We have a DOG who is just CRACKING!!! I think he is the BEST DOG ever!!! He is very healthy and hasnt a health problem at all so far. Has such a friendly upbeat personality that it almost gets him in trouble when out on walks... cause he will approch ANY dog and try and get them to play and is often attacked in some cases and still continues to approch strange dogs etc regardless of all of this!!!

He does agility, well learning!, and is FAB at this, fast & keen and often vocal when watching! LOL. He was bought from working lines so this has shown in his work drive. BUT regardless of these WORKING LINES he is QUIET & LAIDBACK INDOORS!!! AND so MAD when working... hes a cracking pet/worker. Perfect dog really?!? LOL.

My main question is is that we are considering studing him out so that he can pass on these working drive/lines. He is SUCH  a preety boy, brown and white with a black mouth. Obviously he isnt YET prooven. My main question is is that if he was studed out what should we be looking for in the bitch, apart from her hopefully being a worker etc herself? He is 17 months old now... I would obviously love him to become a dog who produces driven agility dogs... i can dream heh? lol. Any advice on studing out dogs etc please advise. thank you.

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You may find this thread interesting reading:

Should I offer my dog at Stud?

hiya - well i think we all think our dogs are the best thing EVER!!!

my advice would be, get all the relevant health tests for your breed done, before thinking about using him as stud.
i compete in agility with all 6 of mine, when i choose to breed i go for a dog with lines that i think compliment my girl, all health tests done up to date, AND has the temperament and working ability that i like. im VERY picky about what dog i would use, and i talk to people at shows and find out the flaws in lines etc etc.

I have used the same dog twice now as he is just all round what im looking for.

im sure once you are competing, and doing well, and he is getting known, people will enquire about him

Is this your dog that was frightened outdoors last July ?

If people want to breed from their bitches to produce agility dogs they will look for a dog who has done well in agaility himself & produced similar to himself. So you need to get him trained & into agility competitions, do well & wait for the bitch owners to come to you

Some articles you might find informative here..

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/breeding/stud.html

http://www.pedigreedogs.co.uk/k9bytes/the_stud_dog.htm

http://www.learntobreed.com/

It's not up to the dog owner to look for bitches, it's up to the bitch owners to look for suitable stud dogs. As a bitch owner I start looking about 2 years in advance, making sure I find the very best and most suitable -and I'm afraid I would not really consider dogs advertised as for stud. I'd wonder why they had to be advertised. Good dogs don't need to be advertised, they are seen out and about at shows/different working competitions, and that's how they are show cased.

lots of people think that they have the best dog ever, just because you think your dog is great doesnt mean other people will and at the end of the day no dog is perfect

Once you've worked him successfully people will start to ask about stud work. Then you need to pick a bitch who is also successful. Of course they both need to pass their temperament and health checks. :-)

There are many things to be taken in to consideration before making this decision, so read on before making your mind up.

One of the most important things to consider is what impact will your dog being bred from have on the breed. It may seem allowing him just one litter will not have much effect, but multiply this by many such litters and it has a huge impact.

It is generally accepted that there are more dogs bred than there are good homes available for, and those bred irresponsibly, accidentally or casually and then not homed to really committed owners, with breeders not willing to take lifelong responsibility are more likely to end up swelling the ranks of rescue dogs, many of whom end up being put to sleep each year.

So bearing in mind the above the only reason any dog or bitch should be used for breeding is to improve and maintain the quality and typical traits of a breed, and to provide dogs needed for some working purposes. There will be plenty left over from such litters to make non working/non show pets.

You can view the kennel clubs view on responsible breeding http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/breeding/ and the Kennel Clubs general code of ethics http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/288 (note particularly points 6 and 7 regarding responsibilities to the breed and ongoing responsibility to puppies). All those who use KC services are expected to be bound by this code.

A Pet owner wanting a pedigree puppy will want to know that it is going to be like it's breed and be typical in looks and character traits. Those seeking working dogs will want to see the parents have outstanding working records.

They will also want and deserve to have a dog with the odds heavily stacked in favour of avoiding hereditary health issues some of which can be tested for by DNA, many other problems only have a test for the affected/non affected status of the parents, but not identify carriers, and still others can only be avoided by careful pedigree research, which requires a deep knowledge of the parents ancestors.

This following article describes what a good breeder/stud dog owner should be, and how the other kind can be identified http://www.dogplay.com/GettingDog/breedercomparison.htm

Those who breed poor and unhealthy specimens and who fail to carry out health screening have been taken to court and found to be responsible for dogs developing health issues, and those who advertise a litter of pups can be prosecuted by Trading Standards for any misleading information, such as quality of the dogs, breed etc, as the Trades Descriptions Act covers dogs in the same way as it does washing machines. With buyers paying not inconsiderable sums for pups many are quick to follow the legal, route, especially the small claims court which costs them little.

Before you offer your dog at stud you will first need to identify whether or not he is actually a good candidate for this job. Dogs should be bred for one main reason, which is to improve the breed.

To do this you should compare him against the Kennel Club breed standard and others of his breed and have him independently evaluated against his peers. This is usually done by showing him, and/or where appropriate working him.

This is where reputable breeders will be looking for potential stud dogs, also advertising through breed club publications and breeder websites . They will be looking at the dogs themselves, their health status and the offspring of the proven ones to see if they will fit into their bitches bloodlines.

There is information on showing and many Working Activities on the Kennel Club website http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/activities/index.html, and also useful tips and lists of shows here http://www.prodogs.co.uk/

Joining your breeds National breed club will also give you access to events run for the breed including Working tests and shows. Also a valuable source for research are club publications, and it is often possible to purchase back issues, which will help you research ancestors and see how bloodlines have developed.

The Kennel club has a list of clubs on the breed standard page for each breed http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/435 .

This is an article about stud dogs on the Kennel Club website http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/1016.

When your dog is with a bitch that is in season you will find his natural instinct will take over. He will become less interested in you or what you have to say as his thoughts will be focused on the bitch. The scent of the bitch will take over his senses but it will not alter his temperament, though in some cases it can make him less sociable with other male dogs.

He will of course be more aware of bitches, but on the other hand most experienced stud dogs do not pester bitches that are about to or have recently come out of season, and will show only cursory interest in a bitch until she is absolutely ready for mating, usually no more than a four or five day period during her 3 week or more season.

You should check primarily with your breed club or veterinary surgeon to find out which are the common inherited health conditions for your dog breed , and find out the tests available (if any) for these conditions (though many GP Vets have little knowledge of the tests needed and available as breeding is not their area of expertise).

The Kennel Club on their website have details of many of the conditions and screening tests which can be found here http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/477. Both the sire and dam should be tested for any of these conditions. These tests can be quite expensive and not all vets are able to perform them.  Some other links regarding health testing: The British Veterinary Association: http://www.bva.co.uk/public/chs/ The Animal Health Trust research: http://www.aht.org.uk/genetics_tests.html

You will probably find that most responsible owners of bitches will not consider your stud dogs services unless you have evidence of all the appropriate testing for your dog breed. This should also be the case for the owner of the stud dog, as you should not want to allow use of your stud dog on a bitch who has not had the appropriate tests done also.

You do not need a licence to use your dog as a stud but if he is a purebred he will need to be registered with the Kennel Club. You will also need to check for any endorsements on his registration papers which may prevent you from using him to breed from. In turn the same should apply to the bitch and you will need to check her paperwork before you agree to the mating.

You should also have on hand your own dogs, and examine the bitches Hip Score certificate (all breeds and non breeds can suffer Hip Dysplasia so should be hip scored), eye test certificate if applicable (the list of breeds and conditions known to be inherited by them are listed here http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/311), and any other health scheme certification appropriate for the breed (your breed club, and the kennel club can advise, some of the schemes are detailed here http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/308 )

After mating the bitch owner should pay the stud fee.

The stud owner should provide a receipt for the stud service and detail in writing the terms of any free return should there be no pups, for example only the same bitch or another suitable bitch from the same owner. What would happen if the dog becomes unavailable or proves/becomes infertile etc.

Stud owner should sign and complete the details on the KC Form I (litter registration form) confirming the mating.

An accurate signed pedigree form for the stud should be provided, and also copies of health certificates for the stud.

Other References
http://www.pedigreedogs.co.uk/k9bytes/the_stud_dog.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_reproduction#Copulation

The Kennel Club: http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/

ok so you need to get him health tested, &  look at his lines (even if he passes all his tests) what is in his lines that can throw up a prob? is there anything there you wouldnt want to double up on?

If you have him health tested you would then only want to use tested bitches on him. You should only allow bitches that compliment his lines & type, If you want him known for producing high drive off spring then you are going to only accept the same in the girls.

Usually The girls owners approach the boys owners, but there are places to advertise stud dogs, on sites like this & on sites like Agility net & in the Agility Press.

Im sure once he does prove himself, he will have the ladies queing up!

Brilliant reply with excellent links too. 

Another point, also remember your dog is so brilliant because of it's parentage which if it does well, will be sought out by others with good quality bitches.

If you go looking for a bitch of the same breed to mate him with, it will not necessarily mean that you will get pups/dogs of the same character they may well take after the bitch or other ancestors, not your dog.

If you want a dog of similar quality then your breeder already has the answer and anyone wanting a good agility/working dog can also go to them via your recommendation. :-)

Unless you are very sure of a bitches line and qualities you may very well not be doing well by the breed in mating them.