hello this is my first post, so please forgive me if im abit slow. the main question i have is..... i have a 11month old blue staffy male who is still obviously growing but hes a very strong, credit to the breed. i keep getting members of the public asking me if i will consider studding him. im not 100% sure i want to do this, but my wife thinks theres nothing wrong with it as long as the people that purchase the puppies are nice owners. he is a full pedigree and has the right kc papers, hes only a pup in my eyes but i just wondered when the correct age according to the kc was to stud him? thanks for your time, i look forward to anyones comments.
james

See this Offering my dog at stud

The right time is when he has had all the health tests that needs doing (not just a vet check) and when he has proved himself by doing well at shows. :) There are far too many Staffies bred so only the very best should be used -it is the one and only breed where the KC has asked people to breed LESS as there aren't enough homes for all the existing ones, with every rescue centre full of them.

Hi James
Good for you to have the sense to come on a forum and ask for advice :) But I would seriously recommend that you just enjoy your lovely boy as a pet. There are far too many Staffs being bred and so many are homeless - please don't add to the problem

Hi James! Thank you for being one of the few staffy owners to ask questions before allowing their dog to be used at stud, rather than after the event. Unfortunately the staffy population has exploded in the past few years, and some people are now finding it impossible to even give puppies away, let alone sell them. Rescue centres are full to overflowing with them - Battersea says that more than 50% of the unwanted dogs they take are either staffies or staffy crosses.

As the owner of a stud dog has equal responsibility for the lives of the puppies as the bitch owner (it takes two to tango, after all!) unless you're prepared to home all his puppies yourself it's best not to allow him to father any at all.

Agree whole heartedly with the other posts, rescues are full to the brim with pedigree Staffies bought on a whim and tossed out just as quickly,there are even cases of Staffie puppies being pts as there's no space in rescue.
Just remember that as the owner of a stud you will have no say on who buys one of your boys puppies, if you did happen to go ahead and use him, as a responsible owner you would also need to have both him and the bitch tested for L-2 Hydroxyglutaric Acidurea and hereditary cataracts.
I know it must be tempting to breed from him when you clearly love him dearly but SBT's are in a terrible state with over breeding just now.

Agree with everything everyone else has said.
As someone who has worked with Stafford rescue both in the UK and overseas, I can only reiterate that there are far too many Staffords being bred willy nilly!
And you may or may not be aware that this is particularly the case with the blue Stafford.
Sadly people just trying to make a quick buck.
I'd very much recommend NOT to breed from your Stafford.  Bear in mind that the blue colour in a Stafford is actually a dilution of the black coat, which CAN in SOME cases cause skin problems.
edit: he IS only very young still, and bearing in mind that some Staffords take a good couple of years to mature both physically and mentally, 11 months of age to most would be too young.

Please just enjoy him for what he is. 

>>The right time is when he has had all the health tests that needs doing (not just a vet check)>>

yes tests for L2 hga, HC AND phpv/ppsc should be undertaken - plus valid comments already noted previously

not only are there too many being bred and in rescue, no one has said it may change his temperament?

This can happen in some male dogs, not all but some.

I would agree with the other posts and health test and wait until he is a bit more mature and see how many are for sale in your area just so you can see what you would be up against in helping home puppies.

James

Nice to see you are looking for advice and the advice given so far is very good advice.

Please just enjoy your boy as a pet and if you are looking to get another Staffie then there are plenty in rescue looking for homes :-)

http://www.savethestaffies.co.uk/

im not 100% sure i want to do this, but my wife thinks theres nothing wrong with it as long as the people that purchase the puppies are nice owners.

think about how you would go about policing the above statement

Yey...10 out of 10 for asking first(like others have said). Please take on board what is being said & we are all thinking of dogs welfare first whatever breed we have.

I can only agree with the other posts - please don't add to the problem this country has with unwanted SBT's.  I went to our local animal shelter yesterday, I would say 85% of the dogs there were Staffords.