Anna J: What is the best time to breed a Shih Tzu?
I have a little Shih Tzu, we were planning on breeding her after her second heat. But we look at her and she is less than ten pounds! She is one year old.
When would be the best time to breed her?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Shay
You can breed her on her second heat. Just make sure your Shih Tzu male is about the same size or not more than 2 pounds bigger. A smaller male or one of the same size would be best. A bigger male will cause her to have bigger puppies and she may have trouble delivering them.
Answer by Goldens4ever
You really need to wait until she is at least 1 1/2 preferably 2 years old so she has time to fully mature. I know there are so many people who say don’t breed have her fixed and honestly with Shih Tzu breed right now there are so many breeders right now and having trouble finding not only really good homes for their puppies but a home at all. Look on puppyfind.com under the breed. All ads are usually current there are so many older puppies. If you decide to breed your Shih Tzu you should really find a breeder mentor to help you along the way of your first litter.
Answer by cynthiab87
When you learn the answer to this question through your breeding mentor and after you've gotten all the necessary tests done with your vet (i do not mean a check-up!!) to see if your dog can and should even be bred.
Answer by durdenslabs
You have a 1 yr old Shih Tzu. She is too young to breed by at least a year. Any female (or male) should be a minimum of 2 years old before they are bred.
The reason for this is
1. their bodies are immature before 2 yrs of age,
2. this age (2 yrs) is when you can get genetic health certs done,
3. it usually takes over a year to get a title on a dog.
Breeder’s Bible: Book of the Bitch: A Complete Guide to Understanding and Caring for Bitches 
If your dog has no titles, a pedigree without champions in the first 3 – 5 generations, has no health certifications, and is NOT 2 years old….and your family is not ready to keep all puppies that may come from this litter and your family is ready to guarantee the genetic health for at least 2 yrs plus agree to take the pups back at any time in their life….then your family is NOT ready to breed!
Right now your dog sounds like she should be spayed since she is not worthy of being bred.
Worthiness comes from pedigree, having a title herself, being genetically health tested, over 2 yrs of age and a male picked with the same characteristics.
A reputable breeder does NOT breed for money. The breed for quality and health. Which YOU are obviously NOT doing.
Answer by punis the deed not t
The best time for you to consider breeding your Shih Tzu is after you take the time to get some education about proper breeding practices so that you are using the correct vocabulary for this topic.
What are the 4 stages of a normal heat cycle?
How many of your Bitch's relatives on her Dam's side held Grand Champion Titles? How many on the Dog's side?
What qualities does your Bitch have that can be improved upon with the RIGHT breeding?
What's the difference between a bitch and a dog?
Start going to shows and meet other breeders who CARE about their animals, the bloodlines and the IMPROVEMENT to the breed so that YOU can become an excellent and responsible breeder, instead of someone with a purebred bitch who knows zero to very little about what she is doing!
You need to get in with the responsible breeders and start SHOWING your Bitch so she can win her points and titles and PROVE that she deserves the very best Dog out there to breed with! You do not want just some purebred nothing dog that you don't even know anything about what he has to offer your bitch and the resulting puppies…
You want to learn your Shih Tzu girl's GOOD POINTS and her NOT SO GOOD POINTS so that you choose a dog that has females in his line that will MAKE UP FOR any characteristics YOUR bitch is less than perfect in or is lacking…you want to shoot for BETTER quality puppies than what most of the breed currently IS.
Otherwise, you are not responsible, you are just another uninformed and uncaring back yard breeder, about three steps behind a Puppy Mill…and trust me…Breeding any animal that is NOT a food production animal is NOT a quick way to get rich…Breeders spend more than they earn off their litters as a rule!
PLEASE do not contribute to the overpopulation of dogs and puppies put to death DAILY (in the hundreds in the USA) because they do not get adopted..and remember even if you breed irresponsibly and have homes for YOUR puppies…you are contributing to the DEATH of that many other pups and dogs…true story.
Answer by AbbieBorderCollie!
Um, never, when she is spayed would be a good time to consider your dog's health. ANYONE wishing to become a breeder, looks into it way beforehand, way before even owning a dog! And they search themselves. That's what reputable is :).
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Answer by Rayven~Summer Troll
The minimum for the breed is 9lbs. If she's under that she does not fit the standard and should not be bred.
No reputable breeder would have sold her to you with full breeding rights unless she was a show potential and you knew what you were doing (clearly you don't) Which means she came from a questionable source, another reason to not breed.
No health clearances.
The owner doesn't know anything about breeding.
Spay your female.
Answer by sharp eye * hate BYBs*
the best time to breed your shih tzu = never
go to the vet and spay her that is what you should do!
Answer by Red Pony
You should really consider spaying your dog. The dog market is being inundated with the Shih Tzu breed right now, and unless you have an exceptional dog that has earned her AKC championship, then you should not breed her.
Also, because she is small, if you do breed, there is a good chance that she will have a very difficult pregnancy and delivery – probably requiring a C-Section – which puts her life and the life of the puppies in jeopardy, and means it will be her first and last littler. Not to mention the expense.
Please reconsider and have your Shih Tzu spayed.
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
Barbara says
The best time to breed you dog is after she passes all genetic tests and your vet says ok. Plus when you have lots of deposits for the puppies. I’m not so sure titles mean much, but if your dog is one of those shits tus that won’t house break, then the puppies may be the same. You know where they end up.
Kathryn Nissen. Canine behaviourist. says
You have been given really excellent, knowledgeable and thoughtful advice here and I hope you will seriously reconsider and do the best thing for your little bitch by NOT putting her through the trauma of pregnancy and giving birth. Add to that the very real danger of her and any pups dying and then multiply all that by three, add in that you do not have the experience and knowledge to bring her safely through a highly dangerous process. You presumably love your companion pet and then think of being responsible for her death and how devastated you would be. Do not make the mistake of thinking all this advice exaggerated. Be responsible, have her spayed instead and then you further protect her from two more great dangers to bitches, mammary cancer and pyometra. If that is not enough to convince you then say so and I can elaborate on the huge list of non-medical dangers of breeding from pet dogs. Love her, enjoy her company and protect her.
Lori says
Check with the Shih Tzu Parent Breed Club for your country, which should have resources informing you not only of what health clearances your bitch should have, but how to evaluate how closely she matches the ideal Breed Standard, what to look for in considering the best stud for her, what to expect of the stud dog owner (at, a minimum, before breeding both the male and female should be current on all vaccinations, have a brucellosis test, be clear of internal and external parasites), and you should have financial resources on hand should emergency measures be needing during or after whelping for the bitch and resultant puppies. Why do you want to breed her? Do you have prospective homes for puppies lined up? If you are in the USA, check out http://cdn.akc.org/ShihTzu-club-flyer.pdf and go to the parent breed club website and read your way through it. Good luck!
Anna says
Thank you, I will.