How Often Can You Breed a Goldendoodle? (Veterinarian Explained!)
Are you researching how to properly breed your Goldendoodle, or are you just curious about how often a Goldendoodle can have puppies?
There is a lot of controversy on when the right time starts breeding your Goldendoodle and how often you should let them have a litter of puppies.
This decision is up to you, but there are a few things that you need to keep in mind to help you make the right choice.
How Often Can Your Breed a Goldendoodle?
How often can you breed a Goldendoodle? You can breed a Goldendoodle every 6 to 8 months, but you should at least wait for one heat cycle in between each litter to not over breed your Goldendoodle.
Not only should you know how often your Goldendoodle can get pregnant, but you also need to know how to be a responsible breeder.
You need to make sure that you are only passing on the best genetics and that you are not over breeding your dog.
Things to Know to Breed Responsibly
No matter why you want to breed Goldendoodles, there are many things that you need to know and understand to be a responsible dog breeder.
Is Your Female Healthy Enough For Breeding?
Make sure that the female that you are breeding healthy and able to have puppies. Your female Goldendoodle will have their first heat cycle between 6 and 18 months of age.
This is when they are technically able to get pregnant. However, this is not the best time to start breeding Goldendoodles.
It is usually advised to wait until their second heat cycle, which will occur about six months after the first one. A smaller dog will often come into heat earlier than larger dogs.
It is always best to have your Goldendoodle checked over by your vet to make sure that there will be no problems when breeding.
Pregnancy cycles of your Goldendoodle
Your dog’s gestation period or the time that they are pregnant is about 63 days. Your female dog will go through a lot of changes in this short amount of time.
At three weeks, your vet can do an ultrasound to make sure that your dog is indeed pregnant. Sometimes they can tell you about how many puppies to be expecting.
As your dog reaches time to give birth, you will notice that their breast becomes enlarged, and you may even see milk leaking from them right before they start to give birth.
How Often Can Your Goldendoodle Give Birth?
Your dog can technically have a litter of puppies with each heath cycle. This is not what is recommended or safe for your dog.
By breeding your dog each heat cycle, over time, you will decrease the likely hood of a successful pregnancy and healthy puppies. Some people will bread their dog for 2 or 3 heat cycles then spay her.
Some will breed their dog every other heat cycle. While there are many different views on how often you should breed your dog, it is best to work with your vet on a good pregnancy plan for your dog.
Things to Keep in Mind When Breeding a Goldendoodle
Before starting to breed your Goldendoodle, make sure that you have considered everything.
You will need a suitable mate for your Goldendoodle as well as a place for her to have her puppies.
Once the puppies are born, you will need to provide medical care and have good quality nutrition for the puppies until they find a home.
With the overpopulation of dogs, some people end up dumping purebred dogs in a shelter because they cannot find a home for them.
You will have to make sure that these puppies find wonderful homes to take care of them and love them for many years.
What Is the Best Age to Breed Your Goldendoodle?
The best time to start to breed your Goldendoodle is when they are around two years old. This will usually be their 2nd or 3rd heat cycle. Your male should also wait until they are about two years old too.
Breeding a Goldendoodle takes a lot of knowledge on when the time is right. Make sure that you work with your vet to breed your Goldendoodle at the right time.
There are risks from breeding your Goldendoodle too early or too late.
Why is This Age the Best to Breed Your Goldendoodle?
At two years old, your Goldendoodle is sexually mature enough as well as mentally mature enough to be able to handle a pregnancy. Your Goldendoodle will be at their full height and size.
This will help make sure that there is not going to be any complications with the pregnancy due to her being too small.
Many young puppies may have trouble nursing their puppies because they are just a puppy themselves. So, it is best to wait until your Goldendoodle is mentally mature enough to have puppies.
Even if you wait until your dog is three years old before breeding, this is still enough time for them to have a few litters before they get too old.
When your Goldendoodle is between 3 to 5 years old, they are more likely to have larger litters. This is something that many people will consider when breeding their dogs.
By waiting until your Goldendoodle is a little older will allow you to tell if they are going to have hip dysplasia. The goal with breeding is to make a better breed, so make sure that both the male and female do not have any health conditions.
Why Is Breeding Too Early Harmful to Your Goldendoodle
If you start breeding your Goldendoodle when they are very young, it can be very dangerous to their health. While they can get pregnant as early as six months, you should wait until they are fully grown.
You would have an increased risk of your Goldendoodle needing a C-section because she is not fully grown and not fully developed.
If you rush your Goldendoodle to have their first litter, some of the complications that they may have will cause your Goldendoodle to never be able to have a litter of puppies again.
Younger Goldendoodle mother tends to not want to take care of the puppies. This would mean that you would need to step up and feed the puppies around the clock.
You also do not know the full health of your Goldendoodle until they have fully matured by waiting until your Goldendoodle is fully grown and mentally ready to take on motherhood is best.
Why Is Breeding Too Old Cause Problems for Goldendoodles
If you start breeding your female Goldendoodle when they are too old, it can be very hard on her.
If your female Goldendoodle has never had a litter of puppies until they were over six years of age, have a higher risk of complications during their pregnancy.
It is possible that everything will go smoothly, but there is a chance that your older Goldendoodle will have problems.
These are common risks seen with older dogs having puppies:
- Needing to have a C-Section
- Miscarriage
- Not going into labor
- Stillborn puppies
How to Prepare Your Goldendoodle When it’s Time to Have Puppies
There are some things that you can start to do early to help make sure that your Goldendoodle has a successful pregnancy.
Socialize your Goldendoodle with other dogs
Socializing your Goldendoodle with other dogs is one of the most important things that you can do. This helps make sure that they will allow another male dog to be around them for mating when she is in heat.
This is something that cannot be trained just a few weeks before you breed your female Goldendoodle. This is something that takes months or years.
Keep records of your Goldendoodles’ heat cycles.
If your Goldendoodle is regular, you will be able to find the best time to introduce the male and avoid wasting any money on mating that cannot result in a pregnancy.
Getting your Goldendoodle socialized with other dogs will make the whole breeding process a lot easier to handle.
Find an Experienced Male
If you have a female Goldendoodle, you should get an experienced stud. Your dog will not really know what she is doing the very first time.
If the male is inexperienced and does not know what is going on either, there is a high chance that things will not go very well.
A young Goldendoodle who has never been breed before will not have a whole lot of confidence, so following these few tips will help give her a much better chance of getting pregnant the first time.
Do not be discouraged if it does not happen the first time you try.
Final Thoughts
Remember to always put the health of your female Goldendoodle before you wanting her to have a litter.
Some females Goldendoodles may benefit from waiting a little bit longer than other dogs.
Make sure that you discuss these timing with your vet and make sure that you do not breed them when they are too young and do not wait too long until the female has gotten too old either.