preffered breeding age for bitches

[vicky payne]

I know all the technicalities in terms of ease of whelping, ease of conception, fertility etc but I would be interested in the thoughts of experienced breeders on the less measurable aspects... what is your preffered age for a bitch to have her first litter? If you have different breeds does this vary by breed, or by individual bitch? Do you find there are any performance changes (good or bad) after a bitch has produced a litter? How hard do you find it to get the bitch fit for work again mentally and physically (or again are they all very different)?

[Polmaise]

I have always believed that you get good pups from Young dogs!
Most breeds reach maturity in mind and body around 2 1/2 to 3 years,although I have only bred Labs /springers/terriers and Longdogs.
There are differences in nature of some bitches following a litter,I have had some that you need to take right back to heelwork!,and others that are neither up nor down.
As far as 'return to fitness'?. that also depends on how fit the bitch was prior to the whelp?> Younger bitches in general ,return to fitness quicker (imo)

[Springfield Pointers]

I prefer to have a bitch covered only after her second season. Return to fitness about a month after the last pups are gone. Generally the dogs are in good shape and get back their condition pretty fast.

[toxicshot]

The majority are fit before pregnancy and work/train during pregnancy , so they don’t actually need much to get there interest back, some with big litters 9-12+ etc tend to seek a chance to escape back to work training etc. Obviously physically it does take more out of some than others ,but mentally only had one bitch that took some readjustment after .Workwise I can’t recall any that forgot the basics of their training or hunting ability’s.

[Strathcraig]

A fella told me just the other day "if you have any questions about breeding look at nature" and a bitch would probably be mated at about a year or so. Probably any time after a year and a half won't do any harm. But some might disagree.

Cheers

[Ettinsmoor]

I like a bitch to be fully mature both physically and mentally so it will depend on the bitch but not before 2 years of age. When you are trying to juggle working and competing with your bitch it always ends up feeling like you have lots of balls up in the air all at once leaving you wondering if there is ever a "right" time. Age 2 or 3 is my preferred age for the first litter. I wouldn't leave it until 4. Having said that I know many bitches who have had a first litter at 4 and 5 with no problems.

I really think that a true working bitch will be back to work as soon as the pups are weaned. If they are fit before they have the pups not only will they whelp more easily but they will return to work almost immediately. I have had bitches of mine back out picking up when the pups are 7 weeks of age, not doing a full day, but half a day.

[Breezybrook]

I don't see the urgency to breed from my bitches, I would rather wait until all the training is complete and then get another season under their belt. I have a bitch that is 21 months old now, she has been placed 2nd in a trial so is fully trained, but I will not breed from her when she is two this spring as I will still be brushing up on training this spring/summer. She will do another season in the field then have a litter next year when she is three.
If I chose to have 4 litters as the KC permit (which I actually wouldn't) she would still only be 6 when the fourth litter was born. So there is plenty of time.
This way I find when you bring the dog back into work it doesn't really need "re-training" as it knows it's job fully.
I also think some bitches are not fully mature mentally at 2 yrs, so I prefer to wait.