Questions on breeding a queen?

I got to wondering today. I know that many breeders retire their queens & find them new homes....in some cases around 2-3 years of age.

At what age should the queen be before she is bred?
At what age is the queen "too old" to be bred?

I guess I know one Lab breeder that waits until the Lab is 2 years old & certified before breeding. They then breed her only once a year & always spay the Lab when she is 6 years old.

Now, are their any "certifications" to go through? (like Labs get OFAs, etc)

Thanks for answering my questions. This is just for my own curiosity.

Depends on the female - usually first breeding is 9-12 months old. My oldest breeding queen was 6-7 yrs old at her last litter - as long as they are healthy and you don't breed too much, you can get about 5 yrs of breeding.

I suppose that if you have the room to keep younger females and they are show quality (grand) then you can retire them earlier. Otherwise you have to breed a little longer.

Charlie's mom started calling at a very young age and she can handle 2 litters a year. I'm sure that she will be retired very soon and some female offspring will take her place.