Luxating Patella Grades

[Hollie]

Is Louis a Chihuahua cross too? I was kinda lucky Feo hasnt grown too huge really, just 9-10 lb. It's a massive gamble with crosses, you can just never tell what you will get. He could have ended up 30lbs or something. I found out recently that his dam had a litter in May 2009 - then Feo's litter was born in November of that year poor bitch, that is so wrong. I bet that might have caused some of Feo's problems.

I contacted the woman when I found out Feo had LP to tell her, she said "Oh yeah we get that in horses, you just have to make them walk backwards and it will strenghten the ligaments and their LP will go away"

That made me pretty angry! He is not a bloody horse...he is a DOG.

[Sarah]

I don't think breeding back to back on season would cause any join problems at all. And I don't particularly think doing 2 back to back matings is bad as long as they get a long break afterwards. Lots of people breed two seasons in a row then have a longer break between the next litter. I think more so with show bitches especially in longs because they blow their coats so badly and then you wait 6 months and depending on when the litter was you've missed an entire year of showing so I can see the benefits. In your case Hollie it's obv more of a money grabbing thing! But no it wouldn't of caused his LP!

She sounds like a total idiot flipping horses

[Kristi]

Pregnancy often causes LP in even the soundest bitches tho, its too much weight on their knees. So breeding isn't w/o risks of course, but we all know that. I've been told to never let a bitch in whelp go up or down stairs, or even to run or be too active. Containing them is best, and exercising them only very lightly on flat surfaces, helps save their knees. Most will have sound knees thru the first two or so pregnancies but its downhill after that

[Sarah]

Kristi do you guys have limits with the akc on how many times a bitch can be bred?? We do I think it's a bit high tbh it's 6 litters ATM idk why youd want to have six litters out of a bitch

[Kristi]

Idk I think 5-6 litters sounds about right..if you breed them on their 2nd season, at around 15-18 months, then give a break, then do back to back litters, give a break, single litter, then back to back litters, that puts her at around 4-5 years old,...it depends on the bitch too...I'll only breed Leah two or three times because she is so small and I know it will be hard on her. Birdie prob 4 times...but if I have a nice sturdy 6 lb bitch that produces well, I def would use her for 6 litters. We don't have a limit on litter #'s but on ages, they do...IDK what it is off the top of my head because it's stupid, like 8 months or younger they wont reg the litter and 12 years or older they wont??? I think that its something that should be left up to the individual breeder tho, rather than something regulated...people will do what they wanna do anyway, its not like they DNA every litter and so I know I have heard of breeders saying a puppy was from different parents to reg'd it.

Honestly from what I have heard a lot of dogs really like being mommas, so you aren't making them miserable or making them puppy machines or anything lol.

[Chloe]

i didnt think you were allowed to register more than 1 litter a year from a bitch with the KC

[Sarah]

You can Chloe. They will register one back to back and thenthey have to have a years break until the next one and we can't register dogs mated before age 1 (why anyone would idk) and no older than 8 which to me is too old!!

Kristi I get what your saying if you have a good brood who produces well but 6 years down the line I'd want my new lines unless I was gonna mate her to her great great great great grandson for some type lol

[Kristi]

I guess its a bit different here as maybe we have more breeding options? You can easily have 10-20 really good matches pedigree wise to breed to if you do your research, but yeah you'd obviously want to change it up...breed her back to a grandson, etc.