Breeding a male Mini Dachshund

Question
I have two AKC Miniature Dachshunds, and I am planning to breed eventually.  I have heard that you shouldn't breed the female until she is about a year and a half, and in her second or third heat cycle.  What about males?  Is there a similar age "limit" before you should breed them?  Our male is 8 months younger than our female.  I was also wondering if there are any tests we should have done on them before we breed.  Finally, how many litters should we let her have if we breed about once a year, and is it plausible to have them fixed after we are done breeding?  Thank you so much for your help!

Answer
I personally like to wait until the female is at least 2 years of age. She really needs the extra time to finish growing. It puts a lot of stress on her body to have to try to finish growing herself, and take care of puppies. I am aware that people who breed small breeds may start their females off at 1 1/2 years of age. As for the male, he needs to be atleast 1 1/2 years of age also. Remember, the AKC won't register puppies if their parents are under a certain age limit.

I'm glad you asked about the health testing! The dachshund has his own set of genetic problems that needs to be tested for, and cleared of, before breeding either dog. Most tests are done at around 2 years of age. Health testing is very important. You are protecting your puppies, your puppy buyers, and yourself. There is a lemon law, and a breeder very well could be sued if he/she is producing sickly animals. You need to atleast have their eyes tested (CERF), hearing (BAER), and hips and patellas (OFA). These are just some of the basics. The dachshund is also prone to back problems. They have eyes problems, and some heart problems as well. I am giving you a couple of web sites. http://www.qualitydogs.com/Dachshund/information.html  This one is really good, it lists a lot of problems that your breed can have. You need to talk to your vet to find out exactly what tests are needed. You can also talk to an experienced, responsible Dachshund breeder.

As for how many litter she should have, it depends. It depends on how easily she whelps, how healthy the puppies are, and how she does (milk infection/production, if she's good with the pups, ect.). You'll just have to wait and see how the first litter does. If all goes well, you may breed her 3-4 times. Ever breeder has their own opinion on how many times a bitch should be bred, even a healthy bitch who whelps easily, and produces healthy puppies. I personally only like to breed twice. Doesn't mean that it's the correct thing to do, just my opinion. And yes. You can have them fixed after breeding is done. I would recommend it. Spaying a female helps reduce the possibility of breast cancer, eliminates uterine cancer. In the male, it eliminates testicular cancer. I hope I have been of some help. If you need anything else, just holler!

http://www.thedachshundnetwork.com/cancare.htm   You can also do a search on dachshund genetics diseases. That's how I came up with the two web sites I gave you.:-)