Hi,

I am thinking for breeding my staff who is 2 1/2 and due in season shortly which will be her fourth I have a suitable stud dog who is 1 year old but I have concerned about if she as to have a large litter as I understand that the figure is higher in staffs having sections than most other breeds however she is the same build as her mum who had a litter of 5 without any problems, if she did need a section what complication would I expect and cost involved however I would not want to put my girls life in danger however I have spoke with other breeders who have said that the risks are very low.

The breeder who I had my girl from is on hand with any questions that I have and will be availble during the birth if I need her but she lives about 1 away so if there was any problems I may not have time to waite for her need to take everything in to considersation as my girl will be seaon sometime in the next few weeks and I have the stud and they are together 24/7

Comments from anybody who has experienced any problems however I have read a messagen on forum where somebody was looking for a surrogate mum for some staff puppies which upset me.

Many Thanks

Take it your dog is a suitable stud for the bitch and that they both have the health tests required by the breed clubs. If that is so I would arrange for the dog to be kept away from the bitch until she is ready for mating. If you leave him near her he will be exhausted before the time arrives, he is a novice and so it the bitch so I would enlist experienced help, is the bitches breeder experienced, or have they only had the one litter, if not I would seek help else where.

They are experienced breeders and have had many litters, I am in the process of getting eye test but both mother and father are both clear.

It is not that easy for me to keep them separated they both get on very well and this will be 2nd season with them and did not have any problems previously with any aggression which I thought I might have but that doesn't mean to say this time it will be plain sailing, however I am sure that as he now little bit older and now found out what it is used for things will be very different.

Thanks

A major problem with keeping dog and bitch together throughout the season is that it is possible for pups to be conceived at different matings, so you will not know when the due date will be, and you are likely to get some pups born prematurely. It is considered better to only mate them twice, three times at the most, with a clear day between matings.

Don't think you will have aggression problems but as he is not experienced he may be trying to mate her for at least 2 weeks before she is ready, can you not put him in kennels. Or may be his breeder will have him for a couple of weeks.

To answer one of your original questions - I have an SBT who had a litter of 7 with no difficulties.  Her dam had a litter of 4 and then a litter of 5, also with no difficulties.  However, every whelping is different, and only time will tell whether or not your girl is an "easy" whelper or not.

As to the stud question - as has already been stated, you should try to keep them apart, as if the stud ties with her over a long period of time (from first tie to last tie, I mean) the pups could be different ages in the womb, which could lead to some puppies being too underdeveloped to be born.  I know of an unscrupulous breeder of SBTs who has bred her bitch constantly from her first season (at 6 months) by just leaving the stud with her 24/7.  Each litter has been very large (at least 11) but of them more than half has died.  :(

If there is any way you could keep them seperate until she is ready to mate, it would probably be the best way.  You would also have to bear in mind that it's not unkown for a bitch to conceive after all signs of her season have disappeared!

Good luck!  :D

Hi Staffmad,
     This isn't meant anyway but nice :) Can I ask did you buy your dog with the idea of matching his pedigree to your bitches? and why do you think your 1 year old dog is the best possible match for your bitch. Rather than another dog? I assume you already know your bitches faults, and that your dog has the the same good points, plus the points your bitch lack ie ears?
     I ask because there are so many Stafford litters out there now, and I myself would be "dubious" of buying a pup from someone who owns both dog and bitch it would come across to me as "easy/lazy" breeding.
     I am not meaning to sound "nasty" by my question, ut they woudl be questions I would think at least a percentage of new owners would be thinking of asking.

Karen

Hi Staffmad
have you thought about the years to come if you allow the 2 to mate this time? If you allow them to mate your male will know all about it next season and may be desperate to have a 'repeat' performance.
Archer

To add to my post - I never realised you owned both dogs (guilty of skimming!) I had thought you were only keeping the dog on loan from his owner to use as a stud.

I would be wary of buying from someone who owned both parents - but there is no reason that it wouldn't be a cracking puppy.  I would imagine that some kennels own stud dogs that they put to their own bitches?  It would suggest to me that it's a case of most readily available as opposed to best, though, which is what the other posters are saying.  This isn't an attack, Staffmad, so please don't think it is.  It's just the way people think!

Sorry, this really isn't coming out the way I wanted it to, but I think the main thrust is there!

Hi Staffmad

i would really think twice about using your own dog.  my dog has been used twice at stud and at first it was fine, his temp has not changed (around other dogs it like he was before).  BUT my bitch is due in season in the next month and he knows it comeing and he is driveing me up the wall,  i have started seperating them now cos he has only been used a few times he does not know when the right time is from the smell (the more a dog i used the better they get at know WHEN to do it).  i am now starting to think about taken my little lad to see the VET ;).

please think about it before you dog drives you mad

Staffie lover, I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties but not surprised.  I do hope that you will continue to reply when folk post about buying a dog to mate to their bitch or mating their two dogs together!!
Hope he calms down! :p

hi Val i know what he was going to be like but i did not think it would start this soon (my bitch is not due in season for about 3 more weeks), i have the room and time to keep them apart (if i had not i would not of let him be used at stud).  the thing is i have 2 bitches and as long as they come in to season at the same time i will be find but if they dont then he is going up the vets,  i have what i wanted off him (a bitch pup) and i have no intention of using him on my own bitch, but would rather keep him intacked.
i would never recomend using a dog at stud that is to live with a bitch full time as its not far on the dog or the bitch

When looking for my 2nd dog we took some time making sure that he was suitable but yes it was the intention when we had our girl that we would have only one litter and then have her spayed I am in contact with her breeder and her pedigree lines are Arnham Bridge Buster so she is from a good pedigree equally is my dog and they both have plenty of champions in their pedigree both dogs have been breed for excellent temp and are both very nice looking dogs with different qualities so therefore hopefully when can improve, my girl is dark red of short stocky build with a very nice head, my dog is red/white and is slightly taller with nice bully head.

But I have been thinking of breeding for over 2 years and we do not intend to rush into this as my main concern is for the health of my girl but have spoke to many breeders who have advised that the problems are a small percentage but what made me concerned there was a message on forum looking for a surrogate mum for pups as the lady had lost her staff, I would be beside my self in anything happended to her I lost another staff about 12 months ago due to an illness and he was only 21/2 he was originally going to be the stud dog but due to medical issues this did not happen.

Comments please

Staffmad

Another spanner to be thrown in the works, I'm afraid!

Staffies are becoming increasingly more common, and it's becoming more difficult to sell the puppies.  I was lucky, I had secured definite homes for 4 of mine whilst they were still in the womb.  But a breeder I know is finding it very difficult to sell his litter.  These are lovely dogs, KC registered with great pedigrees and they're priced very reasonably, but he just can't seem to sell them.  It's not even as if people are coming to see the pups and then deciding against it, he's just getting no interest at all!

Hopefully this won't be the case with your puppies, but I thought that I should make you aware of the situation!

Good luck again  :D

Staffies always seem to be sought after - although maybe the new potential owners arent going to the right people ? :rolleyes:

Think that alot black brindle breeders are having problems shifting their dogs as the ere are so many of them about. We are getting more and more calls for reds and pieds and have been told that the reds people have been to see are being quoted at £600-700 which I think is a disgrace as the colour is just a difference is the genetics. A black car shouldn't cost any less or more than a white car if they have exactly the same feautures.

Hi

Thanks for your comments both my dogs are red and red/white  and throughout the pedigree they are all red and red/white so they should be mostly of the above but appreciate we could have some brindle however we are only looking for 375.00 to 400.00 as I am not in it for the money like some litters that we looked at they were not even KC registered which they were being advertised but when we actually went to view they were not and some prices have been as much as £500.00 with no eye test and mother or or father was not even available to look at, one lot of puppies that we looked at the dog that they showed me that was the mum you could tell that she was not as she was in very good condition with no saggyness underneath and these puppies were only 4 weeks old.  We also want to make sure that they go to the right home, we were vetted by our breeder and even needed to take our children so that they could what they would be like with the pups.

Many thanks

Staffmad

thought i would say as both yours are re/red and white you should only get red/ red white its when you have a brindle that you get all colours

i know this as a friend of mine let her dog be used at stud he is red pied and the bitch was red and white and she had all brindle pup's so she done a lot of work on the gens side and found out that 2 reds/whites will only have that
and as you can guess her dog was not the father

Hello Staffmad

You seem to have done your homework and from revious posts you've made a "stafford" lover too Good luck with your litter I hope everything goes well for you.

Karen

It's reds that my breeder friend has in his litter, too :)

Selling for £300.  Maybe it's in the North East of Scotland we're seeing this problem?