where i come from, my breed is few and far between. We met a gent with a bitch the sme age as our dog. They are both only babies and he has asked if he can have our boy as a stud later on. I dont know how i feel about this as i am completely new to it. What will my responsabilities be? How much say would i have over the pups, ie: rehoming etc. I dont think this is something we should take lightly and am trying to find out as much as i can so i can think about it properly. I know this is not for a long time but have been reading various posts and would like as much info as poss so i can have a really good think. Will it change my boy? If all you breeders out there could give me as much info as poss it would be great, thanks.

Hi Stann,

Firstly, (I have a hopeless memory - although I'm sure we've chatted before ;) ) where do you come from and what breed do you have?  Do you mean you live in a foreign country and/or that your breed is rare and registrations are in numerically low figures?

Secondly, have a very thorough read at the first post under the breeding section regarding using your dog at stud ;)  There is a lot of invaluable information on that post which, although not exhaustive, will immediately answer many of your questions.  Anything you'd like clarified further, myself and other members will be only too happy to discuss further with you when you've had the opportunity to absorb a very good thread first :)

Best wishes, Teri

Sorry Teri that wasnt very clear, The breed is not rare it's a beagle but you dont get very many in the westcountry at all. Both of us had to go on waiting lists and travel. I will read that one in a min. Thanks.

Beagles are actually a very popular breed in the showring and there are plenty about at West country shows, but they largely have responsible breeders so they breed for their needs not to supply a pet market so going on a waiting list whould be the norm :D

If the bitch owner is seriously interseted in breeding then she ought to do a lot more research.  Joining the local and National breed clubs for you both would be a good start.  Getting advise from both yoru breeders will also help as they ahve the background knowledge that neither of you have.  they will know the dogs in the pedigree, their faults and good points, to you they are jsut names.

Why don't you both find your local ringcraft class adn join and exhibit your pups to see how they compare against their rivals and to see if they develop into breding quality dogs.  Only about 1 in 10 pups is likely to be of this quality no matter how illustrious the parentage. :D

As Teri says this post deals well with the issues of studding your dog.
As regards to the responsibilities towards the puppies, yes, as someone equaly responsible for bringing them into the world you will be morally answerable for ensuring that they lead the life a dog should live in a home for life but at the same time you will have no say over how the bitch owner places the pups.  The solution to this dilemma is to allow you dog to be used in stud only to someone you know well or is known in the showing world to be a responsible breeder with the knowledge to vet home properly and the desire to place the pups with care.  Can you say that about this person you have just met?

Hi Stann

Think very carefully about using your dog at stud as you do not have any control over what goes on.  I have had a very bad experience recently and am not planning on using my boy again unless I know the people very well or maybe at some later time on one of my bitches.

This was my dalmatian not my beagle.  Just remember as well the poor old stud dog gets the blame for most things and very little credit for anything ;)

Karen

Karen

What was your experience?

Hi Blondiflops

It is a bit of a long story and although the people were lovely I was not happy about too numurous things to go into on a public forum.  I actually quistioned them long and hard about their motives for breeding and I think they were after the money rather than the pups welfare to put it in a nutshell!

Karen

If both dog and bitch are still babies, then neither you nor the bitch owner are going to be able to tell whether they will be suitable for breeding. Presumably the bitch owner is a novice too. Do remember that the local dog is not very likely to be the best match for a bitch. Also check your registration papers and any contract you signed when you bought your boy - there may be a clause saying you cannot breed from him (same with the bitch), so there may not even be a decision to make :)