Monzo

Should I stud my dog?

Allowing a dog to sire a litter is a big decision & needs a lot of thought about the responsibilities involved & the amount of knowledge needed.

The responsible owner of a potential stud dog must have in depth knowledge on a range of subjects including:

The owner must know what hereditary problems exist in the breed & which lines have produced problems in the past to be able to make an educated decision about whether their dog should be used at all & if so, which bitches he would suit. It is never just a case of letting any bitch mate any dog - this could lead to disaster!

The Bitch's Cycle. The stud dog owner must be able to advise novice bitch owners when to bring their bitch for mating as all bitches differ. The stud dog owner must know from just looking at a bitch whether she is receptive to mating or not - introducing a stud dog to a bitch who is not ready for mating could lead to the dog being injured as bitches may be aggressive to males if they are not ready. The stud dog owner must also be prepared to board an in season bitch for a few days or longer if she arrives before she is receptive to mating.

Mating Techniques. Contrary to popular belief, not all male dogs know instinctively what to do with an in season bitch - many need careful tutoring & the stud dog owner must know how to do this & how to assist a dog to achieve a successful mating. Some matings can be technically difficult for example if the dog & bitch vary in size too much or if the bitch is reluctant to stand still to be mated. Again, the stud dog owner needs to know what to do to achieve a good result without injury or distress being caused to either party.

Managing the Stud Dog. Once a dog is used at stud, it is not unusual for his personality to alter to some extent. Some have a tendency to mark their territory indoors (cocking legs on furniture etc) and may be more likely to wander off the lead in search of in season bitches. Once a dog has been allowed to mate one bitch, they will generally want others! Some may also become more aggressive to other male dogs (due to sexual competitiveness). The potential stud dog owner needs to decide whether they can cope with these possible behavioural changes.

Responsibility for Puppies. Once a dog has been used at stud, the owner cannot just take the money & forget about it. The stud dog owner must be prepared to give advice on rearing puppies to the bitch owner (if a first time breeder) & must also take responsibility for any hereditary defects produced by their dog. They are also morally responsible for helping with the rehoming of any of their dog's offspring should the need arise at any time. This responsibility also means the stud dog owner must vet bitch owners that contact them to ensure that the breeder is reputable (not a puppy farmer for instance!) & that the bitch is old enough to be mated (or not too old) & has passed all the recommended health tests (annual eye tests for example).

If after reading this, you feel you can undertake the responsibilities of offering your dog at stud, then you need to get him seen by reputable breeders. This means showing him (if a show-type dog) or competing at Field Trials / Working Trials (if a Working dog) If other breeders can see that he is an excellent example of the breed, then they may ask to use him at stud, but the key word is "may" - there are already a large number of experienced stud dogs in the country for the reputable breeder to choose from. It goes without saying that your dog should also have had the recommended health screening tests which means as an absolute minimum, he should be eye-tested annually and hip scored. There may be other health issues relating to your breed, so check with your breed club and carry out any further health checks that they recommend.

As you can see, owning a stud dog is not for the fainthearted - it's not an easy way to make some extra cash & is never just a case of putting together any dog with any bitch & leaving them to get on with it - doing this could cause one or both parties to be injured and could also result in pups with health or temperament problems. If you would like to offer your dog at stud simply because you would like another puppy with his personality & looks, then it would be easier to buy another puppy from your dog's breeder!

Considerations for Stud Dogs

   First, remember that it is extremely difficult to come up with a top
   quality stud dog that people want to use. After all, they will look
   around and pick out the best male they can find. So your dog has to be
   pretty impressive to be noticed in the competition.
  
   Your male should be in top condition. He should be certified clear of
   joint problems (and in many cases that means he has to be at least two
   years old). His eyes should be checked annually. He should be clear of
   any abnormalities common to his breed. No heart problems, no seizures,
   no thyroid problems, etc. He should be clear of brucellosis. His
   temperament should be good, and appropriate for his breed. If you have
   such a dog, you will need to get your dog well known. This generally
   involves showing your dog (in show, field, or obedience) and doing
   other work with him. An unproven dog (that has no previous puppies or
   only puppies too young to evaluate) will command a much lower stud dog
   fee than a proven dog (with a record of puppies to examine).
  
   You must be prepared to board the bitch. The common procedure is for
   the bitch to be shipped out to stud, so you will need facilities to
   board bitches in heat. These facilities should be adequate for up to a
   week of boarding and to prevent any mismating. You might wind up with
   more than one bitch at a time -- can you board them all safely?
  
   You must monitor the mating and be ready to intervene if necessary.
   Some breeds require intervention (such as Basset Hounds). Not all dogs
   or bitches understand what to do, especially if it is the first time
   for one or the other. It can be disastrous if two dogs are left alone
   to mate. Additionally, if the mating doesn't take, are you prepared to
   go through the whole thing again the next time the bitch comes into
   season? Typical contracts call for free repeat breeding in the case
   two or less puppies occur or the breeding doesn't take.
  
   You need to be able to evalate the bitch's pedigree for compatibility
   with your dog's. Any good points or bad points of the litter are
   (rightly or not) attributed to the sire, so your dog's reputation is
   at stake with each litter he sires. You should be reasonably confident
   that the proposed breeding will result in good puppies.
  
   If the owner of the bitch is a novice, are you prepared to assist with
   advice on whelping and puppy care? These people will expect you to
   have the answers. Sometimes entire litters of puppies are dumped on
   the stud dog owner when the bitch's owners can no longer cope with
   them because they didn't realize what a responsibility caring for a
   litter involved. Are you ready to take care of and place your dog's
   offspring if this should happen to you?
  
   Are you prepared to deal with cases where you are certain your dog is
   not the sire of the puppies but the bitch's owner insists that he is?
   Or if the owner of the bitch insists that you must have allowed a
   mismating to occur when she was boarded with you? Disputes of this
   sort can become very ugly very quickly.