I would just like your opinions as to what age to start breeding from a bitch from.

Would you start on 2nd Season (irrelevant as to how old the bitch is) or wait till bitch has turned 2 then the first season after that??

This is just a general question!!

I would always be guided by the breed club, the largest consensus within a breed that you could possibly consult.

she has to atleast be two i breed when mine a 3 but thats just my personal preference as ive had better luck with the dog being a better mother at 3 then 2 but she has to be 2 any age before that she might not be matured physically or mentally to handle a whelping

Depends on the dog. They all mature at different rates, but generally speaking most are mature enough by the time they are THREE years old.  Don't rush into it too quickly - you need to know quite a lot about the dog before you breed from it. If it is still juvenile you can't judge how it will be as an adult so it shouldn't yet be bred from. Having said all of that, it is still a lottery; until you have bred a bitch you have absolutely NO idea of what she is likely to produce. Good luck!
Jane XX

what do people think that the maxiunm age is to have a first litter?

It will depend on your breed of dog, as suggested by Isablel go to your breed club for the official advice as it will vary greatly. :-)

Just wondered - why does the Kennel Club register pups from any bitch over the age of 1, when most people seem to say that this is far too young?

Because it can be argued that this is just old enough in some of the toy breeds where it is wisest to breed earlier when the bones are still pliable due to the fact that they often have whelping difficulties as the size of their pups is rather large relative to their adult size.

In some slightly larger toys or small breeds 18 months will be seen as a minimum age.

In breeds like mine two is considered quite early enough and in practice most bitches are more likely to be older nearer three.

In some large breeds two would be far too young, that is why it is best to see what the breed clubs codes of ethics advise as they are written by people with the breeds welfare at heart and intimate knowledge of the breed.

I agree.  The only reason I can think of is that some breeds of dogs are fully mature at this age and by their second season are viable for mating, others are still very immature and their bones and attitude are still not ready for pups. Which is why most people will say to breed from 2 years onwards. This is why the breed clubs are more accurate to gage the correct time to mate for any particular breed. Some will be from second season, others much longer. I truly do not understand why the KC will register from 12 months myself as for some dogs it really is not suitalbe. I think it is a case of it being easier to have one rule for all, rather than a seperate listing for each breed. Although not recommended at all a bitch could handle having pups at this age, which may be one of the reasons.

Well not long ago there was no minimum age and litters were registered at the kennel club from bitches under a year, and in large breeds to.

The minimum and Maximum ages, as well as the maximum number of litters (6) was set to cover all.

Breed clubs were asked to draw up individual codes of ethics.

In my breed no more than four litters are advised, in practice many bitches will have fewer litters, my own have had two or three. 

With a toy breeds that may only have one or two pups in a litter then more litters may be needed to ensure a quality pup to be used in the next generation.

On the other hand breeds with huge litters should perhaps have fewer litters.

It would be more sensible then if they had different ages for different breeds.  I see no reason why they can't do that.  Strange.

It would be quite hard administratively and could lead to situations of genuine error when breeders beleived their dogs were in one group or antohter re age.

Of course anyone breedign with some knowledge would know, and the ones who didn't woudl end up with unregisterable litters. 

These are probably the litters that were best never bred in the first place.

Ditto!!  :-)

So then what ages for different breeds.  No one has suggested a breed and the age that is allowed.
I own Weimaraners and the breed clubs state not before 2.

What about other breeds ?

Its just that I find this interesting as I often wonder why some toy breeders I know breed just after 1.

Rachel

Many breeds show their code on their web sites so if you are interested in any particular one you could check there.
For my breed clubs it is:-
Cocker Spaniels :- No bitch should be mated before her second season (unless her first season occurs after 12 months of age)
Dandie Dinmonts:-  No bitch should be mated before her second season and never before the age of sixteen months

Belgian Shepherds: Members will not breed from bitches either before the age of 2 years or the 3rd consecutive season, whichever is earlier

Bit confused by the wording there Do they mean if the 3rd season is say 18 months you can breed then?

That is how I interpreted the meaning.

Alaskan Malamute:

Bitches should not be mated before two years of age and not before the third season; and no later than her fifth year for the first time.

Norwegian ElkhoundsL

"All whelpings should be acceptable to the Kennel Club and it is recommended that bitches do not whelp after the age of eight years. Bitches should not be expected to whelp under 2 years of age nor on consecutive seasons. It is further recommended that a bitch's first litter should be whelped prior to the age of 5 years. No bitch should be expected to produce more than four litters."

My breed is 14 month and over as per the code of ethics. it matures very quickly. However that doesn't mean the should be bred at this age. This is just the Min.

Some people believe in our breed that they whelp easier. Some show them as youngsters have a litter then bring them back out to the ring.

what do you breed

i would be wondering what the age should be for a wolf hound because i was reading somwhere that therew life expectency is only 7 years does this mean they mature quicker and should be mated earlier does anyone here breed the wolf hound

Hi Slee,

The Wolf hounds life expectancy I don't believe is anything to do with maturity just that is is a huge breed and like most the bigger breeds they are their life expectancy is a lot lower than the smaller breeds.   I would think like most other large breeds also they are not mature until 2-3 years old. Some larger breeds don't mature till nearer 4.

I have WHWT but they live till 13-17 so the length of life has nothing to do with what age they are fully mature at.  :-) At 14 months most larger breeds would not be physically mature never mind mentally mature.

There is a very mixed view on the age to breed dogs I think in most breed groups. In mine it is very much divided and based on each others own experiences. The consensus seems that when under 2 they whelp easier as in physical troubles but are a little less mentally mature. Older bitches tend to be mentally maturer but seem to be out of the two age groups the ones with more phyisical whelping troubles IE Sections or inertia. To be honest my opinion hasn't been formed yet as I don't breed very often and have only had a few litters. This year I bought in a couple of puppies for showing rather than have a litter of puppies.

Hi slee, I don't breed wolfhounds but do have them. First off I think 7 is a bit pessimistic for longevity. If you look at Betty Murphy's survey, some kennels seem to do better than others in terms of longevity. The last wolfound we lost went at 13 and the oldest I know of an IW getting to is 161/2. Also many IWs don't seem to have an 'old age' stage and many of them go from being lively and healthy to terminal in a matter of weeks or even days.

I don't think anyone responsible would mate an IW before 2 years and most would leave it closer to 3 years. They just are not physically and metally mature enough before then.

i think its the same with any breed they are all given a life expectency but some live over the age of that expectency i remember where i saw it now it was on burkes backyard and they were road testing the irish wolfhound i dont know if you get that show over there but anyway i thought they were cute dogs i shaw as hell dont want to be in ones way when its running though i would be knocked of my feet for sure

Dalmatians shouldn't be mated before the age of 2 years, no matter how many seasons that involves. Personally I think 3 years is about right for a first litter because they are slow maturers mentally.