How many litters? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

sapo1009 · 02-04-2009, 12:00 PM

How many litters should a female have, kinda worded wrong but i cant think of a good way, lol. When should you stop breeding and how often should you breed your girl? Saying no health problems!
Thanks

bjh · 02-04-2009, 02:14 PM

I think each female has to be looked at individually. Some females can safely have 4 to 5 litters in a life time and others might have difficulty having one. I think whelping is much harder on the smaller bitches (5 lbs and under). If a female requires a c-section then that females probably should not be bred again, depending on the reason for the c-section. Once a female has had two c-sections then I definitely feel she should not be bred again. The safety and well being of the female should always come first.

Most females are retired at age 5.

sapo1009 · 02-04-2009, 02:26 PM

Thank you that is good information, now my female had her first litter of 4 pups in 2 hours no problems, she is 5 1/2 pounds. I bred her on her next cycle after that litter and she is due in 3 weeks.
I have heard that some give breaks in between meaning that she was bred on 2 heat cycles now let her have her next heat cycle free from all males?
How do you work that?
Thanks I just dont want to put my lola through to much even if she does very well each time
Christina

bjh · 02-04-2009, 02:39 PM

Again, it depends on the bitch and the circumstances. If a bitch just raised 4 puppies and she comes in heat right at 4 months after having puppies then it would be best to skip her. If she is a female that just comes in heat every 8 to 12 months then I feel it would be safe to bred her again if everything else was good. Since your female will have had two litters in a row then I think it would be best to skip her next heat cycle.

wildcard · 02-04-2009, 02:48 PM

Are you asking how you prevent your bitch from being bred? You separate her, from Day 1 of her cycle to the last day of her heat cycle, from the male. Physical separation, separate crates or rooms with the doors shut. Do not rely on panties, belly bands, baby gates or ex-pens they can climb over. It won't work.

Different people say different things on how many times to breed and whether to skip cycles or breed back to back. Coming in and out of heat, being pregnant, whelping and raising puppies is not easy on a bitch, esp. a toy breed.

My personal feeling is that I really need only two litters from a bitch unless she is producing exquisite puppies. My purpose for breeding is to try to breed as close to the standard set for my breed as set forth by the AKC (who in turn got it from our national breed club). If a bitch is not producing puppies that are closer to that ideal dog than she is herself then there is no point in continuing to breed her. In 2 litters I should (assuming I get 2 or so puppies in each litter and that I do get puppies of both sexes) either have a nicer bitch than her mom to continue my program or I have realized that she is not going to produce anything better than herself so no reason to breed her again. If I was not thrilled with the first litter and how it turned out I would not repeat the breeding and hope for the best but instead I would try a different stud that I think can compensate for what was wrong with the first litter.

This is not written in stone, but from my observations of my mentor's breeding program and my own personal experiences, I don't really need a ton of puppies from one particular bitch in order to move forward toward my goals. I did once repeat a litter with a bitch that I leased from my breeder because I was very happy with the quality of the first litter, but I really wanted a male from that combination, and the first litter was all girls. The repeat breeding included the male that I wanted (and 5 sisters!). I feel the same way about my males- if he is not producing puppies that are better than him, no point in breeding him again and again. I have bred one of my boys three times-- he was the sire of the repeat breedings, but again, the second breeding was to try to get a male, I had already kept a female from that litter. I also bred him to a different bitch, and kept a female from that litter. Most likely I will finish all three of his puppies, but will only breed the male and probably one of the females-- the one that I think is the better representative of the breed of the two girls. The sire, however, will not be bred again, I already have three very nice puppies from him, 2 of which will contribute to subsequent generations.

For me, the point to breeding is not to produce as many puppies as possible but to have better quality dogs with each subsequent generation. You don't need to breed a lot to do that, you have to breed smart.

bjh · 02-04-2009, 05:22 PM

Wildcard......I admire your dedication to the breed and I always enjoy reading your posts. If everyone would strive to follow your guidelines I know the yorkie breed would be much better off. Hopefully more breeders will set goals, study the standard and try to improve their breeding program.

wildcard · 02-05-2009, 09:08 AM

Thanks, but at this point I am not even breeding yorkies lol- I breed papillons. I do have a yorkie now to show, I don't know if I have the time or energy to devote to actually breeding a second breed. Researching, learning lines and pedigrees is just so much work and would be hard to do two breeds well. For now I will stick to just learning to groom and present the yorkie--- that is plenty to learn but I am really enjoying it. This spring he will also start some agility training and I am looking forward to that- new breeds to train can teach you so much.

bjh · 02-05-2009, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildcard

Thanks, but at this point I am not even breeding yorkies lol- I breed papillons. I do have a yorkie now to show, I don't know if I have the time or energy to devote to actually breeding a second breed. Researching, learning lines and pedigrees is just so much work and would be hard to do two breeds well. For now I will stick to just learning to groom and present the yorkie--- that is plenty to learn but I am really enjoying it. This spring he will also start some agility training and I am looking forward to that- new breeds to train can teach you so much.

Good luck showing your yorkie. Yorkies are a very challenging breed and it sound like you are going about it the right way. How long have you been raising papillions? I think they are adorable little dogs.

wildcard · 02-05-2009, 11:37 AM

Right at 10 yrs. They really are terrific little dogs. We show them in the breed ring, obedience and agility, they really love to train and perform. The yorkie is a ham as well, and is extremely quick to learn. Definitely a terrier mind (I grew up with westies). He certainly stirs things up around here-- esp the pap babies, he gets them riled up.

bjh · 02-05-2009, 12:12 PM

I always thought obedience and agility would be fun to do but I have just never tried that and now at my age since I am so not agile myself I don't know that I will every have that opportunity. I imagine it really takes lots of time and patience for that kind of training. Best wishes in all that you do. We would love to see pictures of your yorkie sometime.

02-04-2009, 12:00 PM	#1
sapo1009 YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: MI Posts: 322	How many litters? How many litters should a female have, kinda worded wrong but i cant think of a good way, lol. When should you stop breeding and how often should you breed your girl? Saying no health problems! Thanks

02-04-2009, 02:14 PM	#2
bjh Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 7,959	I think each female has to be looked at individually. Some females can safely have 4 to 5 litters in a life time and others might have difficulty having one. I think whelping is much harder on the smaller bitches (5 lbs and under). If a female requires a c-section then that females probably should not be bred again, depending on the reason for the c-section. Once a female has had two c-sections then I definitely feel she should not be bred again. The safety and well being of the female should always come first. Most females are retired at age 5.

02-04-2009, 02:26 PM	#3
sapo1009 YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: MI Posts: 322	Thank you that is good information, now my female had her first litter of 4 pups in 2 hours no problems, she is 5 1/2 pounds. I bred her on her next cycle after that litter and she is due in 3 weeks. I have heard that some give breaks in between meaning that she was bred on 2 heat cycles now let her have her next heat cycle free from all males? How do you work that? Thanks I just dont want to put my lola through to much even if she does very well each time Christina

02-04-2009, 02:39 PM	#4
bjh Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 7,959	Again, it depends on the bitch and the circumstances. If a bitch just raised 4 puppies and she comes in heat right at 4 months after having puppies then it would be best to skip her. If she is a female that just comes in heat every 8 to 12 months then I feel it would be safe to bred her again if everything else was good. Since your female will have had two litters in a row then I think it would be best to skip her next heat cycle.

02-04-2009, 02:48 PM	#5
wildcard Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 236	Are you asking how you prevent your bitch from being bred? You separate her, from Day 1 of her cycle to the last day of her heat cycle, from the male. Physical separation, separate crates or rooms with the doors shut. Do not rely on panties, belly bands, baby gates or ex-pens they can climb over. It won't work. Different people say different things on how many times to breed and whether to skip cycles or breed back to back. Coming in and out of heat, being pregnant, whelping and raising puppies is not easy on a bitch, esp. a toy breed. My personal feeling is that I really need only two litters from a bitch unless she is producing exquisite puppies. My purpose for breeding is to try to breed as close to the standard set for my breed as set forth by the AKC (who in turn got it from our national breed club). If a bitch is not producing puppies that are closer to that ideal dog than she is herself then there is no point in continuing to breed her. In 2 litters I should (assuming I get 2 or so puppies in each litter and that I do get puppies of both sexes) either have a nicer bitch than her mom to continue my program or I have realized that she is not going to produce anything better than herself so no reason to breed her again. If I was not thrilled with the first litter and how it turned out I would not repeat the breeding and hope for the best but instead I would try a different stud that I think can compensate for what was wrong with the first litter. This is not written in stone, but from my observations of my mentor's breeding program and my own personal experiences, I don't really need a ton of puppies from one particular bitch in order to move forward toward my goals. I did once repeat a litter with a bitch that I leased from my breeder because I was very happy with the quality of the first litter, but I really wanted a male from that combination, and the first litter was all girls. The repeat breeding included the male that I wanted (and 5 sisters!). I feel the same way about my males- if he is not producing puppies that are better than him, no point in breeding him again and again. I have bred one of my boys three times-- he was the sire of the repeat breedings, but again, the second breeding was to try to get a male, I had already kept a female from that litter. I also bred him to a different bitch, and kept a female from that litter. Most likely I will finish all three of his puppies, but will only breed the male and probably one of the females-- the one that I think is the better representative of the breed of the two girls. The sire, however, will not be bred again, I already have three very nice puppies from him, 2 of which will contribute to subsequent generations. For me, the point to breeding is not to produce as many puppies as possible but to have better quality dogs with each subsequent generation. You don't need to breed a lot to do that, you have to breed smart.

02-04-2009, 05:22 PM	#6
bjh Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 7,959	Wildcard......I admire your dedication to the breed and I always enjoy reading your posts. If everyone would strive to follow your guidelines I know the yorkie breed would be much better off. Hopefully more breeders will set goals, study the standard and try to improve their breeding program.

02-05-2009, 09:08 AM	#7
wildcard Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 236	Thanks, but at this point I am not even breeding yorkies lol- I breed papillons. I do have a yorkie now to show, I don't know if I have the time or energy to devote to actually breeding a second breed. Researching, learning lines and pedigrees is just so much work and would be hard to do two breeds well. For now I will stick to just learning to groom and present the yorkie--- that is plenty to learn but I am really enjoying it. This spring he will also start some agility training and I am looking forward to that- new breeds to train can teach you so much.

02-05-2009, 11:37 AM	#9
wildcard Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 236	Right at 10 yrs. They really are terrific little dogs. We show them in the breed ring, obedience and agility, they really love to train and perform. The yorkie is a ham as well, and is extremely quick to learn. Definitely a terrier mind (I grew up with westies). He certainly stirs things up around here-- esp the pap babies, he gets them riled up.

02-05-2009, 12:12 PM	#10
bjh Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 7,959	I always thought obedience and agility would be fun to do but I have just never tried that and now at my age since I am so not agile myself I don't know that I will every have that opportunity. I imagine it really takes lots of time and patience for that kind of training. Best wishes in all that you do. We would love to see pictures of your yorkie sometime.