Puberty stage in dogs vary according to their breeds and this consequently determines mostly every other aspect of their lives, ranging from their lifecycle to their aging process. As opposed to the age for starting, dogs do not have a particular age when they stop giving birth to puppies.
A female dog will always have her heat cycle till death and can get pregnant. The male dog will also always be able to get a female dog pregnant. However, the sperm of the male dog gets weaker as he ages, thereby reducing his fertility rate.
Even though it is not impossible for a male dog to get a female dog pregnant at an old age, he might have to try many times before it actually results in pregnancy. Ideally, a very fertile male would only need to mate with a healthy female dog once in a day for it to result in pregnancy.
Once he begins to have to mate more than once per day to get a female dog pregnant, his fertility rate is getting weak and so he is gradually drawing closer to the time when he stops mating and breeding.
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What Is The Oldest Age A Dog Can Have Puppies
There is no actual limit to a dog’s ability to have puppies. Unlike the human body, where women get to their menopause stage, the female dog does not have a menopause stage and so, can get pregnant and have puppies at any age, up till the end of her lifecycle.
A female dog will continue to experience her heat cycle until death. If her lifespan is 12years, she can have puppies up till the 12th year.
This is however not an easy feat to achieve, since the female dog is not likely to conceive as easily as she did when she was much younger. More so, for a female dog who had never had a litter of puppies before, even during her younger years, the possibility of getting pregnant and having puppies, is very slim and highly unlikely.
In addition to this, late pregnancies, birth and breastfeeding are almost always likely to be accompanied by several serious complications. The female dog having pregnancy at age 10 or more is very prone to and has a risk of:
- contracting a severe uterus infection. This infection is known as Pyometra.
She is also at a risk of other conditions like:
- stillbirth
- complications during birth
- labor at a premature stage
- cancer of the ovaries and
- growth in the mammary glands.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Is The Oldest Age A Male Dog Can Have Puppies?
In the case of reproduction, the male dog generally has an advantage over the female dog since the male dog has no risks to deal with. He neither goes through pregnancy, nor its complications during and after the pregnancy. Hence, the male dog can have puppies up till the ages of 10 to 12 years.
Aging might cause him to be weak in strength and fertility rate but reproduction is not impossible. A male dog can have his litter of puppies up till the end of his lifecycle. It is advised that the dog owner visit the veterinary doctor frequently to get your dog tested and his sperm count checked.
This way, you are able to keep tabs on his fertility rate and know if he is still fertile enough to get a female dog pregnant.
Can Dogs Get Pregnant At Any Age?
Although the lifecycle of dogs defer to that of humans, they have many similarities. Just as a woman would not be able to get pregnant and give birth to children until she begins her menstrual cycle.
So also, a female dog would not be able to get pregnant until she gets to the stage of sexual maturity, which occurs between the ages of 6months to 12months, depending on the dog’s breed. At this point, the female dog is sexually mature to get pregnant and have puppies.
This doesn’t however mean that it is in the dog’s best interest to get pregnant at such early stage. To avoid pregnancy complications, it is mostly advised that a dog be allow to grow and mature physically before getting pregnant.
At What Age Should A Dog Stop Having Puppies?
If you consistently take your female dog for breeding as frequent as every of her heat cycle, she might have to stop having puppies at a younger age, earlier than the actual, generally advised age for stopping. This is because she has literally become too weak to have and nurse her litters.
A young female dog would still find it a bit of a challenge to take care of her litter. When she becomes older, it becomes too strenuous on the dog’s body.
Basically, a dog should stop having puppies between 8 to 9 years, whether your female dog has had her own puppies before or not. If you must breed your 8 years old dog, ensure to consult you veterinary doctor before doing so.
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Dog Breeding Age Limits
Make a point to consult your veterinary doctor before you begin breeding your dog. Have the vet run tests on your dog to ensure they can be taken for breeding. As much as it is possible for a dog to have puppies at any age, it is advised that you do not start breeding your dog at a very tender age or at a very old age.
Maintain a healthy breeding routine for your dog; begin and stop at the appropriate ages. For the female dog, starting breeding too early or continuing till a very old age will always result in behavioral or medical complications for your dog.
Conclusion
It is a popular opinion that pregnancy and birth are a huge determiners for a dog’s shortened lifespan. Although, this is not a proven fact, your dog technically has higher chances of having a long life or living out her lifespan when she does not have to go through and deal with illnesses and conditions that she picked up during pregnancy at old age.
A good number of medical conditions and issues in female dogs are pregnancy and delivery related. Resist stretching your dog’s limit for the basic reason of producing puppies for you. Pregnancy at an old age basically takes a toll on the dog’s body.
The ability of the dog to get pregnant literally at any age is not a license for her to actually do so. The dog’s health must be put into full consideration.
As much as getting pregnant and having puppies at an older age is not an impossible thing for a dog, she should be allowed to enjoy her old age and the latter days of her life in good health and rest.
Keep your female dog who is in her heat period far away from male contacts, to avoid late pregnancy and the complications that are associated with it.
Avoid breeding your dog completely when she is 8 years or older. Consider spaying your female dog once you decide to stop breeding her, thereby eliminating the risk of her getting pregnant by any chance. This is the best form of contraceptive and the best preventive measure against pregnancy at an old age.
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