yorkie/ shitzu breeding concern.

Question
We have a 5 lb female yorkie who will be 4 this fall. She has never been bred. We just purchased a male and female shitzu (different litters)puppies that will be old enough to come home in 1 month. We plan on breeding the shitzu pair when they are old enough. My concern is however is our yorkie female as I have heard yorkies tend to have complications in birthing especially with males larger than them. However I see the shitzu and yorkie mixes quite often. Should we get our female yorkie spayed to be safe? or would she be okay to breed with a shitzu male? We really love our yorkie and would not want anything to happen to her.

Answer
Carrie,

That will depend on the size of the male when he is full grown.  When breeding small dogs like Yorkies it is never a good idea to breed a female with a male that is larger than she is.  So if your shitzu male is going to be larger than five pounds then yes, you should get your female spayed.