[pgerwing]

Hello, I have a beautiful mini, dapple and want to let her have a litter of pups, but my vet is very anti-breeding and wants me to spay her at 6 months. (she is now 14 weeks). I thought I would wait to breed her when she was at least one year old, but my vet says that I should wait until she is 2 years old because she would not be fully developed until then. I always thought that small breeds were fully developed at 1 year of age. Anyone out there know what is the best time to breed a mini so they have the best chance of a healthy pregnancy? After the one litter I will spay her, but I am getting this intense pressure from my vet not to breed her at all. I don't trust her info, I think she has her own agenda, so if anyone knows from experience, please let me know when would be best to breed her.
Thank you.

[labman]

I have to support your vet. How much study have you put into this venture? Why don't you check some of the links at http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/articles.html#breeding Also see how many mini Dachshunds there are at www.petfinders.org I think if you really look into it over the next 2 months, you will see the wisdom of your vet. Would that there were many more like her.

[macksmom]

I too, agree with your vet. There are TONS of abandoned dogs, puppies, and whole litters. Breeding an animal just adds to this problem.

I rescued a dog in late October of last year. They weren't sure if she was spayed, but upon my adoption of her, they schedule her to be. Two weeks after I had her home she rapidly gained weight. I immediately took her to the vet to make sure nothing was wrong. Come to find out she was pregnant and due in a matter of weeks... which meant she was pregnant before I even rescued her!!
She was too far along for me to risk spaying her and aborting the litter. She had a litter of 9 puppies 5 weeks after I brought her home from the shelter.

So because someone didn't care enough about their own dog to get them spayed... not to mention allowing her to run away... I adopted one dog and got her and 9 puppies to care for!

I agree with your vet 100%... just let your little girl be enough for you. Why would you want to put her through a pregnancy? You should care about her enough to get her spayed.

[bushg]

From what I have learned from this site and others that it is really true that 2 years of age is the suggested time, your vet did not lie.
But like everyone has said it is for the dog's best interest to not have puppies at all. Problems can range from behavior, health issues, birthing problems, running away, accidental matings are all a reality when chooosing to breed/ leave a female intact.

[Sarah_the_vet_tech]

The suggested breeding age is 2 years. By the time she is two you will hopefully learn what kind of genetic problems she may have. For example allergies or skin problems which can be bred into her pups.

But I strongly agree with not breeding her at all. I have 7 dogs and 6 of them are "purebreds" who were either thrown away or abused. And at the age of 2 70% of her puppies will either be dead or in a shelter. Just some food for thought. I hope you decide that its not worth it and if you breed responsibly by taking the puppies to the vet for check ups you will learn that you will not make much money on the pups. Most people who really love animals will only breed once. They find that its not profitable and to hard to give up the pups. Finding a really good home for a pup is few and far between.

[RubyPitbull]

Pger, as everyone here has stated, your vet is correct. Are you so sure she is so against breeding or is it possible she is merely discouraging you from breeding YOUR dog? She has had a chance to examine her. Dachshunds have a number of medical issues as they age due to poor breeding practices in this country. They are prone to spinal disc problems (resulting in paralysis), heart disease, and diabetes. The Dapples carry further genetic defects in which there is a higher incidence of blindness and deafness. If you purchased your little girl from a pet store, you can be guaranteed, she was not bred to be the perfect example of her breed but to make money for the breeder. Do you have information on her parentage? That is the first step in responsible breeding practices. You need to ensure they are healthy examples of the breed. Are you sure that she won't pass on defects to a litter of pups? THAT is in all likelihood the reason why your vet doesn't want you breeding her. Sounds like your vet is a responsible and knowledgeable person. A responsible breeder not only ensures genetic defects aren't passed along to the next generation, they ensure they have done their research prior to breeding so that they are fully aware of all the issues they may encounter during the pregnancy and whelping, along with all the diseases and viruses that can completely kill an entire litter of puppies, such as parvo virus. There is nothing more heartbreaking than watching a puppy dying. Here is a link to the American Kennel Club's guideline for responsible breeding practices: American Kennel Club - Responsible Breeding Steps

According to petfinder (the web site labman linked here), as of this writing there are close to 3000 dachshund and dachshund mixes sitting in shelters around the U.S. looking for homes. If they aren't adopted within a reasonable period, they will be euthanized. Please, please, please reconsider your position on this and choose to spay your little girl now. For every puppy she has, that means one of those 3000 doxies sitting in a shelter will lose the opportunity to be placed in a good home.

[pgerwing]

Thank you everyone, I have considered your input and have decided not to breed her. I really don't know enough about her and about breeding, so will spay her at 6 months.
Thanks again.

[carolbcac]

Thank you so much for making this decision!
I will never be able to get over euthanasia nights at the shelter with a pile of 60 -70 bodies, knowing there would be that many again next week, and that it had to be done. With that intake rate, and without the euthanasia, those animals would likely have been dumped off somewhere or killed in an inhumane manner. We were all so relieved when some of the animals we had met the week before had been adopted out, hopefully to good forever homes.
If any of us ever sound too quick to condemn breeding, it is because many of us carry around horrible images and stories that we can't always bring ourselves to talk about.
Enjoy your dog, and know that there would never have been another just like her no matter how much you tried.

[starbuck8]

If I may, I'd just like to add one more comment. There isn't a better feeling than looking into the eyes of an animal that you have rescued from pending death. They are forever grateful to you, and will be your best friend for life!
I'm sooo glad you made the decision not to breed her! :)
Dogs that are spayed or neutered are usually much happier pets too!
We're all proud of you!