Is it OK to Mate Chihuahuas With Siblings?

If you are wondering if it is appropriate to breed Chihuahua siblings from the same litter, you should consider your eventual goal. For example, professional breeders sometimes work to transfer particular traits to puppies by inbreeding specific dogs. You should be aware of the risks of inbreeding and know how often the Chihuahua siblings have been bred before considering allowing them to mate.

  1. Social Context

    • First, it is important to understand and distance yourself from the social taboo and emotional disturbance that you may feel when associating inbreeding within humans. As your dog is an animal, the issue of inbreeding has little social context for it. Of course, most litters are separated and sold off, and owners tend to spay or neuter their pets so breeding them is not an issue. But if the litter were kept intact and socialized together, there would be few, if any, ways to avoid them mating with each other. The animals act on biological instinct and do not see themselves as part of a family as you might see them.

    Genetics

    • The biggest issue with inbreeding when the social context is removed is the role of genetics. Two Chihuahuas from the same litter will carry a similar genetic makeup. If they are bred they will pass on this similarity to their offspring. This is not an uncommon tactic for professional breeders. A breeder may mate two Chihuahuas from a litter when each presents with desirable traits such as naturally erect ears, small size -- as in the teacup chihuahuas -- or a long hair coat. If this is done in a first generation there are usually no untoward effects present in the dog.

    New Traits Appear

    • If a breeder continuously breeds litter mates in subsequent generations of dogs in order to gain desirable traits, it increases the odds that the genetic strength of the dogs will decrease. While the desired traits may continue to be present, new ones may present as a result of continual inbreeding. In Chihuahuas, problems with vision, poor bone density and breakage risk as well as poor temperament and difficulty in training may arise.

    Desired Traits Disappear

    • With continual inbreeding, desired traits may disappear. It is possible to breed out the traits as the genetic transfer is not made stronger or maintained with each breeding. In actuality, each breeding creates a subtle mutation. This may not be noticeable or problematic at first. For instance, Chihuahua ears are preferred to be erect and naturally cropped. However, some dogs present at maturity with one ear erect and one floppy. This is thought to be a result of simple genetic mutation caused by breeding practices.