This is what I like about this site...lots of opportunity to learn new things.
OK, I have a question for anyone who wouldn't mind (respectfully) throwing in their .02: What do you feel marks a bitch's 'sexual maturity,' which would obviously directly relate to healthy litters? Age only? I'm just curious for everyone's input here as I see alot of opinions.
I have always been under the impression that an important part of waiting until the second cycle was to allow time for the female to reach full sexual maturity, which I would think would be marked by the heat cycle, not age. Thyroid problems don't often present themselves until hormones are in full swing. Wouldn't it stand to reason that any testing done in that sense wouldn't be completely accurate unless the female was fully developed?