Expert: Angela Donald - 8/11/2009

Question
I have a female boxer that is 7 years old. She is in tip top condition and has been all of her life. My question is would i be putting her at a higher risk by beeding her at seven years old. I know there is risk anytime you breed but would there be more risk for her because of her age. In other words do you think she is to old to breed. She has only ever had one litter of ppuppie and she was five years old then and done great. Any input would be great. thank you!

Answer
Hi Tracy,
I personally have never bred a female more than 5 years old. My females never have more than 2 litters in their lifetime. I do know of a female boxer that was bred at 9 years old and done great, it is a matter of personal choice and the condition of the female.Yes in my opinion the older the female the more at risk she is of developing complications. A vet visit to thoroughly check out your female and your vet's advice should also contribute to your decision.I personally would have her tested for the following before breeding her if you decide to do this, heart, thyroid, Degenerative Myelopathy and have her hips x-rayed for hip dysplasia, as all of these things are not seen with the naked eye per se. When breeding I always recommend breeding for the betterment of the breed only, if these tests aren't done then you may be producing boxer puppies who do not better the breed per se but perpetuate these diseases in our beloved boxer breed.Most of these diseases don't show up until later in life of the dog and they aren't picked up on in a yearly checkup, you have to ask for these tests to be done. The tests are easy to perform and the sire you choose should also have been tested. Good luck with your decision and thank you for your question. You can also go to the American Boxer Club website for more information and the latest health news at http://www.americanboxerclub.org/

Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com