I think with females you have to look at each one individually. Dogs, just like human children, mature at different rates. I think most of the time it is safe to breed on second heat if the female is not too small and is close to 18 months but if she is close to the 5 lb range then it is best to wait until the 3rd heat. What worries me the most about waiting until the 3rd heat or longer is the risk of pyometra.
The AKC rules for breeding ages apply just to registration. I think no one would ever condone breeding a female that old even though I have heard of bitches 15 years old having puppies. If you have a dog or bitch that produces puppies that is not within those age requirement you can still get them registered by submitting dna if I am not mistaken. |