Here at Rock Haven we are very intentional about our breeding program and the way that our dogs are bred. We only begin breeding a dog once she is fully mature, both physically and emotionally, and has gone through at least one heat cycle. Now there is a lot of controversial opinions on how often to breed a dog, when to breed a dog, and breeding back to back. It can be really hard to know what is best when there is so much emotion involved, but we use three criteria to determine our breeding schedule.
1. The Dog’s Health
Number one is our assessment of the dog’s health and what is best for her. We are with our dogs every day so we know what is normal for them and what isn’t; we know if they are ready and acting like they are ready for another litter or if they need more time. A young dog might physically be ready, but if she isn’t emotionally mature enough to be a calm, caring mother we will wait until she is acting more mature. We believe our mama dogs take such good care of their babies because we are intentional about when they are bred and not just breeding them the first time they come into heat. The dog also knows when she is ready to have more puppies because she will not come into heat unless her body is healthy enough for it. If she needs more time from her last litter then we will wait an extra heat cycle if she happens to come in heat early, but usually she will be a month or two late on her heat cycle until her body says that she is ready for another litter.
2. Our Veterinarian’s Recommendation
The second thing that plays a large part in our program is our vet’s recommendation. Our vet is absolutely critical to our program and we really rely on his input and advice since he is a professional and specializes in dogs. Our particular vet only services dog breeders and is very involved in our local breeding associations, including PAWS. He has provided so much education and training for us and we rely on his expertise.
3. Research and Studies
The third thing that we rely on is research and studies. UC Davis has done some wonderful research in this area and has shown that an empty uterus is a dangerous uterus, so we choose to breed our dogs back to back as long as they meet these three criteria. One motto that we live by here is “If it’s not best for the dog it doesn’t happen”. The dog’s health is top of mind for us and we need to keep that as our top priority no matter what anyone else says. This means that when we breed back to back cycles we are actually doing this for the dog’s health so that we can retire her at a younger age and she can have an early retirement instead of being bred every couple cycles and having litters at an older age. One great example of this is with our girl Riley. One time we decided to skip one or two heat cycles for her and it totally threw her off. The next time we tried to breed her she only had one puppy and I believe she didn’t get pregnant on the following one. So when we skip cycles it can actually throw the dogs off because they like and need that predictability of a steady cycle and steady litters until they are retired and spayed. Once we began breeding Riley consistently she had healthy, consistent litters and began coming into heat consistently again and has been a wonderful mother!
There are so many advantages of breeding our dogs when they come into heat instead of skipping it, including consistent heats, a healthy dog, and not having to worry about any uterine cancers that can develop from an empty uterus.
Our goal is to raise healthy dogs and puppies and be diligent to research and learn what is truly best for them!