We have a 17month old Westie (Bentley) who is KC registered, full history is available and checkable, and would like to put him out to Stud, this would obviously be his and our first time.

How do we go about it ??????

OK guess, number 1 question why do you want to breed. There are few if any advantages and many possible problems so it is as well before you go any further to ask yourself why. If you then join the board you can tell us why and we will help all we can.

Putting a dog up for stud is not easy,heres some points to consider-
reputable breeders will only want to use your stud dog if-
1. he has had his eyes tested by a eye specialist
2. possibly his hips x-rayed and scored for dysplasia (im not sure of the excact situation with westies but you will need to find out!)
3. he is a good example of his breed (usually proven by showing him)with good confirmation and free from defects such as over or undershot jaw,poor quality feet.poor coat ect...
4. he has a very good pedigree and is KC reg
other points to consider are-
are you prepared for him to become over sexed? snappy ,dominant
are you prepared to take in un wanted off spring sometimes tear away 9 month old dogs.
Are you experianced in handling a stud dog and assisting him in his duty(most need hands on help)
are you capable of acessing a bitches quality and spotting defects
are you capable of understanding pedigrees and ensuring the breeding matches and you are not breeding in undesirable traits.
if this hasnt put you off may i suggest you join the breed club and go along to some shows and meet other breeders many of which will be happy to stear you in the right direction
please register and maybe we can help you with any questions you may have!
:)

>>How do you go about it<<<

Well to begin with got to ring craft and get your dog ready for the show ring. Then get out to shows.  Eyes tested also.   Most Good breeder will be joining the new KC breeders scheme so I would imagine you will need your dogs DNA done also.

Right supposing you get some success in the ring, and the breeder is happy with the quality and what your dog would bring to the breed you then have to think about how often you would put him to stud , IF THERE was a demand for him, think about how they will change as they can change in temprement, they tend to cock their leg , mark territory in the house, become more dominent.

To round it all up and to save yourself sometime you have to ask what your dog could bring that the top Westies in the UK can't.  You can take your bitch to most top winning dogs for a few hundred pounds.  This few hundred pounds, gives you a experinced stud dog, experienced stud handler,  a excellent example of the breed. Health and line history all with the evidence to back it all up.

Now unless you can match all of the above can you see a queue of breeders at your door? Not genuine good breeders..

Not meant to be personal at all guest but week in week out people as how they make their dogs stud.. it is best forgotten unless you want to put all the work in.

Good luck..

OR.....here is an alternative.....incase guest DOES NOT wish to get involved with dog shows, in common with many other dog owners.............guest can have all the relevant health tests done and stud their dog WITHOUT going to dog shows. of course if they DO want to go to dogshows then thats fine, but the point should be made that they dont HAVE to in order to be able to use their dog at stud. :-)

>>>User: fluffypups

OR.....here is an alternative.....incase guest DOES NOT wish to get
involved with dog shows, in common with many other dog
owners.............guest can have all the relevant health tests done and stud their dog
WITHOUT going to dog shows. of course if they DO want to go to dogshows
then thats fine, but the point should be made that they dont HAVE to in
order to be able to use their dog at stud. :-) <<<<

HMmmmmmm,  now Fluffypups like "showing without health tests " , "health tests without showing" are not enough unless of course it is going to be a working dog and then it would be measured against the criteria for working. 

Maybe you could give the visitor an option other than showing how they can measure if their dog is actually good enough to breed from if you think they do not need to show.

For example I am not sure what breed you are in Fluffypups but in westies Fluffypups is the very last thing you would want so how would the visitor know if his dogs conforms at all to the breed standard. 

Unless they have an experienced eye for example a very experinced breeder, or a successful exhibitor, perhaps a judge how could they measure this..???

Who is fluffypups when they are at home??

Hmm good question ;-)

I have the post in my inbox..   luckily I copied the whole thing over our you would all think I was mad.

Maybe it has disappeared LOL  , The board it very strange this week.

Pam

i am fluffypups, i dont breed westies but I do have experience of breeding working spaniels and collies and our dogs are bred from only when they have proven themselves worthy in the field, whether it be working sheep or as a rough shooting/picking up dog. The point I was trying to make is that dogs do not have to be shown to be worthy of breeding. I hold working trials/obedience/sheepdog trials etc in much higher regard than KC dog shows, simply because the dog has to prove it is useful in some capacity, not just looks. :-)