female came in heat to soon what's going on

[steve]

Doc S i have a female that had pups last may,then she came in heat 4mths later in Aug she was breed had 1 pup on Oct 4th she is in heat again on Dec 22nd how can this be is there something wrong with her I would like to keep getting pups from her but will not breed her this soon she is only 4 1/2 yrs old.Her first litter I female that came into heat 4 times by the time she was 9mths old is this a big problem or not thanks

[Emery]

Coming into heat early is not uncommon. I just had an accidental breeding because my female came into heat 1 month early. As a general rule, it is every six months. Of course, this rule is like every other one - it is meant to be broken. I wouldn't be overly concerned if she comes into heat before the six month period. Start keep tabs on when she comes into heat and keep a schedule of it. You may just have to keep her away from the males more often than twice a year. Gook luck & Merry Christmas.

Emery