Hi - I have a 3.5 year old dog that I would like to put out to stud, but not entirely sure how I go about finding potential bitches in my area - Cardiff. If anyone reading this can point me in the right direction or is interested in joining forces please let me know. There should be a match.com for dogs!! thanks

Just seen the section on this website for Stud Dogs...doh! Any further advice would be really appreciated. thanks

Good breeders choose stud dogs for their bitches from those they admire having seen them at shows or working, and they will approach the stud dog owner.

Owners of successful dogs will also advertise their availability in breed club publications.

Having all the health clearances for the breed is essential.  This would include off the top of my head, DNA testing for prcd-PRA, and FN (hereditary Kidney disease), as well as hip scoring and eye testing.

Just in case you haven't read this :-

Should I offer my dog at stud?

Another question to be considered :-
Does using my dog at stud change his temperament?

And then of course the are Health Tests required before breeding.  These days there are more people willing to sue if things go wrong,  especially if a puppy needs expensive ongoing treatment, and the stud dog owner is just as responsible as the bitch owner  ;-)

In addition to the above, what are your reasons for wanting to offer your dog at stud?   What do you think makes him as good or better than any other dog which a bitch owner might consider?   What does he have, to offer the breed?   After all, it's the bitch owner who approaches the stud dog owner, not the other way around ;-)

Good breeders don't use the stud dog most local to them, good breeders travel however long it takes to the dog most suitable for their bitch. That could mean in the next town, the next county, the opposite end of the UK, or to another country altogether. Bitch owners have the choice of pretty much every stud dog in the world these days. Those looking for a stud dog as close to home as possible are in pretty much all the cases those wanting to breed for all the wrong reasons -such as they want to earn some money to go on holiday. That kind of person isn't likely to be the best person to bring up a litter of pups. They will cut corners.

Breeding is very, very expensive and very time consuming. It's a commitment for many years, because even if you just breed one single litter, you have responsibility for those pups for as long as they live, so for potentially 15 years. We have to be there to help and advice the puppy buyers at any stage of their dog's life. So a responsible breeder will pick the best dog, and our shop window is the show ring. That's were we spot the male dogs, start to research pedigrees and health test results etc, and may approach dog owners if we like what we find. It isn't really the done thing to advertise a dog at stud -unless it is in your breed club's magazine or yearbook, it tends to be those dogs that the good breeders would have no interest in that are advertised. You can advertise in any number of places (and yes there even is a site similar to match.com -one which a good breeder would NEVER consider visiting) and no doubt you will get replies -from bitch owners wanting a litter for fun, for money. Owners of the same breed, owners of a different breed altogether out to make a quick buck by producing designer crossbreeds, etc etc. Bitch owners that will sell their puppies to anyone who hands over the money, no questions asked.

Personally I could not sleep at night if I allowed any of my male dogs to mate a bitch from such an owner. I would forever worry about the puppies. The offspring of MY dog, my pet, my beloved family member. Are they in good homes? Are they taken care of? Have they ended up in rescue? Are they strays? Are they mistreated? Are they used as breeding machines in puppy farms? Used as bait for dog fighting? I just could not do it. Hence the ONLY time I would agree for a dog of mine to be used at stud would be if it is a bitch belonging to a fellow exhibitor (or somebody seriously working their dogs, for some breeds), a person I already know from within the breed or one that is recommended to me by somebody I trust, a person that I know will take the same great care as I do when breeding and above all selling a litter of pups.

Hi Charlotte

I can see that you don't know a lot about breeding but feel that you do need some advice.  :-)

I imagine that your boy is a very much loved pet.  You do need to know that once he has mated a bitch he will want more.  If he isn't used at stud he won't miss what he hasn't had.  But once they have mated a bitch they will want to distribute their scent to attract females. He will start marking in the house.  Cocking his leg on anything that takes his fancy. 

It's a big consideration, something that you  need to think long and hard about.

Jean

Depends on the breed, I've had a few ex studs and they were no different to the others.  & in some breeds only the very big kennels keep males. The other breeders sell their very nice males as pets.
Only using the studs from the influential kennels has resulted in genetic bottle necks and some very good healthy examples of their breeds sit in pet homes never used.

Clever breeders know what they are looking for in a dog & if you have a clear idea of your goal and know what you are doing it does not matter if it is shown or not.

I've even turned a well known breeder down because my pet they asked to use had a serious defect ( they'd have used him anyway) & another down because they were only interested in looks

I'd advise you charlotte to learn as much as you can about the breed ( reading older books on the breed as well as current fashion will give you a broader understanding ) join some breed specific forums where you can make connections. Have all the relevant health tests done
You may decide your dog does not have the correct qualities for a stud

This isn't the way you go about having your dog used.   Have you ever shown him - successfully?   If so, that's more likely to be the way you'd attract interest (much as if the sire of your dog is still alive, and available, people are more likely to go to him, on the basis of the quality of the puppies he's producing than to your unproven male).   

Yes you might advertise him on one of the many dubious websites for this, but rest assured, assuming he is just pet quality, that's the only sort of bitch you'll attract ....... pet to pet means more pet quality puppies.  Remembering that the owner of the stud dog is 50% responsible for what he produces.  Fact is only top quality animals should be bred from, for the sake of the breed and the owner's bloodlines.

And you do realise that once he's been allowed to mate, he'll be looking for the next one, who, unless he is a top quality successful dog, won't be there.

As for only using stud from the influential kennels resulting in genetic bottle necks - again the owner of the stud dog will/should choose who uses their dogs and people breeding the right way, will know if the gene pool is becoming too reduced, and choose their stud dogs with that in mind - or should!!   Showing isn't the be all and end all, but it helps weed out the wheat from the chaff.   Or again, should!!

ps    Over time, my studs were advertised 'to approved bitches only' - if they had to be advertised at all, and I probably turned away more enquiries than I accepted, because I only wanted my stud dogs associated with good bitches.

>Clever breeders know what they are looking for in a dog & if you have a clear idea of your goal and know what you are doing it does not matter if it is shown or not.<br />

That's correct, but they need to be aware of the dogs existence, which they won't be if it's never seen.

A breeder may know of lovely dogs of their own breeding they have put in pet homes, but these are unlikely to be useful to them, as anything they will have is likely to be closely related to it, and by the time they may have something compatible, the dog will be a mature or veteran maiden dog. 

With costly health testing to be performed, on the chance the dog will be fit to perform, and of course the owners five or 8 years down the line may have lost interest/ ties with the breeder.

Also I have found when keeping an eye on a potentially useful male pup, they so often get persuaded to castrate it!!

Unless you live close to the owners often you only have photos (and not particularly meaningful photos) of the pups you breed to go on.

Owners of a 2 year old male bred out of one of my bitches, by another breeder wanted to offer their dog at stud, and I was approached, but I have nothing I could use him on.  also no real assessment of him other than photos.  We have suggested they show him, at least at club events so that he could be 'seen'.  Ours is a numerically small bred, so if good enough could be useful, but they aren't prepared to do it.