yorkie breeding question

Question
How many litters does the average healthy yorkie dam generally deliver over a period of how many years?

Answer
Franny,

It depends on the breeder.  Some believe that you should only breed every other heat and some believe that you should breed two heats in a row and then skip one.  One thing is for certain and that is that you should never breed your female every time she goes into heat.  Her body does not have time to heal or return to its full strength if you do that and the practice is called "breeding her to death" because that is what you are literally doing.

It also depends on the female and how often she goes into heat.  Some females go into heat every six months like clockwork and others only have a heat once a year.  I will split the difference and say that my female goes into heat every nine months.  Skipping the first heat (which is recommended) if I bred her until she was seven years old then I would get about six good years of breeding.  That would make about eight litters of puppies if I didn't skip any heats.  If I practiced the breed every other heat then I would get four litters.  If I practiced the breed twice and then skip one method then I would get six litters.  You can breed when they are over seven years old but it becomes riskier for the female and the puppies.

Sincerely,

Melinda