How do you keep a female dog from getting pregnant on her first heat?

[Blessedwithpets]

Hey. So I have a female Great Pyrenees named sugar born Jan 3 2022 so she’s about 6 months old. I want to get a male Pyrenees and breed her when she is on her second heat or when she’s over a year and a half but I’m not sure how to keep her from getting pregnant on her first heat. And I also don’t know when her first heat will be. She is a pure bred free roaming Pyrenees and she’s a livestock guardian so we can’t really bring her inside but she hangs out with our neighbors/cousins dog which is an un neutered blue heeler. So I’m scared he’s going to get her pregnant too early. And I could put her in our goat pen which is 200ftx200ft with a 4 ft fence but there is a big chance she’ll still get out. My uncle does have dog kennels a mile down the road that he uses for his hunting dogs but I feel bad to just lock her up. I don’t know how dog reproduction works or if they can get pregnant outside of their heat but I just need to do more research before it is time for her to breed. If you guys have any suggestions please let me know know. I should also mention I am 14 and I’m fully responsible for her and My other animals.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

At 14 that's a lot of responsibility to take on. Here are a few things for you to think about.

What is the reason you want to breed her? Are you hoping to make money from puppies? I guarantee you that if you do it right - you will never get rich breeding dogs.

If you are solely responsible for her, have you considered the costs of raising a litter of puppies? First, is Sugar fully vaccinated? Has she had any health testing? A lot of buyers will want the pups to have a health check by a veterinarian. They need high quality food. What if mom doesn't have enough milk? They will need to be supplemented. They will need vaccinations and parasite control. Do you have enough money for veterinary care for a sick mom or pup?

Will you offer a health guarantee? What will happen if someone gets a pup that they aren't happy with - are you prepared to take that dog back until you can find another home for it? Can you take care of multiple dogs if you can't find homes for all of them?

If she is unsecured, she will definitely be bred by any male dog that is able to find her. You should train her to come inside. What would happen if she were ever injured or sick and you can't get her inside to take care of her? I have Livestock Guardian dogs and they all are willing to come inside for a while. You should teach her to be inside before she gets too big to control. She should also be comfortable enough to go inside a veterinarian's office and she should also learn to jump in and out of a vehicle for vet visits. There are a lot of things you should think about just in the raising of Sugar before you start thinking about breeding her.

You definitely need to know the signs of a female dog coming into estrus. You will have to watch her very closely in order to keep an unwanted breeding from taking place. You need to do a lot of homework! Do your research. Breeding a dog and raising puppies is a very serious responsibility.

 

[Blessedwithpets]

At 14 that's a lot of responsibility to take on. Here are a few things for you to think about.

What is the reason you want to breed her? Are you hoping to make money from puppies? I guarantee you that if you do it right - you will never get rich breeding dogs.

If you are solely responsible for her, have you considered the costs of raising a litter of puppies? First, is Sugar fully vaccinated? Has she had any health testing? A lot of buyers will want the pups to have a health check by a veterinarian. They need high quality food. What if mom doesn't have enough milk? They will need to be supplemented. They will need vaccinations and parasite control. Do you have enough money for veterinary care for a sick mom or pup?

Will you offer a health guarantee? What will happen if someone gets a pup that they aren't happy with - are you prepared to take that dog back until you can find another home for it? Can you take care of multiple dogs if you can't find homes for all of them?

If she is unsecured, she will definitely be bred by any male dog that is able to find her. You should train her to come inside. What would happen if she were ever injured or sick and you can't get her inside to take care of her? I have Livestock Guardian dogs and they all are willing to come inside for a while. You should teach her to be inside before she gets too big to control. She should also be comfortable enough to go inside a veterinarian's office and she should also learn to jump in and out of a vehicle for vet visits. There are a lot of things you should think about just in the raising of Sugar before you start thinking about breeding her.

You definitely need to know the signs of a female dog coming into estrus. You will have to watch her very closely in order to keep an unwanted breeding from taking place. You need to do a lot of homework! Do your research. Breeding a dog and raising puppies is a very serious responsibility.

She only has one set of shots left any she’s just now due for them. And I would be willing to bottle feed puppies if things were to go wrong. Ive bred parakeets before and I’ve handfed some every hour even through the night. Im homeschooled so I have no schedule. I currently breed rabbits too. My parents do pay for her shots and sometimes her food. She’s also on a monthly flea/tick/heart worm prevention pill. I brush her AT LEAST 2-3 times a week. She stayed inside from 6 weeks old to about 9 weeks then she started going to the bathroom every where and shedding too much and her original purpose was for a livestock guardian so we transitioned her to outside. She loves to ride in the car but she only wants to sit in my lap and she’s getting a little too big lol. And my reason for breeding her is not to make myself rich but just so she basically pays for herself. So I can have a dog that I love so much (and the sweetness and cuteness of puppies) but by her producing puppies and me selling them, it should pay for her food and some partial vet bills . My parents are paying for the shots but any further vet bills would be my expense, of course if it’s really big they’ll help me out. I know she is way too young to have puppies (she’s a puppy herself) and I don’t want her to have them but I just need to figure out how to prevent it early on. My parents have already told me that inside is not an option. If I bathe her they don’t mind her being inside for a few hours during the day but not overnight. And I could probably just build her a pen but I feel bad to just lock her up. And we will be leaving for a 20 day trip in July so I have to figure that out too because she could go into heat between now and one year of age. I will say she is a terrible guard dog because she would just walk up to any intruder with her tail just a wagging lol. It’s the funniest thing she gets so excited to see us when we come outside she literally shows her teeth and smiles. She gets along great with one of our cats but her only behavioral problem is she gets aggressive to other animals with food. But she has never shown any aggression to humans. She’s just the sweetest dog (therefore the name sugar, and because she’s white lol) and I just love her. As for the puppies I would tell the buyers if they ever decided they no longer want the puppy to bring them back to me. And I would bring all puppies to the vet for first shots and health check. And there’s always room for another animal at my house lol. We own 8 acres that is surrounded by my grandpas 1,200 acres and there are 4 houses around the pond, ours, my grandparents, and 2 of my cousins all on my dads side. But anyways please let me know if you have any more tips. Thank you for your reply. God bless you!!

 

[Baymule]

You absolutely must lock her up when she is in heat. No way around that. My dogs are neutered/spayed. I don’t want the cost or responsibility of puppies. Making Sugar pay for herself doesn’t sound like a very good plan to me. You took her on as your responsibility and it’s up to you to pay for her care. I can understand the excitement of a litter of puppies, but if you must breed her, you might want to stop after one litter. You won’t really make money at it. There is no teacher like experience.

You sound like a very good dog mommy and it’s plain that you love and care for your dog. Give this careful thought, coming here for advice shows that you have a greater maturity level than most 14 year olds.
I get it, puppies are hard to resist. Do your due diligence and research.

 

[Simpleterrier]

If u don't want puppies lock her up in multiple layers of protection. One row of fence might not stop the act.

On the other side if u wanna breed and produce puppies to sell down the road then go ahead but just think it threw and understand all sides.

And to those who say u don't make money selling puppies even with one litter I have to disagree. Multiple people have multiple reasons for not wanting others to breed animals. Most are just opinions tied in with some fact. You have to decide and be ok with the reasons you choose.

I have seen good and bad animals come from both registered breeders and I'll call them animal mills. The people I stay away from are rescuers and those who want to charge.more for breeding rights.

Just a heads up everyone on here is making money from all there animals. If u don't make money or break even then none of us would have them we couldn't afford them.

 

[OneFineAcre]

I lose money on every animal I sell, but I'm making up for it in volume.

 

[farmerjan]

I will not get into the finances with @Simpleterrier ... yes you could say we make money on our animals, it helps to pay for the costs... but without OUTSIDE income... off the farm... we would not be able to make it.
A 14 yr old girl is someone that is not in a position to control the fate of her LGD. Not without full support of her parents... and not having any other experience. She admitted that she needs to do more studying on the subject.

@Blessedwithpets ; first off, I admire that you came here for some help and advice. Everything that @frustratedearthmother said in her post is right. You could make some money on the puppies... BUT when you put that against the cost of getting those puppies you will find there is little actual profit to be made.
To prevent unwanted pregnancy means there must be NO CONTACT with a male all through the heat cycle. No, dogs do not get pregnant if they are not in heat... but can get bred early in the heat cycle and at the end... SO, that means total locked up for the WHOLE HEAT CYCLE... There can be no "feeling bad for her" or any emotions involved in it.
A 4 ft fence is not going to contain her when her hormones get raging... nor will it stop any and all male dogs in the neighborhood....

It worries me that you are supposed to take this all on, with maybe some help from your parents. Everything that was suggested about costs is very true. Costs of everything are going up and up... you could not afford to take back puppies that someone decided they did not want, or to just keep puppies that did not get placed.
I admire that you are looking at ways to get her to "pay for herself".... but at this age and with the current situation, I honestly do not feel that you are in a position to take this big of a step at this time. You need to get some time, a few years, of handling and dealing with these type of dogs before you would be ready to actually start breeding them. You are still in the puppy stage and they go through many different stages in their growth. She will change and one thing that is very common in the Great Pyr breed is their tendency to roam and to decide for themselves what is "their area" to protect.
There are several on here that have bred them and have way more experience. LISTEN to them. @Ridgetop has had LGD's for many years... and DOES NOT BREED her own.... but buys any replacements from a LONG TIME well established breeder....

There are many that do not work out and wind up in shelters.... they need an experienced person to deal with the ones that are not the "perfect" dog. It sounds like your dog Sugar, is a very good one as far as her disposition and attitude...... but she is still a young dog. She needs to grow up and mature.
From all I have heard and seen, an LGD should not be bred before 2 at the earliest.
One other thing... NO, I do not have LGD's .... have worked with people that have them... have farm sat for people that have them, and the one thing that is IMPERATIVE is that there are good fences to contain them.... and facilities to contain them under circumstances that require it...

 

[Simpleterrier]

What @farmerjan is saying is true. And I'll try to sum up what we both are saying about the finances. We don't and can't afford to lose money but most don't make a living raising animals.

I raise my own beef and pork cheeper than what I can buy it in the store and I turn a small profit on the animals I sell all said and done I usually don't make 2500 a year off of my animals but I eat beef like it is free

 

[Blessedwithpets]

to everyone here thank you so much for the advice. As for the financial part, being 14 it’s my goal to just break even with all my animal expenses. I breed rabbits and I make about $300 every 3 months and that pays for they’re food and toys and just general upkeep. I’ve been considering getting a female cockatiel for my male cockatiel and a male budgie for my female budgie but that’s like at the bottom of my list, because I have bred birds before and i know what comes with that and the chance that the pairs don’t actually work out. I currently have a pair of guppies (fish) and a few betta pairs and the guppies are new and I have not had success with breeding bettas. And I will be rehoming my bearded dragon only because a family member really wants her for her grandkids and they are building a house across the street. But with my dog (the reason we’re all here) I’m sure she’ll only have about 2 litters before I move out and maybe 1 before I can get an actual job. So I know I’m not going to get rich breeding rabbits or dogs or even birds but animals are my life and without money I can’t have animals so I think if I take the right care of my animals breeding is not a bad thing. I want to start going to rabbit shows too and I’m working on colors and quality with my rabbits. And my cockatiel is just so tame and my budgie is getting there. But anyways I don’t want my dog getting pregnant too young it’s just not healthy. And I hate to lock her up in a kennel during her heat but if that’s what’s gonna keep her healthy thats what I have to do. And the world right now is adopt don’t shop and I agree animals in shelters need help but some people want specific animals for a specific reason and I think responsible breeding is ok. She is a purebred double dew clawed Pyrenees and I want to get a purebred male puppy once she finishes her first heat so he’ll be finished with his shots and matured by her second heat. I agree that I’m basically a child and I take on a lot of responsibility but I don’t pursue anything I can’t handle. But as for breeding I’m general I’m here asking how to do it right not if I should do it. I know what responsibilities puppies come with and I might let her have one litter then decide to get her fixed you never know but I am willing to put all my time into animals. Once again thank you all for the responses and I’m sorry if I went completely off topic lol. Thank you all. God bless y’all!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Good luck!