Big Paws Only Dog Forums
BPO Breeding Forum => Breeding Questions & Information => : Kermit September 29, 2006, 02:35:38 PM
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There are some people here in Athens who just bred their Irish Wolfhounds. Well I found out the mama AND the papa dog are both 5 years old! :o Doesn't that seem a little odd... considering the lifespan of a Wolfhound is not much more than 5 years?? Correct me if I'm wrong, but that seems a bit old to be breeding giant dogs. :-[
Does anyone know?? I don't know much about breeding, myself. There were only 3 puppies in the litter, as far as I know... :-\
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I agree - not too old at all. In fact, breeding at 5 successfully is better than breeding too young when you don't know what you have yet, or what the health will be. I won't take a puppy from a dam or sire less than 3 years old in my breed.
The one thing I wanted to add here however, is that these giant breeds are dying young, not old. Their lifespans are short but this should not be confused with a more accelerated aging process. A 5 year old Wolfhound is no different than a 5 year old Maltese in terms of age - it is just that we are losing these giants too young.
Six years old is the standard retirement age for breeding a dam - for a sire, the sky is the limit.