hi everyone,
ihave a handsome black cocker spaniel, excellent parentage
and would like to show him at any shows in the hope he may be spotted
as a breeding suitor.  he loves the girls,  has a great temperament.
can anyone tell me where i should be heading  ?
thank you vey much,
regards charles.

Firstly silly question but is he KC registered and changed into your ownership?  If the answer to both of these is yes then I would contact the Kennel Club and enquire about your nearest ringcraft classes, subscribe to either dogs world or even our dogs and enter a few shows. 

It is a great way to spend a day and you will meet lots of new friends

thank you for your swift reply.
i shall contact the kc as you suggest,
and yes, he is kc reg and dought from kc reg breeders as a puppy
by me...   in your experience would it be hard to find a suitor  ?
thank you , chaz.

Hi Chaz.

If you want to check out some shows, start with Open shows - here is a good website which lists a lot of them:

www.prodogs.co.uk/open%20shows/general_open_shows_2005.htm

Second, why do you want to breed from your dog?  If I was a bitch owner, this is what I'd want to know:

Has he been hip scored and eye tested and had all health checks necessary for the breed?

Is he a show champion? 

Because there are loads and loads and loads of stud cockers out there which are, and which I could use just as easily.  It would make it much more easy to sell the puppies if they are sired by a show champ, so as a bitch owner I'd be inclined to use one of those.

(BTW, that was just to give you an eg - cockers are not my breed.)

Hi chaz, yes it will be hard, because there are lots of things that must fall into place first. Once you begin showing, you need to then have a winner on your hands, because breeders have the choice of all the suitable dogs, so yours must have the edge somehow. However most importantly your dog must pass all the official health tests for Cocker Spaniels. Thses tests are conducted by the Kennel Club in partnership with the British Veterinary Association, so a vet check will not do.

So lots of hurdles and/or obsticles to overcome before you know whether he will be suitable as a stud dog. You are without doubt going about this in the correct way though. I wish you every success for the future. :)

It will also be useful for you to read the very first thread on the 'breeding' board. I know you intend to show, but the same principles apply to any potential stud dog.

Dawn R.

by the way the reason i'd like to breed is simply
so i could have one puppy...  :)
chaz.

chaz, if you do have a puppy from your boy, he might be nothing like him!  He may well take after the bitch's Grandmother who you wouldn't know is nice or nasty!  Breeding is more complicated that just mating a pedigree dog to a pedigree bitch.
The best way to get another pup like your boy is to go back to his breeder, and if they are knowlegable, they will pick you a similar puppy.

Another thought I had:

Why do you want to breed him?

I'm always curious when people say they want to stud their dogs out.  Bitch owners I can almost understand because they get the pleasure of having pups and bringing them up (and, for those wrongly motivated, selling them).  But stud dog owners don't get any of that. 

Also, the personality and character of dogs can change a lot once they've been used at stud.

In my honest opinion as an owner/breeder of Cocker Spaniels I wouldn't touch a stud dog purely based on the fact that he's a much loved pet, no one in their right mind would, not if they are serious about breeding.
I would be looking for a dog that had done well at Open Shows minimum and was an excellent example of the breed . Then there would be all the relevant health testing, Minimum KC/BVA eye test, (preferably Optigen) and hips, studying his pedigree to make sure there are no other health issues, has he got good teeth?
The MOST important thing you should be thinking about now is to get him out to some shows and have him assessed by some breed specialists, not about studding him.
If your breeder shows then they should be able to advise you. Also you need to check wether his KC Reg is endorsed "progeny not eligible for registration", there aren't many breeders who don't do this nowadays which would mean it would be up to your breeder to assess him and lift it if they see fit.

Again in all honesty the fact that you see "showing" him as a route to find "suitors" concerns me a little. Wouldn't you want him to do well worth and prove his excellence before thinking about suitors???

thanx for all those who replied to me and all the good advice.
i think i should have him seen by a breed specialist and go from there.
by the way he was sired by a crufts entrant though not winner.
thing is i have seen tons of cockers over the years,  this one is without
doubt different ,  though as u say i dont have any papers to show it.
chaz.

Exactly Chaz - you have to prove it, like you say.

Also - the fact that he was sired by a Crufts entrant doesn't mean very much.  To qualify for Crufts at a Champ show, all a dog has to do is come 1st, 2nd or 3rd in its class at a Champ show, ONCE in a year.  Then they qualify for the next Crufts.  There are many, many Champ shows each year around the country and, imo, it's not difficult to achieve this if you have a reasonably decent dog.  It doesn't mean you necessarily have an incredible dog worth breeding from. 

Another tip - it's very good that you plan to start showing, but when you do, don't tell people that you're looking for a bitch for your dog, because that's a bit of a no-no.  The way it works is the bitch owner ALWAYS approaches the dog owner and asks them for the use of their dog at stud.  Stud dog owners don't go round asking bitch owners if they like the look of their dog - it's just not done.  Just to help stop you making a faux pas!!

How do u subscribe to these mags? through my local newsagent

Enter a few local shows.  Ask the breeder what he thinks of him etc.  Have all the health scores done.  I must admit in my breed because they are so small I couldn't care less about whether they are shown or not, but would want them to have good health tests, have a wonderful temperament and to see him before hand and ensure that he was everything that the breed standard says he should.  I would accept a couple of small faults if his health tests and temperament were superb.

Good luck at the shows you could come quite addicted, but I wouldn't get too excited about him becoming a stud dog.  Enjoy him for the pet that he is and hopefully you may do well and have some fun.

Well, first of all, make sure hes an excellent example of the breed, in looks and temperment.He must also be fit and show no signs of fear nor shyness at ANYONE, for if you were going to show him, the judges would have to look and examine him closey.

Start out to a few local shows and fun dog shows as well, so you know alittle of what to expect before you go any higher up the latter.

Good luck!