Hi Mary-Ann,
I concur with what Libby had to say, if the bitch is in good health and
maternal duties come easy to her then six litters would not be excessive.
For myself I have yet to breed more than three litters from any one bitch
that I have owned, two bitches were bred for a fourth time but in both
instances they were empty. I don't breed my bitches before the age of two
and some have been into their fourth year before a first breeding. Some
decisions are governed by whether or not the economics are justified and if
that sounds cash driven I would point out that I see no point in
re-breeding a bitch who lacks sufficient fertility to justify the expense
of a stud fee coupled with elective C-Section. I have had good producing
bitches who may have had to be sectioned and there is a limit as to how
often I will do that.
I don't know that repetitive pregnancies are any more a health hazard for
some bitches than a single pregnancy might be for another.
Rose T.
