I am looking for a stud for my two bitches close to home i live near middlesborough and cannot find a stud anywhere near home if anyone can help me please email me thanks
                                               Mrs Anderson
jennyali69@hotmail.com

It is rare that the most suitable stud is down the roas.  Location should not be even in your list of priorities.  I live in Bristol and am planning on travelling to Sunderland to visit a stud with one of my bitches, and I don't drive!!!

I assume that your bitch has been Hip Scored and has a good score in relation to the breed average.  Have you had your breeder or another reputable knowledgeable person assess your bitch to determine if she is of sufficient qualuty to be used for breeding.  If so please make a list of her Good points and not so good points.  With the help on a knowledgeable expereinced breder attend some shows and look at the males hard.  Make a list of those that are particularly good in the points your bitch is wekest in, and that they are not faulty in her good points so you don't loose them.

When you have a shortlist of males then look at their offspring, especially to bitches of similar breeding to your own.

Do you have in the region of £2000 spare cash for the costs of doing the health tests and rearing the litter properly?  I have just a medium breed and have not had huge litters but have found a litter cost as much as £1600.

If the aim of the litter is just to keep a puppy for yourself you would be far better to buy one, as that would cut out the risks and responsibilities for the rest of the pups lives of possibly a dozen other pups.  If you haven't done your homework properly you could have pups with problems and very unhappy new owners.

The Kenenl Club Website has 'Information guides' you can read, there is one on breeding, stud dogs etc.

Please join your breed club as the yearly publications will aslo be of help in your research.  I suggest buying about 10 years of back issues of their Annual Yearbooks/Journals etc.  These will probably give you a chance to trace some of the dogs in your bitches pedigrees and see years worth of breeders results and adverts showing progressive generations of a breeders stock.

I think Newfies should be heart tested too.