What, if anything, would you charge in the following situation? I would appreciate your thoughts please :)
A proven dog has mated a bitch and only 2 live pups have been produced.
The average litter size for this breed is around 8 puppies.
The breeder incurred considerable expense due to the bitch needing a C-section.
A return is not a possibility.
Would you charge a whole stud fee, or a fraction/percentage of the fee or no fee at all?
Fire away :)

I'm a softie and if it was a friend I'd probably reduce the fee, BUT the dog has done his job, litter size is due to the bitch not the dog, and it's not yours or the dog's fault that the bitch needed a caesarian.

I personally have paid a full stud fee for a litter where I ended up with just one live pup.

What we have done when our dogs have been used at stud is to charge the stud fee on a pro rata basis on number of live puppies, 4 puppies or more full stud fee (cost of puppy) is payable, 3 puppies 3/4 stud fee payable 2 puppies 1/2 stud fee payable etc. No live puppies no stud fee. Having been on the other side I feel that this is a fair arrangement for both parties. We have on 2 occasions paid stud fees and had no puppies, including one where it appeared that the proven stud had become infertile at some point.
We have only recently had dogs that have been used at stud so we decided to charge the stud fee in the way that the breeder of the dog that we used in Sweden did as we found it fairer for all parties especially when an unproven dog is used for the first time.  

I wouldn't feel right charging a full stud fee if it was me, allthough I'd imagin alot would depend on how much the stud fee is and what the arrangement was. I know some stud owners cages a certain amount per live pup and some won't charge if one 1-2 are born.
If I was the bitches owner I would hope the stud fee would be reduced but I wouldn't expect or ask for it to be reduced as technically the stud held up his end of the bargain.

I've always said I want my stud fee if 3 or more puppies are born and then payment at a week old. No stud fee for 1-2 pups. Although in my breed my boy has only been used by friends.

I've always said I want my stud fee if 3 or more puppies are born and then payment at a week old. No stud fee for 1-2 pups.

I don't quite see this logic -could you explain your thinking here? If there are two pups, there's one for the breeder to keep and one to sell, so stud fee easily covered. Even if it was just one pup, it's equal to buying a dog in so you basically pay for your own pup. What would you do if you had a breed that regularly only had one or two puppies?

I suppose it's because I'm a soft touch and due to the cost of raising a litter that's my terms.Don't forget in Vallhunds there's only a handful of us that breed and as I said my boy has been used by friends. I had semen sent over to Finland a few years ago and because the breeder wanted a bitch and the only bitch died at birth (3 live boys) I let her use the rest of the straws for no stud fee, she had 2 bitches and a dog in next litter.

We just charge a handling fee in a situation like that - after all, matings often take up a lot of time and expertise.      In our breed it's about £150.

Jo

>The breeder incurred considerable expense due to the bitch needing a C-section.

Now I believe that expense belongs to the bitch owner, and not the dogs owner.  I have a breed that has an average of 2 puppies, and I charge £200 stud fee.  And it's a breed that really does a lot of farting around before they get down to business.  So, allowing for several visits, and me messing around on the floor for hours (and being far too old to get back up easily) I feel that folk get a lot from me for the fee.

Having said that, if I know people really well, I don't charge anyway.

I think the size of the stud free in the breed makes a difference, as you say for £200 your putting in a  lot of time and trouble.

In breeds where stud fees are the price of a puppy then a large stud fee for no pups is a bitter pill to swallow for the breeder.

It takes 4 pups in my breed to cover foreseeable expenses and  stud fee, (price of a puppy), and the average litter is 6 (in 21 litters I have averaged just under 6 pups reared), so if keeping a pup the breeder stands to be in same financial position as stud owner, but with potentially more responsibilities and more work.