breeding dogs

Question
i have a male bouvier and female,,,,  the female is 15months and the male is 5 1/2 months.  obviously, the female is able,,,  however,,, i am worried the male may begin some activity with her.
at what age is he ready to impregnate her,, i am not ready for the pair to breed,,

thank you so much

Answer
First of all, you should be aware of the inheritable conditions of Bouviers (hips, elbows, eyes, thyroid, heart, epilepsy, etc) and have both dogs screened accordingly and make sure their ancestors are disease-free so as not to pass on genetic defects.  I would encourage you to check out this site below for more information....

www.europa.com/~dshecklr/Genetics1.html

I would separate the two when she comes into heat as males are "ready and willing" at a very young age.  Even though he is not physically mature he could impregnate her now.  You could have a semen sample checked to look for viable sperm.