Dog and Bitch Puppies

Question
Hi,

We've just bought dog (Sultan) and bitch(Tasha) lab pair. The dog is 9 weeks old and the bitch is 5 weeks old. My question is when will they go on heat and how can i avoid Tasha's pregnancy

and when should a bitch ideally get pregnant to stay healthy and have healthy babies?

Answer
Hello Angel.  Typically a female will go into her first heat anywhere from 6 months to 9 month of age and then again every 6 months.  More rarely up to 1 year old.  To avoid pregnancy.  Abstinence is best, meaning keep them apart for the 21 day heat cycle.  Ideally a female should not be bred until her second heat or any heat thereafter.  By the way I love their names.  Thanks for asking, Cindy Lou :)