Nope, we only have a month of 85+ temps. The rest of the year is cooler. 3 Months of 70+ temps. She is growing her winter coat now, so she looks fluffier.
Loa's coat is looking really nice nice right now...
*After we moved to Taos, 3 years ago, Loa's coat started looking really bad; it took 2 years to finally look nice, this is the first nice summer coat she's had since we moved here. I think she looks really nice now! )
Well, Loa turns 3 years old this Saturday (8/21/2010). I'm making her birthday post early since I may be in Denver doing a Akashima's Kuma x Loa breeding. ;o)
Happy BDay Loa, now get it on. lol I'm hearing that Marvin Gaye song in my head... Ah, baby, let's get it on Let's love, baby Let's get it on, sugar Let's get it on We're all sensitive people With so much to give Understand me, sugar
Oh wow, Kuma!! Kuma sired 3 different temperaments with Kimi. Kuma/Loa puppies should be really interesting....temperament and looks. Can't wait for the pictures and videos. Good luck guys! I have a good feeling about this one.
Glad to hear that you're going for a "live cover" despite the extra work involved in shipping Kuma. Hope you're able to share some new pics of Kuma. His website photos aren't very sharp and I'm curious what he really looks like. He seems to be of a different style/type than the rest of the dogs?
Looks like a good decision though. It seems like you would have to import or get a male/female pair at the same time to ensure that this doesn't happen again with empty heat cycles.
I was talking to a breeder at the park, and followed up with my father (who was raised by a breeder, my grandmother), then followed up with my uncle (who breeds champion Rotts). Anywho, they all kind've confirmed that they think breeding at a year and a half is ok because of the chance of too many empty heats.
Do you have any thoughts about this given your experience with Loa?
Yes, after talking to Dr. Hutchison in Ohio (one of the leaders in the veterinary reproduction industry) about Masha, and then with Dr. Hess at Colorado Veterinary Specialists regarding both Loa and Masha, we have changed our views considerably on breeding age, back-to-back litters, and empty heats. Jen and I actually just rewrote a lot of our website to reflect our new views on the subject.
As suggested by Dr. Hutchison, we bred Masha for the first time earlier than we had planned. Originally we wanted to breed her at 2 years old (she turned 2 a few months ago). We planned to breed her once, and then to hold off one heat, and not do back-to-back breedings for her. But both Dr. Hess and Dr. Hutchison felt we should breed her at her 3rd heat, which we did, and then back-to-back for the 4th heat (second breeding) - we didn't plan on that at all, and ended up rushing to get it done last minute.
Apparently after the second breeding a female's uterus is healthier and can handle an empty heat better. The 3rd breeding is supposed to be harder on the female than the 1st or 2nd, actually this holds true for people too. That's why its recommended you rest the female for (at least, I guess) one empty heat cycle before you do the 3rd breeding.
When you take the info we received from the specialist regarding Masha, and add the issues we experienced with Loa, it really paints a clear picture, huh?
I have come to the conclusion that, for the health of the female, its best to breed them at their 3rd heat and then more frequently than I had originally thought was "safe". My original thoughts were that you breed at 2 years or later, and then skip every other cycle breeding no more than 4 times. Now I am thinking that 4 is still a safe number to "cap" the breeding off at, tho I do think it depends on the female too (same may whelp very easily and have litter stress from it, perhaps they can be bred more, I dunno). This would retire most females at around 4 years, which is actually a pretty young age... and I kinda like that idea.
As with anything else I have come to "understand" in breeding, I'm sure I'll change my mind and have a new understanding again on this subject. That's my current feeling tho.
For Jen and I, it really comes down to the health of our female first. A few people have suggested we try to breed Loa again, and realistically it wouldn't hurt her to have a littler or an empty heat, as a healthy litter would probaly help her reproductive system strengthen and we would spay her after an empty heat anyway (and therefore all the "danger" would be removed)...
But, its not the wear on her reproductive system that is the true danger, the true danger is in the risk you take knowing she may not be able to carry that pregnancy full-term, or that she may have a pyometra. If Loa ended up being pregnant, but then lost some puppies near the end of her term, that could kill her - that's a sure way to kill a breeding female. Or, she could not be pregnant and end up with a pyometra due to the cysts. These risks are real and very dangerous for her... We just can't force her to take that risk. It's one thing to ask her to breed for us, its another to ask her to risk her life to do it.
Stay tuned, I'm sure my opinion will change again. LOL
Comments
Barbara - Thanx! She is/was a little monkey. lol
----
Took those last night.
----
*After we moved to Taos, 3 years ago, Loa's coat started looking really bad; it took 2 years to finally look nice, this is the first nice summer coat she's had since we moved here. I think she looks really nice now!
----
I miss her...so when you sending me Ahi, Loa, Mochi, & Blue Brad? :P ~
Here is pretty little Loa bear...
lol I'm hearing that Marvin Gaye song in my head...
Ah, baby, let's get it on
Let's love, baby
Let's get it on, sugar
Let's get it on
We're all sensitive people
With so much to give
Understand me, sugar
I'm so immature. Make some babies Loa!!!
@Tara...hahaha
Loa looks as lovely as always. [ Give us some nice pups Loa! ] ~
And I am with Tara... GET IT ON! hahahahaha.
Good luck to her! Hope all goes well and that in a few months, we will have some beautiful Shika puppies!
http://livingwithnihonken.blogspot.com/2010/10/you-may-have-noticed-change-to-our.html
----
Looks like a good decision though. It seems like you would have to import or get a male/female pair at the same time to ensure that this doesn't happen again with empty heat cycles.
I was talking to a breeder at the park, and followed up with my father (who was raised by a breeder, my grandmother), then followed up with my uncle (who breeds champion Rotts). Anywho, they all kind've confirmed that they think breeding at a year and a half is ok because of the chance of too many empty heats.
Do you have any thoughts about this given your experience with Loa?
As suggested by Dr. Hutchison, we bred Masha for the first time earlier than we had planned. Originally we wanted to breed her at 2 years old (she turned 2 a few months ago). We planned to breed her once, and then to hold off one heat, and not do back-to-back breedings for her. But both Dr. Hess and Dr. Hutchison felt we should breed her at her 3rd heat, which we did, and then back-to-back for the 4th heat (second breeding) - we didn't plan on that at all, and ended up rushing to get it done last minute.
Apparently after the second breeding a female's uterus is healthier and can handle an empty heat better. The 3rd breeding is supposed to be harder on the female than the 1st or 2nd, actually this holds true for people too. That's why its recommended you rest the female for (at least, I guess) one empty heat cycle before you do the 3rd breeding.
When you take the info we received from the specialist regarding Masha, and add the issues we experienced with Loa, it really paints a clear picture, huh?
I have come to the conclusion that, for the health of the female, its best to breed them at their 3rd heat and then more frequently than I had originally thought was "safe". My original thoughts were that you breed at 2 years or later, and then skip every other cycle breeding no more than 4 times. Now I am thinking that 4 is still a safe number to "cap" the breeding off at, tho I do think it depends on the female too (same may whelp very easily and have litter stress from it, perhaps they can be bred more, I dunno). This would retire most females at around 4 years, which is actually a pretty young age... and I kinda like that idea.
As with anything else I have come to "understand" in breeding, I'm sure I'll change my mind and have a new understanding again on this subject. That's my current feeling tho.
For Jen and I, it really comes down to the health of our female first. A few people have suggested we try to breed Loa again, and realistically it wouldn't hurt her to have a littler or an empty heat, as a healthy litter would probaly help her reproductive system strengthen and we would spay her after an empty heat anyway (and therefore all the "danger" would be removed)...
But, its not the wear on her reproductive system that is the true danger, the true danger is in the risk you take knowing she may not be able to carry that pregnancy full-term, or that she may have a pyometra. If Loa ended up being pregnant, but then lost some puppies near the end of her term, that could kill her - that's a sure way to kill a breeding female. Or, she could not be pregnant and end up with a pyometra due to the cysts. These risks are real and very dangerous for her... We just can't force her to take that risk. It's one thing to ask her to breed for us, its another to ask her to risk her life to do it.
Stay tuned, I'm sure my opinion will change again. LOL
----