# What age is best to breed a Pyr female?



## CornerstoneAcre

Due to their large size and need for growth, what age is considered a "safe" age to breed a Great Pyrenees female?


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## BarbadosSheep

She should not be bred until she is at least 2 years old. Closer to 3 is even better.


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## westbrook

on her second heat cycle. 

These larger breeds don't come into heat every 6 months, usually it is between 9-15 months. Nine months is obviously too young so the second heat cycle she would be 18 months, if you waited for her 3rd heat cycle she then would be 2.5 years. If the dog is on a 15 month cycle the second heat cycle would be 2.5 years.

At what ever age she comes into a heat cycle, make note because it's usually the duration apart from now on.

It is a judgement call on your part. 

If you are running a male with your female, your male will start to 'dog' her about 2 months before she comes into season. Not so noticeable at first but as he starts to become relentless, you will see he is no longer eating and loosing weight. The dog could loose as much as 20 pounds during this process. He has a 1 track mind... getting to her! He wears her down and eventually she gives in.

Her heat cycle lasts about 6 weeks. It is after she stops bleeding that she can get bred. Watch her tail, once she moves it to one side... she is ready. Once she is ready you have 7-10 days to get her bred. However the 7-10 days is just a figure, she could be out in 5 days.

enjoy your future puppies.


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## kalmara

BarbadosSheep said:


> She should not be bred until she is at least 2 years old. Closer to 3 is even better.


this is the correct answer. For the larger breeds they need not only their body, but their head to be mature enough to cope with the mating/whelping.


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## mekasmom

One thing to know is that early litters, like those of first heat, result in the loss of a lot of puppies in many immature dogs just because they don't know how to care for them well since they are still pups themselves. Plus it does decrease Mom's size a bit because GP grow until they are around two.

I try to wait until the second cycle, but I had one give birth on the first because I missed it. She had 14 puppies, but only raised up nine. She was just too young. It is harder with the giant breeds because you don't want to spay too early, yet if you miss that heat cycle, they will give birth too early. If you wait until the second cycle when they are 2 or so, they will raise them all, and the puppies are better cared for by Mom.
I know we had our youngest lgd spayed before she came into heat, and I know that was wrong. But I just didn't want to go through the work of a huge litter anymore. I'm too old for that much energy, and I didn't want her to have a litter.


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## BarbadosSheep

Since these big dogs don't mature until they are two, breeding them young is kind of like a 15 year old child getting pregnant. Sure, she CAN do it, but it's not the best thing for her still-growing body. So wait until she is at least 2, no matter how many heat cycles she has gone though. It will probably be more like her 3rd heat.


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