors....one of them being that the sperm has time to mature...so they arent shooting "blanks"....yes some have impregnated females when they were younger...but the vets say best to wait till 14-18 months....

[BamaFan121s]

Wow! To the OP--you asked a question and were given very good, informative advice. No one was rude or negative and pointed out lots of things to consider and steps in preparation in case there was something you might have overlooked, which is easy to do. IN ADDITION to answering your question. (Which you later claimed you already had the answer to.)
I don't see where any of the responses were condescending or judgemental.

[Peta-Gaye]

Originally Posted by Tnyorkiemom

very very well said...good luck to you and your friend.....as for the original question i think you were asking.....most vets say between 14 and 18 months...because of many factors....one of them being that the sperm has time to mature...so they arent shooting "blanks"....yes some have impregnated females when they were younger...but the vets say best to wait till 14-18 months....

Thank You . Needless to say I am more than a little upset at the responses posted. Anyway, to each his own right .

Perhaps I should also make this clear - The hopefully resulting puppies will NOT be for sale. This is not a breed-for-profit thing. My friend intends to keep at least one, and if the birth results in more than one, the other may go to my daughter, and if by chance there are more....well lets just say, we are a large family of dog lovers and have many relatives who would love one.

[Peta-Gaye]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

Wow! To the OP--you asked a question and were given very good, informative advice. No one was rude or negative and pointed out lots of things to consider and steps in preparation in case there was something you might have overlooked, which is easy to do. IN ADDITION to answering your question. (Which you later claimed you already had the answer to.)
I don't see where any of the responses were condescending or judgemental.

It's not a matter of knowing the answer. I said my vet had given me her professional opinion, however, one of the things I valued about YT, was the opportunity to "chat with friends" and get feedback from others. Nothing wrong with more than one answer right!
You 'heard' it one way, I 'heard' it another. The difference may be that it was directed at....Me!

[BamaFan121s]

Originally Posted by Peta-Gaye

It's not a matter of knowing the answer. I said my vet had given me her professional opinion, however, one of the things I valued about YT, was the opportunity to "chat with friends" and get feedback from others. Nothing wrong with more than one answer right!
You 'heard' it one way, I 'heard' it another. The difference may be that it was directed at....Me!

Well I guess if you go looking to be offended, then you will not be disappointed.
Yes, I understand what you mean regarding the great help and info you can get from members here. Which, IMO was exactly what you got in a very constructive manner. But to each their own, I suppose.

[Ladymom]

It's impossible to know if your little guy is healthy and free of genetic conditions he could pass on to offspring at only eight months old and without health testing.

By health testing we don't mean listening to his heart and lungs. Responsible breeders test to make sure the dogs they intend to breed don't have liver disease, luxating patellas or other orthopedic problems, thyroid imbalances, etc.

Many genetic conditions don't show up for years. My Lady is a perfect example. She was the picture of health for four years ... until her "genetic time bombs" starting going off. She is now both epileptic and diabetic to name just a few of her conditions. Her vet bills and medications run about $5,000 a year now.

Did you know that Yorkies are 36 times more likely to have a liver shunt than all other breeds combined? And that the OFA ranks Yorkies #4 in the number of cases of luxating patellas? Surgery to correct those conditions runs into the thousands. I'm sure you wouldn't want to unknowingly pass that kind of financial liability on to friends and family members.

You've come to right place to learn about being a responsible breeder. Please try to be open minded and listen to the advice given by our experienced YT breeders.

[Peta-Gaye]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

It's impossible to know if your little guy is healthy and free of genetic conditions he could pass on to offspring at only eight months old and without health testing.

I wasn't planning on breeding him now, contrary to popular belief [see quote below]

Originally Posted by HillbillyBelle

I personally, don't know what the rush is (although I know there could be some reason that you don't feel you want to reveal)

Originally Posted by Ladymom

By health testing we don't mean listening to his heart and lungs. Responsible breeders test to make sure the dogs they intend to breed don't have liver disease, luxating patellas or other orthopedic problems, thyroid imbalances, etc.

I never once thought that listening to their heart and lungs constituted health testing.

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Many genetic conditions don't show up for years. My Lady is a perfect example. She was the picture of health for four years ... until her "genetic time bombs" starting going off. She is now both epileptic and diabetic to name just a few of her conditions. Her vet bills and medications run about $5,000 a year now.

Just asking, did any of these health issues show up during testing, or did they become apparant as she aged?

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Did you know that Yorkies are 36 times more likely to have a liver shunt than all other breeds combined? And that the OFA ranks Yorkies #4 in the number of cases of luxating patellas? Surgery to correct those conditions runs into the thousands. I'm sure you wouldn't want to unknowingly pass that kind of financial liability on to friends and family members.

Yes, I did read these statistics prior to acquiring my puppy.

Originally Posted by Ladymom

You've come to right place to learn about being a responsible breeder. Please try to be open minded and listen to the advice given by our experienced YT breeders.

I'm aware that I may not seem open minded, after the exchanges that have taken place, but I was very open to what the experienced here had to say. It was the tone it was delivered in that got my defenses up. Does show quality=breed quality? There are several things that while they may disqualify a dog from show, including, but not limited to coat color/quality & lineage, it doesn't mean they are not worthy of being reproduced.
Not every private owner that breeds their dog, who may not be the crème de la crème, is irresponsible.

However, with all that's been said, I would like to say Thank You for all the input.

[BamaFan121s]

Originally Posted by Peta-Gaye

It was the tone it was delivered in that got my defenses up.

"Tone" is such a tricky thing to interpret via the typed word.

I truly think maybe there was some misunderstanding that you were planning to breed your guy at only 8 months. I read your OP again and see that you didn't state it specifically, but do see how maybe that impression was drawn.
I truly don't think that anyone meant to offend you or imply that you were an irresponsible owner, soon to be breeder. I think others were just offering advice. I hate to see that it was taken as criticism instead.

I am glad to see that you are not upset and are taking in all that you are given. I have found that even advice that I don't completely agree with gets me thinking about things that I never considered before sometimes.

[wildcard]

I prefer not to breed any of my males until they are over the age of 4 yrs, preferably closer to 6 yrs. I know this seems very very late but many health issues (I am thinking particularly of mitral valve issues) don't show up until the dogs are older. We don't have the luxury of waiting that long to breed a bitch but we can with the dogs. I have not had a problem with natural breedings with dogs on who I have waited until they are older-- the instinct remains lol and the sperm quality is still high at that age. I breed a breed in which we are just learning of some issues with potentially hereditary heart issues so I have taken as conservative an approach as I can.