Is it safe to breed on the first cycle?

I don't have any experience with breeding, but I have read that you should wait until the dog is 2 years old. And that makes sense to me - its probably better if the mother was fully grown and mature enough to take care of her puppies. But again, I'm not an expert - it just seems like common sense to wait. To me, this breeder doesn't sound all that responsible if he/she wants to breed Haley Emma right away - she's still a puppy herself. Hopefully someone else can provide you with some reading material that you could show the breeder. I wonder if there's some health risks involved with breeding so young? Best of luck to you!

It sounds like you've become attached to Haley Emma and are trying to look out for her best interests. Trust your gut on this. Responsible breeders absolutely DO NOT breed their bitches during their first season while they're still puppies.

From the Basset Hound Club of America's Code of Ethics,

       

Breedings will be directed toward producing Basset Hounds of exceptional quality in breed temperament, Basset Hound type and ability to hunt game. Only healthy and mature dogs and bitches free of congenital defects and of characteristic breed type, sound structure and temperament shall be bred.  

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How old is old enough?

What defines a mature dog?

[ March 11, 2003, 05:32 PM: Message edited by: Mark Gross ]

My Father allways let a bitch go thru her first season because he thought the pup was not through growing.If your pup is 8 months old in the spring my Father would wait until fall when the bitch is about 15 months old.
Now that I make the decisions I wait until at least 20 months old or her third season.
I would take a look at the contract you signed with the breeder.If you have a verbal understanding I see no reason why a person would not mind waiting till fall or next spring before breeding.
Why do I wait ,because if there are any health problems they will show up in the first couple years.Gives you time to determine if the bitch is healthy breeding stock.I have heard of eye problems coming up in the 3 to 5 year range thankfully I have not had to deal with it.
It would be a (red flag of warning) for a person forcing you to breed a bitch in her first season.
There are the ignorant that believes old enough to bleed ,old enough to breed.

Two years of age is a rough rule of thumb. For example, here's a quote from the Tibetan Terrier Club of America's Code of Ethics.

A RESPONSIBLE BREEDER: Breeds only mature bitches, preferably over two years of age, skipping a season between most litters.

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[ March 11, 2003, 06:32 PM: Message edited by: Betsy Iole ]

Thanks for the input, Michael. Before I went into pathology, I did a year of OB/GYN training, and this thread brought back a few memories. Just because some girls as young as 10 or 11 are physically capable of having children doesn't mean they should.

nothing for nothing,but does this breeder show or field trial or do agility,etc.with there dogs? if not what makes them so SPECIAL that they belong in the GENE POOL in the first place!!!! oh that's right these dogs make cute puppies!!!!! that's a reason to breed than,throw what really matter's out the window and let's have some more cute puppies running around the place.

To be fair, this breeder and I are neighbors, and we have a verbal agreement. I will talk to her about putting off the breeding until at least fall, or next spring.

I don't know what her hurry is, but if I have to I will prevent Haley from breeding until I feel ok about it. I hope it doesn't get ugly.

She doesn't actualy show her dogs, breeding is a hobby for her. She had 2 litters last year total, so I would'nt call her opperation a puppie mill. She's a nice person.

Also, Haley Emma is an awsome dog. She is a small 40lb power house, very strong, very fast. The only thing a bit off with her is her butt is higher than her shoulders. I think she has supper agility / field charactoristics. Check her out she's the one with the darker coat and red coller http://thegnar.org/doggies/

One last question.
How old would be an ok age to allow Haley Emma to breed? 15months? 20 months? ???

[ March 11, 2003, 08:57 PM: Message edited by: Mark Gross ]

not until she titles in any event!!!! than breed her.

Speaking as a breeder for 10 years and basset fancier for 20 years:

I NEVER breed a bitch under 2 years of age...period. She is still a baby.

Most back yard breeders are very nice people and mean no harm. That does not mean that harm is not done.

Here are some sites with articles you may want to check out.

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

http://www.geocities.com/learntobreed/

There are also several on http://topsfieldbassets.com/

[ March 12, 2003, 12:57 AM: Message edited by: SassyDiva ]

Another good page with lots of links:

http://www.dog-play.com/ethics.html