How long does a dog stay in heat and what are the signs and when is the appropriate time to breed them?

Would it be best to breed the female at her 2nd or third heat? She a Amstafforshire Terrior. She is 9 months old.Just to respond to Loki_Wolfchild and Maureen. Dont get me wrong. We have two Amstaff's We will breed in a couple years from now. We know that she is too young at nine months.. I would not put her through that agony. Thanks for the info and your kind hearted concern. I will take it to heart about the health and physical risks. I used to own two other dam's at different times before these two and had them spayed before they went into heat. I had never experienced any of them birthing litters. It has been some years till last year to own true purebreds. To breed these two will be an experience. Yes it will take knowledge and education to do so. I understand that. That is why I had to ask that question. I know that she will bleed and cuch but it too is my first time in this but I want to make sure I do it right and not jepordize them or the litter. Your answer was clear and I thank you for your answer. It opened up understanding and I will take it to heart. tyvm. peace 2u2

I have heard to wait for at least there first heat......I would like to know too I have a 5 month old male pure breed black labrador

If you don't know the most basic thing about breeding you shouldn't do it. Before you even think about breeding, read a lot of books, talk to your vet, and talk to other responsible breeders. Are you hoping to make money off the puppies? If you are, you're not going to. Are you breeding for the betterment of the breed? Has your dog been tested for any genetic diseases? Before you do any breeding, do your research. Your best bet would be to have the dog spayed as soon as possible to not add to the millions killed every year in SPCAs.

Maureen is absolutely right. If you don't know enough to understand how long a heat cycle lasts, you really shouldn't be breeding.First of all, a heat cycle typically lasts 3 weeks. That's 21 days of cleaning up spotting blood and keeping the males away from your girl.Second, 9 months old is wayyyy too young to breed a female dog. The dog should be at least 2 years old, in order to be fully mature. Having puppies at that age is like having a baby when you're 12 years old -- the dog's body may be producing the heat cycles, but it doesn't mean that it's mature enough to carry a litter.In addition, the dog must be at least 2 in order to be old enough to have their hips tested for dysplasia through the OFA. Hip dysplasia is inherited, and only one of several diseases that are known to be genetic in the AmStaff. Others include heart problems, elbow dysplasia, ataxia (a nervous disorder), and Progressive Retinal Atrophy, an eye disorder.All of these diseases can and should be tested for in your female before she is bred -- otherwise, you run the risk of producing genetically crippled puppies. Do you want to try to explain that you didn't bother with testing to your puppy buyers when they call, crying, because their puppy has a heart problem?Breeding isn't -- and shouldn't be -- as easy as putting two dogs together and collecting the cash for the puppies. If you can't do it right, you really shouldn't do it at all.Please check the second link below for more information on AmStaff genetic diseases.