I have a 6yr old male and would really like some pups from him. In an ideal world I would like to keep 3 as other members of my family are also keen. He's is a fine example of the breed is KC registered and from strong trial stock. Can anyone advise me how I might best go about this? All the info I can find reates to breeding from a bitch. Would any breeders allow a dog to sire pups for payment and if so what is the likley cost? Any help with this would be appreciated.

Sorry to say that at 6 years old I would not do it and you may well find it hard to find the owner of a quality bitch who would work with you. If you are wanting a pup from the same gene pool as your boy then go back to his breeder who should be able to help you find a puppy with the same background as your dog.

There are a number of reasons to urge you not to do this.
He may not be able to mate a bitch.
His temperament may change.
He may start peeing in the house (marking)
He will need expensive health tests.
His offspring may be nothing like him.
You may not find a suitable bitch for him.
Responsible bitch owner will not allow.
No responsible owner will not put the life of their bitch at risk for you.

Only hope I can see is if you work your dog then someone who knows him and his abilities may wish to have a litter sired by him but even then the best way is to approach his breeder who may know of a puppy for you or even agree to use him but you may still find it changes him from a pet into a dog that has to be kennelled.

Hi! Before you go any further have a read of this very good post: "Should I offer my dog at stud?" which describes some of the responsibilities of using your dog at stud, even once.

You will need to have your boy hip-scored (at a cost of about £200) and eye-tested by specialists for the hereditary eye conditions that spaniels can suffer from. Any bitch he's used on would also need the same tests done. And, of course, you'll be morally responsible for the lifetime welfare of any of his offspring, whether they belong to you or not.

I've got the same breed and I'll tell you by experience that 'pet' dogs of this breed are 10 a penny.  I use a dog that has been worked on my (also worked) bitch.  They need to be proven in their field.  Also, I wouldn't consider a stud not health tested.  If any health issues crop up with those puppies, it falls on the breeders which means I am liable for vet fees so I wouldn't consider taking a chance. 

I had a stud dog once who had proven himself time and again in the show ring.  I had a handful of people wanting to use him but everytime they brought the bitch,he wouldn't mate.  He just wasn't interested at all.  Then, when he was 7 yrs old, he mated one of my bitches.  I was chuffed to bits as he was such a fabulous dog in all ways and I so wanted a 'clone' of him.  Turned out that he should never have mated!! The pups were nothing like him at all in either nature or looks. 
If you want a lovely pup like your boy, try looking for similar lines and if you bring him up the same as your dog(or even with your dog) he'll have the same nice nature and traits that you like.

There was an owner of a male in my breed sometime back who wanted to " rent a bitch" so he could have pups from his male,keep any bitches and sell any male pups,  he got quite riled when no one he had been in contact with on the breed specific forum would take him seriously, we all thought it was a wind up, he couldn't see why no one was going to let a novice have one of their bitches, he hadn't considered had anything happened to her how he was going to compensate her owner or any financial arrangements there needed to be either, he left the forum a few months later when he was getting no where.

I agree go back to your lads breeder and try and find a pup which shares members on his pedigree, in the long run cheaper than getting all the breed specific health tests done[puppy buyers are slowly getting more informed re health issues and will sue if they end up with a pup with a condition that could have been prevented] and raising a litter. Did you buy him as a breed prospect therefore not being sent home with a pet quality pup, has he got any endorsements on his registration?

I'd agree with the others.

If you want a dog like yours your best bet is to go back to his breeder or the breeder of his sire and book a puppy from a closely related dog or bitch mated to a compatible mate with similar traits, the experienced breeders are more likely to know what they are likely to produce from a given pairing.

It will actually cost you a lot less than health testing and proving your dog worthy to be considered by reputable bitch owners.

As a breeder and bitch owner I and others will be looking at studs who I have seen, know their health and show results and where appropriate their working performance and for the price of a stud fee can chose the best studs in the country or abroad, except in very rare breeds a dog that has neither worked or been shown is not going to attract bitch owners to use him no matter his quality as they won't know enough about him.

I think that one important thing you need to bear in mind is the  cost involved with having a litter for the bitches owner. As others have said without the relevent breed health tests in place and of good results you may well be left looking at using your lovely Lad on a not so good bitch. Owned by someone who has not got the breeding ethics you may look for if you were bying a pup.
The owner of the bitch may, like you just be thinking of having a litter in order to keep a pup "Like" hers. They may well not wish to spend money on expencive health tests and the costs of having a litter in time and energy not taking money into account are steep.
You would want to have a bitches owner fulfill all the points that YOU would look for in a good breeder if you were looking to go out and buy a new puppy, someone who would bring the pups up well, feed them properly, socialize them and keep them clean and happy. Someone who would make sure the pups went to great homes and not just sold to get them out of the house when at 5 weeks they become a real trial with poop and piddle everywhere and feeds 5 times a day.
What about the costs of an out of hours C-sect if this was needed? it could run into 100' of ££'s You would need to accept that as part of the deal you were responsible for helping with the costs. Feeding a bitch and pups is costly, what if she had just one pup born by C-sect and the bitches owner desided to keep it, you would be well out of pocket and with no pup. What if she had a lot of pups and new owners could not be found, would you accept responsibility for homing pups? Thinking to the future a good breeder would always re-home thier own pups if owners could not cope or had a change of circumstances....could or would you be prepared to do your share.
Puppies do not ask to be born in our society, we choose to breed them and so we need to accept full responsibility for them. We need to do them right from the day of conception through pregnancy, early weeks homing and keeping an eye on them for life. How would you feel if you later found out one of your boys babies was miss treated, became the centre of a cruelty case, bit a child badly or was left to wander the streets as a stray. All these things may seem unlikely but to many pups it is a fact of life.

Think long and hard about it. Better to source a great breeder who has similar lines to your boy, most of a dogs character is built by the owner (Though not all) and you would probably have the same traits in a new pup brought up in the same way even with an unrelated pup. The pup you kept may follow more in Mums character, or niether Mum or Dad, such is the way of breeding. I kept a pup from a litter I bred who was very antagonistic with her Mum to the point that we had to re-home her or live with our home seperated into different areas, I had another litter same Mother and kept a pup and she is 100% different in character and her and her Mum are great together.
There are no gaurentees in breeding.
Aileen

Unfortunately (for the OP), it doesn't work the way you are hoping it will...

It goes like this:  The bitch owner is the person who will rear the litter and raise the pups, and sell them.  Therefore - even if you want 3 of them - they are going to be concerned about selling the rest.  To maximise their chances of selling the rest and finding good homes, they will want to use the 'best' stud dog they have access to. 

By the 'best' stud dog, that means one which has completed all health tests - so that potential puppy buyers can have their concerns allayed - and a dog which has achieved something, in the show world or in the field.  Why would they use your dog, when they could just as easily pick another one which has had all health tests and has achievements which can be used to advertise a litter to prospective puppy owners?

It is a buyer's market and the bitch owner is the buyer. 

If your dog is a pet and kept in the house my biggest worry would be leg cocking.  I keep males at stud, and the biggest problem is stopping them marking in the house.

I was always taught in horses that if you like a stallion then use it's sire!  I'd be looking at the same or similar blood lines unless of course you want to be able to say you have father but they could still be like chalk and cheese!

>I was always taught in horses that if you like a stallion then use it's sire!

"If you like the lad, look at the dad"!

Think good and hard about what it is you like about your boy: then consider that no two puppies in a litter are identical, and that much of what you see in your dog is a product of his environment and his training.  Fatherhood doesn't guarantee that you'll get what you want

I know many relatives of my two younger dogs and I've spent many hours with them.  Some of the litter mates are like chalk and cheese, in looks and temperament.  Some of them look like the product of completely different parents!  However I also know uncles and nephews, grandparents and grandpups that look much closer than they are.  I also know that some sires seem to reproduce themselves quite well whilst others never add anything much at all - the trouble is that you wont know which until much later.

If I were you I'd be talking to the breeder of your dog or owners of other close relatives to find what you are looking for, but do remember that having a 'different' dog can be more interesting.  When I thought I wanted a similar dog to one of mine I chose to have a puppy from his sister.  I wanted to improve on some things and reduce others.  In that respect it worked perfectly but in so many ways uncle and nephew couldn't be more different - and what a joy that is.  I like to know they are related, and I can spot the similarities with mum and dad too, but the differences are far more interesting :)

Good luck with your search

I wanted to say a BIG thanks to all that have taken the time to offer their considerable knowledge and experience. I certainly came to the right place and I'm far wiser as a result! I have decided to contact my lads breeder and see if I can put my name down on some pups from a similar line. Keep up the good work!!

Good luck Jonr60, sure you will find a suitable pup and have years of pleasure with it.

Thank you for getting back to us, so often we don't hear back and especially if the answers are not what the Original poster had hoped for.

that's great news, a good decision for you and your lad :-)

So pleasing to get a very sensible decision from the replies you have received...Full Marks to you...

Congrats for taking on the info in the spirit that it was meant, so many lose their rag when we don't all agree with what they are planning.

Come back and let us know when your new family member arrives.