shih tzu pregnancy

Question
i think my shih tzu may be pregnant. she is only a year old, is it safe for her to carry and give birth to puppies at this age? on average how many puppies does a shih tzu have on their forst litter?

Answer
Hello Beccy:

It's always preferable for a dog to be a minimum of 18 months to two years of age before breeding; however, depending on her overall health she may do fine in having a litter. I would recommend having your vet examine her to see if the pregnancy can be confirmed & then you can discuss your options with your vet. Depending on a number of factors, you may opt to terminate the pregnancy yet not have her spayed if you're hoping to breed when she's older or simply have her spayed now. If you decide to continue with having the litter, she'll need to have the best care possible to increase the chances of success for both herself & any offspring. I would encourage you to work closely with your vet on this as he's in the best position to advise you accordingly. As for average litter size, if she bred with another Shih Tzu the average litter size for the breed is 5 puppies. Hope this helps!