How old is too old for a female bitch to breed.

Question
At what age should a female Chichaua stop breeding. Also is there a natural block on having too many babies by the bitch. The number of puppies seem to be dropping off as my female ? We skip every other cycle for breedings.

Answer
Hi Aaron:

A bitch will continue to experience heat cycles her entire life so unless she gets spayed she could, theoretically, continue to have puppies for life; however, usually with age the eggs become less viable & usually the litter size will decrease, as you mentioned. Although the American Kennel Club requires a bitch be less than 12 years of age at time of breeding for the puppies to be eligible for registration, my opinion is I would retire her by the age of 7 or 8 at the latest, assuming her health has been perfect - if she's experiencing any health issues then I'd stop breeding her at once. My feeling is by that age a bitch has more than done her duty & the risks begin to far outweigh the perks. Just like humans, dogs will have an increased risk for many serious health concerns as they get older & for females, the biggest are the numerous cancers of the reproductive organs. She deserves to live out her years after having so many wonderful puppies without fear of such problems.