only a few days left now

[lurcher330 2,297]

glad the bitch is doing good pal, all the best with the new charges

Thanks big dog,

[Brian-911 210]

Why is it not good to breed from a bitch over 4 ? There's more chance of complications the older they get ?? I thought 5/6 would be the age you would want to breed ?

[patterdale666 1,620]

Best of luck with the bitch and pups Graham

[bulljack 480]

Why is it not good to breed from a bitch over 4 ? There's more chance of complications the older they get ?? I thought 5/6 would be the age you would want to breed ?

breed while the bitch is young and healthy if you are not sure your bitch is proven workwise by 3 yr old then i dont see the point in breeding her at all, and if shes a good one at least you have a pup if something happend her jmo.

[Sonny2009 33]

Best of luck graham hope it works out well for you

[skycat 6,173]

Why is it not good to breed from a bitch over 4 ? There's more chance of complications the older they get ?? I thought 5/6 would be the age you would want to breed ?

 

I have a friend who only breeds from a bitch once she's got to at least 6 years old. He's never had a problem, BUT his are very lightly built bitches with a lot of Saluki in them, and he runs them hard right up until they are bred from: they are very fit indeed.

 

From what I've noticed over the years, Saluki type bitches generally seem to whelp more easily than some more stocky, heavy types: they are extremely supple anyway, and whilst ligaments lose their stretch over the years, Saluki types seem to go on a lot longer generally, work wise. That could have something to do with it, though different lines of dogs are all individual.

 

Something like a Deerhound lurcher would be really knocking on a bit by the time it gets to 6 or 7, and Deerhounds are known to be slow whelpers anyway: so an older bitch, whelping for the first time when she may not be at her fittest, might have more problems. Ditto other large breeds. I haven't really studied the subject that much, but I definitely noticed that my line of rough coated dogs had more problems whelping than my Saluki types: there is a fair bit of Deerhound in the rough line.

 

Just my personal experience on the matter.

[lurcher330 2,297]

Penny,is it true that a bitch cervix starts to close up if they have not had pups by a certain age?

[skycat 6,173]

I don't know if it closes up exactly, but it would become more rigid, less able to open fully. Like any part of the body, things become more fixed with age, tissue loses its elasticity. And whilst bitches don't go through the menopause, their seasons often become lighter as they get older: so I would think that hormone levels decrease; fluctuate less as the bitch gets older, and the readiness of the body to bear pups depends on the hormones: generally speaking.

[lurcher330 2,297]

Thanks Penny, that makes sense

 

A couple of pics of the bitch and pups this morning,all seem to be doing well

 

 

[bulljack 480]

thats good to see

[patterdale666 1,620]

Thats great news graham it will be good to see how the pups turn out for ya