Frequency of breeding

Question
QUESTION: Hello, my wife and I are proud owners of a German Shepherd.  We are looking into getting a second Shepherd.  My question is, how often should the female be bred?  Is there a limit or frequency?  I just want to make sure that we are getting a quality pup from a quality breeder.


ANSWER: Hi Bruce:

I'm unsure of your exact question & don't want to merely assume. Are you asking how many times a female should be bred, for example, every heat or every other heat, etc? Or how many matings should occur per heat? Let me know a bit more detail & I'll be happy to give you my opinion.

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

QUESTION: Thank you for taking time to respond and I'm sorry for being so vague.  How many times should a female breed in her lifetime and how frequently should the breedings be?

Answer
Hi Bruce:

No need for apologizing -- many times in our minds the question is perfectly clear but I've often made assumptions that were totally off-base so now I always ask for clarification if there's more than one possibility!

Opinions differ on this subject. The old rule of thumb was breed two consecutive heats in a row & skip the third. Others feel breeding every heat, provided the female's health remains excellent, is safe. Personally, I prefer to breed my females every other heat. So essentially, breed one heat cycle then skip the next. This is assuming, of course, no health issue arises that would make doing so unwise. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian as he's in the best position to know your dog first-hand & should be able to give you a safe, healthy schedule.

As for breeding over a lifetime, opinions will vary there somewhat too. Most would agree it's always best to wait until she's a minimum of 18 months to preferably 2 years of age before her first breeding. This is so that she'll be physically & emotionally mature, which will increase the odds of her safely whelping a litter & providing them with quality care. Beginning to breed beyond the age of three years isn't advisable, however -- a dog of such an age will likely not adapt well to motherhood & may have a greater chance of rejecting the litter, refusing to care for them. As long as she remains healthy & enjoys the process of whelping & rearing puppies I generally breed my females until the age of 8 or 9 years. AKC regulations allow breeding until 12 years of age but in my opinion that's getting a tad old to be dealing with the demands placed physically on the body & I feel by age 9 or 10 she's earned a well-deserved break. Also at this time I have her spayed to prevent any future accidental matings and more importantly, to prevent the risk of her developing any reproductive organ cancers.

I hope this helps & please feel free to contact me would you have any additional questions.