how many litter can a bitch have?

Question
Hello, I'm working with a boxer breeder and her bitch is now pregnant with her 4th (and last) litter. I read somewhere that a dog should only have 3 litters total. Should I be worried about the pups being healthy? Is this a sign of an irresponsible breeder? She seems quite responsible in other areas with her breeding, but I'm a little worried that they are unsafely (and selfishly) trying to squeeze one more litter in for the money? The bitch has produced very healthy and handsome puppies in the past. Thank you, Ellen

Answer
Hi Ellen. Every breeder has their own opinion as to how many litters a dog can safely have. I personally believe that two are plenty. If the breeder bred this dog back to back, then I would worry about the health of the pups. When you continuously breed on every cycle, then the health of the pups sometimes suffers, not even saying anything about poor mom. I'm not saying anything bad about this breeder because I don't know what her reasons are for doing this. If it is for the money, then she has her priorities messed up. The best thing that you can do to put your fears at ease is to talk to this breeder and find out why she would breed this dog this many times. She may not know any better, or she may consider this bitch to be very valuable to her breeding program. I honestly can't say that this is an irresponsible breeder unless it is for the money. Like I said, she may simply not know any better. When you talk to this person, just work it into the conversation and try to find out. If she doesn't know better, then you could try to educate her in a friendly manner so that she won't breed a bitch that many times again. That's honestly your best bet. Good luck!