Is my Yorkie old enough to breed?

Question
Hi Melinda,

I have a female Yorkie who is a little over 9 months old. She has went in heat here recently. We noticed some spots for the last 2 days on our furniture, wasn't sure what it was, however today she was bleeding bright red, so we know it's heat. My question is, since I plan to breed her with my small male Yorkie, is she too young to breed this time? Should I wait until she goes in heat again? I want to make sure I am not breaking any rules in the kennel clubs they are members as well as not wanting to hurt my little girl by starting too young. I appreciate any advice you can give me. Thank you.

Answer
Robin,

You should not breed your little girl until she is at least one year old.  Their tiny bodies are not fully developed until they are a year old and if she get pregnant it would be detrimental to her growth process.

To my knowledge the AKC has no rules on when to breed your female.  The heat cycle last three weeks.  The first week she will bleed bright red blood and it can be heavy.  They make doggie diapers with pads that you can purchase at any pet store.  It is a good idea to purchase these because it will save your carpet and furniture from being ruined.  The second week (day 7 thru 13) is when she can get pregnant.  She will stop bleeding and you will see a pinkish milky discharge.  The third week she will no longer have any discharge but her pee pee will be swollen.

Since your male lives with you, you will need to make sure that they are separated at all times and that there is no way he can get to her.  That is tough to do when they live in the same house but if you don't keep them apart she will get pregnant.  It only takes a second so don't be fooled by thinking you can keep an eye on them and keep them apart.

Lastly, if you are planning on breeding you will need all the information you can gather before you start breeding.  Knowledge is power and if you want to assure that you have a good outcome you will need to research breeding.  I offer a free Word document on my website that will detail the breeding process.  The web address is www.petremembrances.com/Yorkie%20Advise.html and you can print the information out so that you have a quick reference to go by.  

Good Luck and if you have any additional questions please feel free to ask again.