Dog breeding; though best left in the hands of the animals themselves, are sometimes manipulated by experts in order to ensure the safety and breed of their pups. Dog breeding may sound simple- and it is, if one possesses accurate knowhow on the subject. Bringing together a bitch and a sire with no artificial insemination is a procedure that can damage both the dogs if attempted at doing without background knowledge of breeding. For example, it is essential that you know how to read the signs of your dog and analyze exactly when she is in heat before you attempt to mate her with a sire (male dog).
When many dog owners attempt to breed their dogs, it is essential that they not only do it at the right time but also at the right dog breeding age. Many female dogs get in to heat once in approximately 6 months. Though theoretically the bitch is ready to mate a few days after the first colored discharge, it is essential that you do not rush it if the dog is young. The reason for this, is that all of the bitchs nutrition will be transferred in to the puppies thereby leaving her week and feeble. Therefore paying attention to the dog breeding age is essential before commencement.
When taking in to account the opinions of different experts and scientists alike; they all say the same thing. The dog breeding age depends more on the physical and mental maturity of each bitch. This in turn will depend on the size and breed of the bitch. When determining the ideal dog breeding age, it is good to know that many medium sized and small female dogs have almost completely matured after the first 6 months of their lives. The bigger breeds however take a minimum of 1 to 2½ to reach the ideal dog breeding age. In other words the smaller breeds may be allowed to conceive during the 2nd heat while the larger breeds should wait until their 3rd to 4th heat period in order to be at the ideal dog breeding age.
In dog breeding it is important to understand the magnitude of waiting until your dog is at the preferred dog breeding age. Because if they are not, it can result in the premature birth of puppies in larger breeds due to the fact that the female is too young to support young in their wombs. Therefore in order to be confident about the health of your dogs and pups, it is preferred that you wait two and a half to three years before breeding larger dogs like Bullmastiffs, Terranovas, Masteens and St. Bernards because thy have a relatively large and heavy litter.
