I posted on here a week or so ago about my youngest not having a season at 16 months.

Just to follow on, what's the oldest anyones had a bitch come into season the first time?

Not my own bitch (who had her 1st season at 10 months), but her litter sister had her first at 18 months (Golden Retriever).

On her 2 year birthday :-)

Wow.....my latest prior to this one was 12 months but it looks like some can be really late!

Out of interest did both of these late seasoners regulate to "normal" times between seasons or did they always have longer than average gaps and were either mated and produced a litter?

My 12 month starter proved to be barren....

A friend of mine's Goldie was 22 months - she then had normal seasons, every 8/9 months and went on to have 2 litters with no problems

3 weeks short of 3 years old..................... went on to have a season a year later and had a healthy litter of 10. I have another bitch here, first season 22 months old, mated next season which was 13 months later, litter of 10.

My latest was just shy of 18 months but recently went on to have a good litter of 10.

I've known setters to go easily 12 - 18 months before a first season and one who was nearly 5. She was mated and had a lovely litter and had her second season some 18 months later. I will say the owner was beginning to think she was never going to have the first season and she is perfectly healthy.

Normal cycle, was never mated so don't know of fertility, assume it would have been normal...

23 months was my oldest, typically just a month after having the full works of tests - which of course came back normal ;) her season started

2 year old almost exactly.    

Two girls here have been quite late for their first season.  Both at 16 months, both have had long gaps between seasons, around 11 months.  Both have had averages size litters for the respective breed.  Our LM girl had a shorter periods after her first litter and this has slowly got longer, having waited over 8 months for her last season we decided to mate her as felt that she was returning to these extra longs periods.  Fingers crossed now for a litter.

Sorry to hijack but can those who bred from 'late bloomers' - say when you mated them? Is it still customary for these girls to wait for 3rd season or is that just to ensure a bitch is of suitable age?

I have only ever bred by age not number of seasons so most of mine are on at least their 3rd if not 4th or 5th season.

I would be very happy if I had bitches who didn't bother with seasons until 18 months old, (great fro showing) as long as they then came in regularly.

I would not want to breed from a bitch who had taken to 4 or 5 years to have more than one season as I would consider a first litter at 5 too old for a maiden bitch and would not want to potentially pass that trait onto offspring.

It's not unusual for mine to hold on til 17-19 months.

As Brainless, have gone on age not number of seasons, but wouldn't breed on a first season!  Age has come into it this time as she is currently 5, and if she goes back to 11 months between seasons then will be approaching 6 if we waited.  So have decided to mate now rather than wait, as it's not that having a litter at 6 is too problematic but if she misses then we've lost our chance as she would be into her seventh year.

Thanks guys.

I thought as much. I'm thinking, depending on the health and well being of a bitch, regularity of seasons after the 1st one and how many litters she had had, if i found myself in this situation, I may breed from a 6yr old but very unlikely from a 7 year old - in my breed. I have however, seen that some border collies tend to be a more long lived and generally healthier type and these could possibly be bred a little older? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

I think it's breed dependant and personal.

I personally have only bred from one bitch who had reached 7,  and that was only a month, but she was nearly four having her first litter, and the earliest a few days after she reached two.

Ideally I like to have litters at 2 1/2, 4ish, and 6, then spay after the last.  My breed is medium size (approx. 20kg adult bitch).