at what age do the kennel club state that a bitch may be bred from, I say it is 2yrs but my friend says the kennel club will register litters which have been bred from a bitch under this age.  Who is right?

The Kennel Club will register a litter from a bitch as long as she is over 12 months of age (and has had the endorsements removed). This is far too young for most breeds, especially larger breeds, to be bred from and you should be guided by your breed clubs Code of Ethics which normally state a minimum age. They know the breed the best and have the breeds welfare at heart.

Follow your breed club guidelines; the KC state that they will not register puppies if:


The dam has already whelped six litters, or
The dam has already reached the age of eight years at the date of whelping, or
The dam was under 12 months of age at the date of mating.

However this does happen as Breed Supplements show................

Personally I do not believe that a bitch of most breeds should be mated prior to two years of age......