What Is The Oldest Age At Which A Dog Can Have Puppies?
Before I go any further into the topic of when is a dog too old to have puppies, let’s touch on the subject of when is a dog considered to be a senior in need of special care.
Knowing that your pooch is an elderly citizen will help you determine whether it is safe and appropriate for your dog to get pregnant in the first place.
Most dogs enter their senior years when they are around seven years old; however, the aging process is slightly different for small and large breed dogs.
A tiny Chihuahua, for example, is considered a senior when they reach 11 years of age. On the other hand, a giant breed such as a Great Dane is considered a senior by the time they are five years old.
The aging difference between smaller and larger breeds is mainly due to their size. Several studies have confirmed that larger breeds tend to age much faster than their smaller counterparts.
Therefore, how old is too old for a dog to have puppies is directly related to the size of that particular dog.
Unlike people, female and male dogs technically remain fertile their whole lives. However, their fertility and ability to whelp healthy puppies decrease as they get older.
Let’s see at what age dogs can have puppies, starting with male dogs.
What Is The Oldest Age A Male Dog Can Sire Puppies?
A healthy male dog can still sire puppies until very old age. In fact, most professional breeders will retire male dogs much later than their females.
According to AKC rules, you can register a litter of puppies sired by a male dog that was no more than 12 years old at the time of mating.
In practice, most reputable breeders will retire their male dogs when they are between 10 and 12 years old.
However, just because a male dog is over 12 doesn’t mean that he is incapable of siring puppies. Older male dogs are still capable of impregnating females, but they aren’t as fertile as they once were and may need more tries to get a female dog pregnant.
Age is just one of several factors that affect the ability of a male dog to sire puppies. The age at which a male dog can have puppies also depends on the quality and quantity of its sperm.
So, many professional breeders will check the sperm count of their male dogs regularly, at least once a month, to see if they are still capable of siring litters.
Additionally, breeders will check many other things to determine whether their male dogs are too old for breeding and ready to be retired. Low conception rate is another sign that a dog is getting too old to sire puppies regularly.
This means that a male dog fails to get a female dog pregnant during ideal conditions: one mating per day and a completely healthy female.
Furthermore, a breeder may decide that the male dog is too old to sire puppies if their partner continually produces smaller litters, or if the puppies are weak and sick.
When Is a Dog Considered to Be Senior?
Generally speaking, toy breeds and other smaller dogs (Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese) are considered to be senior if they’re 10 to 12 years or older.
With large/giant breeds (Great Dane, Newfoundland), the span of when your dog is considered “senior” is shortened to 5 to 6 years.
This difference is linked to the lifespan in dogs which is far greater in small breeds compared to their larger counterparts.
Studies have shown that dogs have differing susceptibilities to diseases depending on their body size and weight.
Large dogs die young because they age faster, so to speak.
Genetic and hormonal factors also play a big role and determine the longevity of an organism.
Helping My Pregnant Dog Give Birth To 7 Puppies!
We all can’t seem to get enough of adorable, little puppies. But continuous breeding can potentially put our female dogs in danger of succumbing to health issues and physical collapse.
So, when is a dog too old to have puppies? A female dog is generally considered to be too old to have puppies once it reaches 8 years of age; Stricter conditions peg the maximum age for breeding female dogs at 5 years of age. Additionally, a female dog is considered to be too old to continue having puppies, after whelping 4 litters.
The age restrictions stated above are a general guideline, and due to the development of certain health or physical conditions, it can be necessary to stop breeding a female dog much earlier. Also, there’s a pertinent question of whether or not having puppies will shorten a dam’s life and we’ll take a look at the answer to that in a bit. But before then, let’s see what age is considered ideal for a female dog to stop having puppies.