how old to breed

[BADWHISKEY]

i was thinking of buying a female pup. i was wondering how long old are they when they go into the heat stage? and how old are male pups ready to be with a female?

 

[johann]

What are your goals for breeding? Having puppies is not a good reason. You should be breeding only if the goal is to better the breed of boxers....which can only be done through responsible breeding. Meaning that both dogs with championships, all heath testing done, parents' conformation is compatible (no dog is perfect, you want to improve the weak points), excellent temperment. Are you willing to always take back any puppies that you breed to make sure they don't end up in shelters or rescues?

Are you going to show the female in conformation to make sure she is breeding quality? And do all the required health testing? All of these things cost a lot of money, especially when you are starting with a well bred/healthy/show quality puppy.

If you aren't going to do these steps, DO NOT BREED YOUR BOXER! There are too many poorly bred/BYB boxers out there, and countless boxers waiting for homes in shelters and rescues.

 

[djheitz]

Please don't even consider it. Spend one day with a rescue volunteer and see how many boxers are desperate for help instead.

 

[BADWHISKEY]

I was asking cus i wanted to get a friend for whiskey. I found a female boxer and the breeder was kind enough to bring her home to see if whiskey will get along with her. Whiskey is three months and is very healthy. We take him to the vet for his shots on time and we play with him a lot to make sure he excercises. Gisele is two months and the breeder takes care of her the same way. She is no back yard breeder that's for sure. She is akc registered and is current with all her shots aswell. I'm very new at this and that's why i'm asking. Gisele is the cutest tiny thing and whiskey is twice her size. She was the smallest of all ten pups and is the calmest too. She is the last one left cus everyone ignored her. While they were playing around, i noticed wiskey trying to get behind her almost like he wanted to "breed"(if that's the right term) which is why im asking. He kept on going and going so i kinda pushed him away. I obviously don't wand to breed them if i know i may not be able to provide for them the way i should or for the plain reason of having new pups. This seemed weid to me and that's the reason i asked how old do they have to be to have sexual intercorse. Please advice! Any advice is very much appreciated!

-rob

 

[Furface]

I don't know about when they feel the urge to breed (although I suspect they are still far too young), but what I would say, having read some of your other posts, that getting another puppy, when you have one already that is so young, is hard work, and makes them harder to train etc. I would personally wait awhile until you whisky is a little older and you have addressed all the puppy issues you have been having

 

[Sansal]

I agree with Furface. Raising one boxer puppy is a lot of work and sometimes challenging, raising two boxer puppies at once is..... not saying it can't be done, but since this is your first time and since you still have a lot of work with Whiskey ahead of you I probably would pass on the opportunity of getting another puppy (for now).
Also, just being up to date on shots and akc registered does not make a responsible breeder. As already mentioned by Johann, a responsible breeder has carefully chosen two dogs with champion titles and all health testing done. It is also uncommon for a responsible breeder to have a puppy left that was "ignored" by everyone. Most breeders have waiting lists for their upcoming litters with people waiting and planning for a new puppy many month in advance. Please read the part that starts with "What should I look for in a breeder" Boxer Dog FAQ - Meet the Boxer
Many BW members, including myself, have unknowingly and due to a lack of education bought boxers from byb's in th past and many have found their puppies to have severe health problems.
I hope someone will chime in about the sexual maturity question.

 

[BADWHISKEY]

Thanks for the replies..

 

[TwoDogs]

She is no back yard breeder that's for sure. She is akc registered and is current with all her shots aswell. I'm very new at this and that's why i'm asking.

Good job for seeking out more information! Just an FYI, having akc registration and current shots on all the pups doesn't guarantee that this breeder is breeding quality pups. AKC registration just means the pups have come from registered parents. It doesn't mean the parents were of particularly good quality. Health certifications combined with performance in the show ring and, in my opinion, the sport or working ring gives a good indication of the quality of the dogs this breeder is producing.

For your other question regarding when males and females reach sexual maturity and can breed. There is some variation in the age at which dogs reach sexual maturity depending on breed size--small breeds tend to mature faster than large breeds. In general though, for females 8 to 9 months is normal, but some females will have a heat cycle (the time when they are fertile and can get pregnant) as early as 5-6 months old. Males are sexually mature between 6 months and 1 year. This is why most vets will recommend spaying a female before she reaches 6 months old. If your going to neuter your male, most vets will also recommend the 6 month mark. Neutering later may be recommended due to certain medical issues like an undescended testicle, to maximize bone growth and development for a sport or working candidate, or other reasons.

Likely the mounting behavior (climbing up on the back end of another dog) you saw from Whiskey was caused by general excitement and arousal and didn't have anything to do with sex at all. Also alot of dogs will mount, place a paw over or stand over another dog as a way of testing social boundaries.

Hope these answers help. Oh, and BTW, that other poster was right--two pups are more than double the work and while they are double the cuteness, they can also be double the trouble!

 

[Caney Creek]

At 3 months old he is not capable of impregnating a female, and it's unlikely that he even really knew what he was doing Male dogs reach sexual maturity around 6-8 months of age, and females anytime between 6-24 months of age. Usually larger breeds take longer to reach sexual maturity, for smaller breeds it comes sooner. For boxer females it usually happens around the 1 year mark but every dog is different, so really you never know.

Also, I must say that you'd be in over your head if you got a second puppy right now I'm sure you realize by now how much work it takes to raise one puppy right. Getting a second one would not make things easier -- actually it would be the opposite. Having a dog buddy to pal around with all the time sounds like a good idea in theory, but the reality is that two puppies will always want to play play play and NOT pay any attention to you, which makes training near impossible unless you train them individually... and that means spending DOUBLE the time working on basic things like sit, stay, come, bite inhibition, walking nicely on a leash, etc. I'd definitely recommend AT LEAST getting through the teen phase with Whiskey (which happens between 5-18 months) before you consider getting another puppy. In the long run you'll be glad you waited.

 

[BADWHISKEY]

Thanks for the replies, on getting another pup i guess it's to late now!!! I got a second pup yesterday. However, she will be raised by my sister. She will be doing all the training and watching over her. I'll make sure she gets all her shots in time and cover all the bills. Trust me! I soon came to realize how hard it is to raise a boxer pup so having two at home was going to be almost impossible. However whiskey will have someone to play and some other dog to get socialized with. Gisele is doing great so far. We just have one day with her and i know it is obviously to soon to see how she really is. So far she hasn't pottied inside what so ever and she know sit and lay. She is also very calm. We call her to her little bed and tell lay and she actually lays in her bed and naps. Thnaks for the help!

-robert