hi all i recieved a phone call yesterday from a lady who is looking for a stud for her cav (stunning girl!) she was wondering about using my jack......well he is only 9 months old and i wasnt sure that he had the equipment to do the deed! however he is getting lots of practice and will try to mount females during play etc...the lady asked me if his testicals had dropped! to which i said i wasnt sure as i didnt no how they looked before!! anyway after a rather interesting conversation i told her she may be better off finding a proven stud but it got me wondering about jack how do you know when they are old enough? i dont want to be in a situation of unplanned whelp....

Hi bettyboop!
9 months is to young I should wait until he is at least 14 months but in addition to that he will need to be heart checked and eye tested and any other tests which his breed may require.
You would also need to make sure his pedigree complements the bitch he is serving and that he is a good example of the breed.
Another consideration is that it may change him being used at stud and he may delelope undesirable randy tendancies.
But do be cautious if you have a bitch in the house he may already be capable of performing the deed!

Hi Bettyboop (and Kate) Taking the last line of Kates reply first - he almost certainly IS capable of mating a bitch now, so if he is getting lots of procatice be meticulous about checking for seasons. Assuming you have now discovered that he has 2 normal testicles, and all health checks are done (especially heart) and parents are heart tested, you can consider using him at stud in the future. We like to get dogs first matings around 12 months of age - especially with a breed like a cavalier, who can be a bit wimpish. But do remember that it can change his whole attitude to life (note, Can not necessarily Will). He may territory mark, be more edgy with other males, and once he has learned the technique you will have to be even more vigilent if he lives with bitches.

Before being approached about this had you considered using im at stud? Is he your pet? How well do you know the bitches owner, what are her reasons for wanting to breed, are you sure the pups will be well reared and thought will go into homing them? As the studs owner, you are morally half responsible for the welfare of the resulting pups. Dont want to sound like a wet blanket, but there are an awful lot of Cavaliers out there - would you be adding something to the gene pool with your boy?
bye
Gwen

hi, not sure how to answer really i try ma best tho! i didnt get my dogs for breeding purposes....it just sorta happened that way! after just rearing and homing my first litter and realising that im actually quite good at it! lots of people said i was a natural and couldnt believe it was my first litter...
i decided to keep a girl and bought another...so i started with 2 pets last year and now have 3 girls and jack whom i will breed, so yes its pretty safe to say i had considered it,although not as a stud for other people. the lady lives locally and i would say i know her fairly well (better than any of the people i sold my pups to) hope i answered your questions thanx for the good advice
emma x