I have whittled down my stud choice for my girl next year but I have a bit of a quandry.  It's 2 half brothers that I am thinking of but my prefered choice is 7 yrs old and unproven.  His younger half sibling has (obviously) all of the linage that I like but there is just something about this dog that I'm not sure about.  I think I just really prefer his older brother as he is a superb dog, brilliant colour(and carrier) and just ticks all the boxes.  Should I try with the older one or do you think he's getting a bit old?  I'm telling myself that he would still be mating if he were a wild dog and he is a fit and active 7 and he is 'very willing' even when she is not in season!!haha.  I'm just a bit unsure as to whether he could still father a litter at his age and does it affect his sperm count, etc?

The KC gives average lifespan in our breed as 8yrs
We've just had a lovely healthy litter of 11 with a 7yr 8mth old stud who was still as fit as a butchers dog, so I doubt you will have anything to worry about.
Our stud however, was proven many times over. Maybe it would be worth her staying with him from when she actually starts her heat so they have a week or so to get to know one another. As you can tell I'm not a stud owner :-(

Good luck with it all

In one of my breeds I would go for longevity because of the high incidence of cancer in the breed in younger dogs.  One stud was last used at 10 years old...he was fit as a fiddle and still going strong - he had been used over the years since his younger days but many people in the breed were starting to look at using older dogs.

Well a dog I bred didn't sire his first litter until he was 6 1/2 and sired 5 litters of average size over the next 2 years.

If the bitch isn't getting on in age that missing starts to be critical I would go for the preferred dog.

My most successful litter so far was sired by a 7 year old dog, it was the first time for him. A bitch I have bred has recently been mated to a 12 year old dog -although he was used a few years ago, again though he will have been 7 or even 8 the first time. In my breed it's not unusual at all to use older dogs.

A dog that I bred wasn't used until almost this age and has had some wonderful pups. My Poppy is by him and I'm more than happy with what he has produced since his stud career started!

A friend used her (border collie) at nearly 11 years of age for the first time and he sired a full and healthy litter :-)  If he's the dog you want and they're happy for you to use him then go for it!

> unproven

I wouldn't particularly see the age as a big concern. But when I'm planning a mating, one thing I always like to do is to look at other puppies sired by the dog I have in mind. That's both in terms of type and health. As regards health issues, these days for example, you can use the KC health test finder to look at all the hip scores of the progeny of any dog. I don't know your breed or how much that facility is useful. Of course that's not possible with an unproven dog.

Someone has to use a dog for the first time. ;-) I had a very good litter sired by a 7 year old maiden dog. And if the bitch misses you've always got the other dog to try next season.

> Someone has to use a dog for the first time.

Yes of course they do. I have before now myself. But the quality of any dog's previous progeny is just something to take into account, even if we might decide it doesn't matter. Just one of the many choices we all make when planning a litter.

Cracar - would the older dog's owner be willing to have his sperm tested? If so, and the quality is still good, then I'm a fan of using healthy, older dogs :)

When making a decision like this would the owner of the potential stud dog not be prepared to do a fertility test on him? That way you would know if there are viable sperm swimming about ;-) I'm hoping to use an older dog next year and we are just waiting to take him for testing. If he has viable semen I may even discuss freezing some for future use.

The breeder of one of my dogs took her bitch to a dog who was by then aged 11--his lineage was outstanding and there are few like him left. He is still in good health aged 15 but no longer exerting himself at stud, bless him.

When making a decision like this would the owner of the potential stud dog not be prepared to do a fertility test on him?

Would a 7 year old dog really be able to have problems so soon? Could it be breed related according to longevity? In both my breeds a 7 year old would only be halfway through life, if that, so not old at all, just middle aged. (Just heard today from the owner of a BSD that they won the veteran stakes at Driffield -the dog is 14! :) )

<Would a 7 year old dog really be able to have problems so soon?>

Yes.  According to the reproduction seminar I went to earlier this year by one of the top repro vets in the country fertility does start to decline.  If he'd been recently proven then I wouldn't worry, but as he's totally unproven then it would be worth at least taking a preliminary look under a microscope so you don't end up wasting your time and hopes.

I haven't bred yet but my girl whom I'm looking at breeding has been in season and from a pure behaviour point of view the older dogs seem to be the ones who know whats going on!! It's older dogs we have been attractiing when walking, not the younger males, they come over be go back. Not that I'm walking her as usual,earlier and earlier times,lead etc.

I would be tempted to do sperm test though but follow your gut as if something is just niggling then listen to it. If it was a temperament test and something was niggling me about the suitability of dog and owner I would say so immediately and stop the rehome or rehome with more appropriate owners.  

My own dog is infertile. We only found out after trying to use him for the first time when he was 6 years old. He is now 9 and in the best of health apart from this. :-( There is no obvious reason for him being infertile and I have no idea how long he has been. This is why I want the stud dog checked out as he will be 10 when I want to use him.

I have heard of a stud dog becoming infertile at 3 years of age having sired a couple of litters (different breed to my own) so having the dog checked prior to mating is, in my opinion, a good thing to do. That way you will at least know if there is any viable semen. Whether the bitch then gets pregnant or not is not due to there being no semen, or lack of semen mobility as you will know prior to any mating.