Do you know if your bitch is good enough for breeding?

Breeding from a bitch should not start until she is at least 2 years old, and she has had ALL the health checks done for her particular breed, i.e Hip and elbow scores done and certificated, Eye test certificate, heart test etc:
And of course that your bitch should be a fine example of her breed standards with no ill health. xx

Yeah, I know that...I should of worded it better. At what age do you know your bitch has potential?

This can be a very difficult question to answer. It doesn't follow that the best winning dog/bitch in the chosen field (whether work, agility, obedience, show, etc) is the best to breed from. Sometimes the litter brother/sister is the best choice. Really though, you should wait until it is mature enough to see how it ends up. A pup at 8 weeks that looks like it has real potential could look/act awful at 8 months, 18 months even. But at 2 1/2 years old could be a real cracker ;-) What is easier to see is if it is NOT a potential breeding animal. In breeds where markings are distinctive, or colour is important, these can be seen early on and the pup should not be chosen. If I'm looking at pups in the nest I tend to look at them between 6 and 8 weeks. Then pray! :-D I have a male in the house just now that I kept from a litter. He's a nice dog, but I really like one of his brothers. One that I rejected at 7 weeks ;-) That's life :-D :-D

Edited to add: How old is your bitch and do you do anything with her? ie do you show her, work her, or anything? If you do and she is doing well then I would go back to her breeder and ask for their opinion. Hopefully they won't be kennel blind and will be able to help you. ;-)

Ok, I take it that this is the 14 week old Westie that you are talking about? I know it's very difficult at the moment (been there, done it, got the t-shirt ;-) ) but just try to enjoy her puppyhood first :-) Once you learn how to show her, and get to a few shows, and see if the bug bites (not everyone enjoys showing - no idea why, though, it's fun ;-) ) you will start to get an eye for the dogs that keep winning. It will take time, but you will learn. Once you see what is winning you can then look at your own pup and see how she fits in. You will be able to see if she is any different to the other pups her own age. If she looks so different (too leggy, to tall, too small,etc) learn from it. Ask questions from other exhibitors. The more you ask, the more you learn :-) If you keep getting placed I would think you had a good 'un :-) Good luck, and have fun.

Thanks for your replies!
And don't worry, I'm not considering breeding anytime soon ;) At the moment I'm just considering all paths I could go down with her. If I'm honest, breeding would be last on my list! I'd much prefer to do showing or obedience..or even agility, but I think everyone at some point with their bitch wonders if she's good enough to breed from. I'd love to do it for the experience and of course to continue the lines, but that's not the reason I bought her. At the moment my decision on breeding is a no...but of course I don't know how she'll 'turn out' yet.

Thanks again!