As already stated, a mentor is very important as everything you will encounter in breeding isn't found in a book. My mentor is the breeder that I purchased my first Yorkie from. I agreed with her breeding philosophy, her puppy training and her compassion for her bitches, so our relationship works well. You don't want your mentor to be someone whose breeding philosophy completely conflicts with everything you and your vet believe is best however, you might have minor differences but always keep your mind open to learn new and different information and methods.
One of my bitches is expecting 6-7 pups, so you best believe my mentor is involved and is important to my successfully whelping this litter!
My opinion on your question is, I breed every other heat after the heat closest to age 2 and up to age 5. I follow the one heat on, one off philosophy. This works for me and my bitch but I also understand the breeding every heat and then retirement method. There is no one answer. |