I have an 18 month old Ridgeback and have just been approached about using him to breed.  I have never been involved in this area and only know that the usual agreement is either money or 'pick of litter'.  The people who have approached me have offered £150 stud fees which I must say I was surprised at when I paid £600 for Max.  I was expecting to be offered in the region of £500.  Am I wrong or am I being reasonable.  He has a very good pedigree with quite a lot of champions in his family tree.  I didn't buy him to make money from him, he is a much loved family pet, but I would like a companion for him.  If someone could give me any information I would be very grateful

Please read the first post on the breeding forum.

Has your boy had his hips scored and been independantly assessed as to his quality for breeding (either by unbiased breed experts or by judges at shows)?

Frankly flattering as it may be I would wonder at anyone that approched you with an unshown and un tried dog. 

A responsible breeder would be looking to mate theri bitch to tyhe best dogs available not to one found by chance or local.  I would be wondering at this persons motives for breeding. 

They ought to be for the betterment and maintenence of quality within the breed.

Do they show their bitch?  Has she been hip scored?  Will they and you take lifelong responsibility for the puppies?

In my won breed the usual arrangement is the price of a puppy.  If the dog is untried then the fee would be payable when the pups were born say when you signed the registration application form to confirm the mating

First, have a read of the first post on the Breeding forum of this site.

You'll need to check his registration papers (and the bitch's) to find out if either of them have endorsements. Both dog and bitch will need to have passed all the breed-relevant health checks for hereditary conditions (not a quick once-over by the vet), which certainly involves hip scoring (done by x-ray and the plates scored by the KC/BVA panel) - there may be other tests. He'll also need to be a good example of his breed, so he'll need to be independently assessed (likewise the bitch) - maybe his breeder will be able to help there if you haven't shown him.

You'll also need to be prepared for possible changes in his character and behaviour after he's been used at stud, even if only once. He could become male-aggressive; he could start urine marking indoors.

The usual stud fee for an unproven dog is generally very low, with maybe an additional payment when puppies are born - but without evidence that he sires good quality puppies (successful in the showring) then don't expect to get much money from it - £200 for a gamble like this would be pretty good; after all, there are some very successful stud dogs out there that they could use - I wonder why they want to use a pet dog?

A well-known genetic defect which occurs in the breed is the Dermoid Sinus. (Dermoid - arising from the skin, Sinus - a cavity or channel). Dermoid Sinuses are narrow tube-like structures, which are derived from a skin defect. They penetrate from the skin surface to varying depths downward into the muscles and towards the spinal cord. They are situated in the midline of the neck and croup, which is in front and behind the area occupied by the ridge

There is no test that can be done to see if a dog or bitch is a carrier & specializt advice is needed to check the dog & bitch pedigrees for carriers of DS, it is generally assumed that all RR are possible carriers unless test breedings with sufferers are done

What about if your dog contracts canine herpes or even carries it?

At 18 months old your RR is not even mature, tried or tested in any field.

Has a knowledgeable breeder/judge said that he is suitable to breed from?

If you want a companion for him and you like him so much, go back to the breeder who you got him from............