dog question

[gogiesplay]

at what age can a dog get pregnant. and how long is the pregnancy

[lindapalm]

Very well said!

[Margot49]

...............or because someone thinks they are going to make money off a litter of pups.  Done the right way, there is little or no money to be made. You end up with a sick mother and/or sick pups, a C-section is needed, you loose the mother dog due to complications, etc. your Vet bills can add up quickly!!  Then, you have to consider the care of the mom and pups for at least 8 weeks (pups should not be taken away from the mother before 8 weeks).  The pups have to be wormed and started on their shots.  If you cannot give your own vaccines, then you will have to pay the Vet to do that also.  
Are you willing to give a health guarantee against genetic defects that might make the puppies unsuitable as pets?  
There is a LOT to consider when breeding and there are definitely other problems you might face too.  
Please do you research and, yes, there is a major pet overpopulation problem!!!  

[Ghilly]

Since the same poster asked the same question a couple of seconds apart, I deleted the other post in the interest of not taking up unnecessary space on the forum.  This post had more replies so this is the one I figured I'd leave up.

As has already been posted, female dogs can come into season as early as 4-6 months of age, but the average is more like 9-12 months.  Some come in later.  If they are bred while they are in season, they will be pregnant for 63 days or nine weeks.  Please, if you are considering breeding your dog, learn a LOT more about it than simply how long it takes before you undertake such a thing.  Depending on what breed your dog is it can be a very dangerous thing, the puppies and/or the mother could die, and unless your dog is an excellent example of her breed you will only be adding to the already monumental overpopulation of dogs in the world today.  Intentional breeding is something that should be left only to those with dogs of superior quality who have the knowledge and experience to do it safely.  Having puppies just so you can have another one just like the mother, or because you think the mother is smart and should therefore reproduce, or my personal favorite, so kids can witness "the miracle of birth" are all WRONG reasons to breed.  

In fact, it has always been my theory that rather than kids seeing "the miracle of birth", it would be worth it for adults to take a trip to the shelter on euthanization day so that they can witness the horror of death before deciding to breed more.  And yes, the dog (and cat) overpopulation problem really IS that bad today.  Sorry, this was probably not the response you were looking for, but people who may be reading in order to learn the answers to these questions for themselves deserve to find out the truthful responses to their questions and not just the ones that people want to hear.  My intention was not to be harsh, merely truthful.

Ghilly

[Margot49]

LOL!!!  Guess the program won't take the correct use of the word for the female dogs.  :-)
Okay, replace that with females.  

[Margot49]

A dog can get pregnant from the time they start their first heat cycle. The first heat cycle usually is around 6 mos of age but that can differ, it may be earlier and it may be later. I had one female Sheltie that didn't have her first season until almost 1 year of age. When I did do limited breeding (maybe once a year), I only bred ******* that were at least 2 years old and I had done what testing I could on them for genetic problems (eye exams, hip x-rays for dysplasia, Vwd testing, thyroid, etc).  Each breed can have it's own genetic concerns.
Gestation is average 63 days.  If you breed a ***** more than once, that calculation may not necessarily be from the first breeding.
Breeding done correctly really does take a lot of thought, education and planning.

[bchild1108]

they can get pregnant AS EARLY at 4-6 months (not recommended to try to get them pregnant at this time) Its best to wait until they are AT LEAST one year old. pregnancy last for 63 days.