I just wanted to canvas opinions... This is from the perspective of a potential puppy buyer, looking at different breeders' breeding practices...

And it's a large breed dog.

1) Those of you who breed, how many litters in a lifetime would you consider it ethical and responsible to take from a bitch?  (Assuming she is health-tested, healthy, enough time is left between litters, and the previous litter has not been massive or tiny in number - and there are no other exceptional circumstances for more or less litters.)   3?  4?  2??

2) How many years minimum would you leave between litters?  (Again, assuming they are not huge or tiny in number.) 

3) What min and max age for breeding the bitch would you consider ethical/responsible to aim for?  (I've heard min of 2 yrs and max of 4 yrs for first litter, and up to 8 yrs(?) for subsequent litters.)

Thanks

I'm not a breeder in the commercial sense, however personally I would not breed before 2.5 for my breed (medium gun) large breeds mature later so I would leave later, to aim for first litter by 3yrs.

Last litter no later than 8 in my opinion unless exceptional circumstances.

I like 2 years between litters, simply for a recovery and 'living life' perspective, my girl isn't a puppy factory, she's a living being :-) so I'd say a max of 3 litters, again this would depend on how she coped with each and how well she remained. My girl is on her second litter at 5 years old and it will be her last.

I've never had more than three litters so far, as that is what I have been able to comfortably fit in with my medium size breed between my preferred age breeding age.  Showing, another bitch having a litter etc.

Minimum 2 years, and of course KC normally cut off once they reach 8.  Mine have generally had their first litter between 2 1/2 and 3 years ande ahd their last at around 6 1/2.

I have had a litter from a bitch who whelped a few days over two years and one a month over 7.  the first had her third and last litter at 5 1/2 the other her first at almost 4.

Our breed club advises a first litter be3fore 5.

I am glad that the Kennel club has come down to no more than four litters, and I don't ay I may never breed a fou8rth litter if I felt I had good reason.  My bitches have averaged at just under 6 puppies per litter, range of 3 to 9 pups reared, most often 4 to 7.

Probably breed related I would say. Personally I have 2 litters from my large bitches, with usually 2 years in between -first litter I like to have before the age of 3 but minimum just over 2. I'd wonder why anyone would need four litters from the same bitch, if she hasn't produced anything really good in two litters will she ever? It's easier to understand in small breeds where you may only get 2 pups per litter. Can be hard to get what you want then! But also if all is done properly and the bitch produces really nice litters, I see no big problem with her having four. It just wouldn't be for me as I can't see the point in owning four pups from the same mother, even if all have different sires.

I have large breed and have never found any of my girls to be fully mature in body or brain at 2 years old although many do breed them at that age.  I took a second litter off of one of my girls at just over 6 yo and would never do that again.  The bigger dogs mature slower but age quite rapidly once they reach full maturity and I felt the second litter took far too much out of her even though she only had two medium size litters over 2 years apart.   

In my breed 7 years is cut off for breeding.  Just because there are minimum ages for breeding, maximum ages and maximum amount of litters permitted it doesn't mean you cant decide your own ethics.  Potentially I could breed my bitch every 12 mths from 22mths on for 4 consecutive litters but why would I unless I was only pumping out puppies to make money

Needs of the breed also are different.  Numerically large breeds a breeder only really needs to breed to keep own for themselves as there should be plenty to choose from others breeding to breed to later.

In a numerically small breed like my own if you only bred a litter when you wanted to keep one as there are too few bred (and too few good breeders) already for a  viable gene pool, things would be even worse.

In litters where I don't keep a puppy I plan to breed so it gives me something to come back on in future if they are bred on from by others, or dogs that can be used on future generations of my own.

That's great, thanks everyone, gives me points of comparison.

We have only ever bred for our next generation so as such, would only take 2 litters from any one bitch.   And obviously only one if a C.Section was involved.   I firmly believe that if you don't get what you want from 2 litters max. then you might as well move on.

I'd always leave 12 months (a season) between litters, and most of mine were 2 seasons in between because of our reason for breeding.   We didn't have many 'large' litters although we did have 2 of 9 (the second one was a disaster because of veterinary incompetence - long story - we sued after the loss of 5 of the 9).

I'd not take a first litter until after 2 seasons rather than age although I believe aged 4, for my breed at any rate, is too 'old' for a first litter.   I didn't breed from my girls after age 6 at which point they were retired and spayed.

Anything else is, to me, commercial/puppy farming.