Many moons ago when I was younger I remember a good breeder (an old guy) choosing to use healthy 'but older' stud dogs (from about the age of 8 upwards) over younger stud dogs, some folk thought this was comical at the time as the dogs he would choose were extremely grey around the face. He would always say if a dog is still in excellent health well into his old age then the older the better.

Just thought I would ask members on here, while heath testing is obviously important, would you agree 'The Test Of Time' is possibly the greatest heath test of all ....?

Also, was wondering what's the oldest members on here have had dogs live until, and how much of it do you think was down to diet or genetics ....?

The only reason for that belief would be if the older stud dog, over time, had produced a string of good offspring so the owner knew he was a good dog.   I would say that once I mated a young dog to an older bitch, her final litter, and the resulting puppies weren't outstanding in any sense of the word.   Whether that was just genetics, or the significant age difference, I don't know.   He did throw a really nice litter to the daughter of the original older bitch.

The test of time would point to longevity however.

Mine tended to live beyond the norm for their breed which I put down to their genes first and then rearing.   So I'd suggest it's six of one and half-dozen of the other!    Conversely, I did know of one bloodline in my main breed who developed cancer far too often, meaning their life-span wasn't good.

So I'd suggest it's six of one and half-dozen of the other!    Conversely, I did know of one bloodline in my main breed who developed cancer far too often, meaning their life-span wasn't good.

I agree with your post M.B. and as you suggest, if its happening far too often, sadly that's not good news.

I would agree that using a more senior stud dog rather than a young one can be an excellent idea, as longevity is definitely something that has a genetic component. Male fertility tends to decrease in old age, so a stud dog of 10+ should perhaps be fertility tested if he hasn't been (successfully) used recently.
I've known related dogs (some of them my own, some owned by others, so not all having the same diet and lifestyle) live to be 15 and 16, where the average lifespan for the breed is 12 years 6 months, so it would seem that line has a predisposition for long life.

Research shows that older stud dogs will pass on longer telomeres to their offspring - in other words, their offspring will inherit that longevity. 

And of course you also know the older stud is free of diseases that might commonly afflict the breed at a younger age.

The only down side is that sperm quality does deteriorate as a dog gets older, on average.

I would generally use a young male on an older bitch, and use an older dog on a young bitch for those reasons, as well as the usual proving young dogs with experienced partners.

Also in my breed often males don't get used until older  so that there is a generation between them and potential mates as their bitches that are their peers may often be too c loosely related.

My almost 1 year old champion bitch is the result of a half sibling mating on the bitch side at the time of the mating the common dam of the two was a healthy 9 year old champion with three litters and healthy grandchildren under her belt.

My mother always said find a dog you like then use his father is possible

> My almost 1 year old champion bitch is the result of a half sibling mating on the bitch side at the time of the mating the common dam of the two was a healthy 9 year old champion with three litters and healthy grandchildren under her belt.

Oops that should be almost 11 year old champion bitch.  Her mother at the time was a mature 5 year old on her second litter, and the Sire was a first time Dad in his second year.  Their sires were imports from different continents.

>My mother always said find a dog you like then use his father is possible

Absolutely. There's an old saying "If you like the lad, consider his dad".

Totally agree - provided the sire of the good stock is reachable, and in good health, I'd always use the sire of the good son.

I would generally use a young male on an older bitch, and use an older dog on a young bitch for those reasons, as well as the usual proving young dogs with experienced partners.

I agree Barbara, using at least one 'older' mating partner is a safer way to try and improve health for future generations.

I agree with all the posters on here that using an older dog is far more likely to promote/boost better health in their offspring, or words to that effect.