Bitches first heat.

Hi all. Just wondering when bitches take there first heat. Mias over 8 months and i thought it was between 6+8 months. Is there a timescale or dos it just depend on the dog, and are they more regular after the first one?

It really can depend, the average is 6-9 months, but can differ, earlier to later Xx

Definitely - they're all different. Most come into season at about 6 months, but it can be as late as 15 or 16 months.

Ok thanks Janey + Caryll. If i was considering breeding, wud it be 2 or 3rd season?

Sorry I would any rescue so not a clue Xx

samr39 wrote:Ok thanks Janey + Caryll. If i was considering breeding, wud it be 2 or 3rd season?

Two years old minimum.

I would agree it all depends in the dog, my sisters little staff was very late with her but since she has them regular now

Thanks Caryll. In ur opinion wud u say it is better to take a litter out of a bitch or not? And wud the dog be less mature if i didnt?

I'm not sure you should consider breeding. Leave it to the people who know.

samr39 wrote:Thanks Caryll. In ur opinion wud u say it is better to take a litter out of a bitch or not? And wud the dog be less mature if i didnt?

Personally, I would leave well alone, unless your bitch is of such high quality (no offense intended) that she would better the breed by mating her with a top class dog. Even then, there are several health tsets that should be carried out on both dog & bitch.

Having or not having a litter won't affect her maturity one way or the other.

My bitch was 9 and 1/2 mths on first season.

The staffy breed council recommend 18mths or third season min for breeding. BUT... There's many breeders out there, some good, some clueless.

Don't breed for the sake of it. Breeding to better the breed is where it's at. Health tests, pedigrees and inbreeding %,s need to be studied on both sides.