about maltese pregnancy

Question
QUESTION: I just wanted to know up to what age can you breed a Maltese, and how many litters is it safe to have without stressing the life of your dog?  Thank you so much!

ANSWER: Hi Gracie:

It's best to wait until the female is a minimum of 18 months of age & prior to breeding, have her thoroughly examined by an experienced vet to be sure there are no unknown issues with her reproductive organs. If you're certain you want to try breeding, I would encourage you to read via the following links some additional info before doing so. I'm including two links for what you should expect about pre-breeding health screening (one is geared toward Bearded Collies but applies equally well to any breed) as well as some possible consequences one could encounter in breeding. Consider it food for thought before breeding. Many people don't take into account the possible problems that may occur so it's best to know what could go wrong. Most breeders & veterinarians agree on breeding every other heat cycle or if she is a little slow to "bounce back" from raising a litter you may want to skip two heats & breed every third. Depending on your dog's overall health, it's usually safe to breed until the age of 8 or 9 although AKC allows registration until the age of 12 years. My personal feelings are that any girl who's had litters until the age of 8 or 9 has more than done her part & deserves an early retirement! One final thought -- statistics prove that the earlier a dog is spayed the better the chances are for a longer life span so if that's your main priority then you'll have to weigh the pros & cons.

http://showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/vpbxm1.html

http://bccc.pair.com/prebreeding_testing.htm

http://www.minschnauzer.com/breeding/index.html

http://home.teleport.com/~abiqua2/BRDQUAL/main.htm

http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeding.html#should_i_breed_my_dog

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/pros-and-cons-of-spaying-and-neutering-in-dogs/page

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Just two other issues please, do they usually have 2 heats per year and- why does the breeder charge you more money if you are to breed the dog?  Thank you again for your time!

Answer
Hi Gracie:

Most females do have about 2 heats per year (approximately every 6-7 months). As to why a breeder is charging more money for a puppy if you plan to breed I have no idea. You'd have to ask the breeder why. Personally, although I normally will only sell a puppy with limited AKC registration, which simply means that while the puppy is fully registered any offspring produced by that dog are not eligible for registration, I also do make occasional exceptions for those who plan to show and/or are knowledgeable enough to breed & will sell with full registration. However, I don't charge any more or less for one or the other. It's possible the breeder is charging more for breeding rights since this may cause future competition? Or simply because she can? I'm really not sure of the breeder's reasoning. That's my best guess -- sorry, I wish I had a better answer to that question.