breeding my boxer

Question
i have a 20 month old boxer, she is due her next season in approx 6months, i would love to have 1 litter from her then get her spade. i am living in Italy, so i went to my vets and asked them about breeding from her, and they said not till her third season, is this true? i have not herd this advise before, i understand that the dog must be fully matured to breed. if you could help me out with this i would be most grateful, thankyou anna

Answer
Hi Anna,

There are no hard and fast rules about the number of seasons a bitch should have before she is bred.  Some bitches come in season at six months and cycle every six months (very few Boxers do this, though) - others don't have their first season until they're 14-18 months old and cycle every nine or ten months.  It depends more on her age and maturity, as well as her condition and health.  

Boxers are at risk of some serious health problems, and for some of them testing is not considered conclusive until they are at least two years of age.  (For others - especially ARVC or "Boxer Cardiomyopathy", testing is never conclusive at ruling out the disease.)  The American Boxer Club has some health testing recommendations on their website, here:
http://www.americanboxerclub.org/health-screening.html

There is more on breeding Boxers in general here:
http://www.newcastleboxers.com/wannabreed.shtml