# 8 year old bitch - first litter?



## caths (21 April 2008)

Hi - I wonder if anyone has had experience of breeding from an older bitch and if so what problems if any they encountered. Our bitch will be 8 in the summer and although our vet says she is fit and healthy and could produce a litter and the only thing he said we would need to watch would be her calcium levels. I am still not sure whether we should go ahead with this. We have only bred two litters and all pups went to family and friends and our previous bitches were much younger. I would desperately love another pup and would want to keep my own breeding but as I say I wonder if 8 is just pushing our luck. Both our bitch and the potential sire (who is also ours) are very fit and healthy. Both Labradors by the way  
	
	
		
		
	


	





Has anyone bred from a bitch of this age?


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## Dovorian (21 April 2008)

Our only experience (also labrador) resulted in only 2 pups and a caesarian, in this instance the pregnancy was an 'accident' our shooting one day.  The vet blamed age and quite a few knowledgeable people agreed. If you vet says go ahead it may be worth it if you are preserving an important line.  It may be better to buy a pup from a line you like -  and could easily be a close relative to your girl.


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## Thistle (21 April 2008)

You wouldn't be able to reg the pups KC as they don't allow breeding bitches over 7


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## GinaB (21 April 2008)

I personally wouldn't, but that's just IMO. I know my lab bitch who is just turning 9 this year would not have coped with pups in the last year. She previously has had two litters when younger though and was a good mummy. We bought a pup instead (much to the old girls horror! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




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## caths (21 April 2008)

Actually that is not strictly true as special dispensation can be given by the Kennel Club to a bitch that has not been over used as a breeding bitch and therefore they will allow any resultant pups to be registered.


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## claire1976 (21 April 2008)

Personally I wouldn't risk it with an 8 yr old. Pregnancy is very hard work for any dog and it's just not worth the upset if it all goes wrong. Like others have said, may be safer to chose a pup from a really good established line instead.


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## echodomino (21 April 2008)

She, in my opinion, is too old for a first litter, like Claire said it's hard enough work for a younger bitch let alone an older one. And like someone else said, you wont be able to register them with the KC.


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## Acolyte (21 April 2008)

Personally I would not think about breeding from a bitch that age, particularly for her first litter.  Actually on reflection even if I had a bitch who had had a litter, who I knew was a good whelper and mother, I wouldn't breed from her at that age - it takes too much out of them, whatever breed


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## BigRed (21 April 2008)

If she is a KC registered bitch, and you want to register the puppies, you need to double check with the Kennel Club.  I think they have a limit on puppies being registered after a bitch is 7 years old.  This is to stop people breeding from old dogs.  I personally think she is too old.


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## MurphysMinder (21 April 2008)

I personally would not take a first litter from an 8 year old bitch.  And although the KC will give special dispensation to register a litter from an 8 year old I think they would be reluctant to do so if it was the bitches first litter.  But there again the KC are a law unto themselves so who knows!


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## amabelscott (21 April 2008)

yes we have with our lab when she was 8 and everything went well, she has 9 healthy pups but if you want to register the pups with the KC then you have to get special permission as they tend to refuse registration if the bitch is 8 or over because of the problems they have from puppy farms breeding elderly bitches


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## haycroft (22 April 2008)

ive never bred but i  knew of a gsd bitch at 10 years old had a  first litter of 5 healthy pups also a 7 year old whippet who had a litter of 6 but two had died
As the owner you know your own bitch and im sure youve thought this through
imo i wouldnt 
good luck whatever you decide


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