Has anyone out there ever had a pup in a partnership?.
I have a really nice dog pup who I would like to keep but do not have the facilities to keep dogs in with my bitches. I have a lovely owner who would like him but am reluctant to let him go completely. I thought it would be nice to keep an interest in his show carreer. How do I go about cost sharing etc? anyone ever done it?

I have one dog in a 3-way partnership, but the circumstances were a bit unusual. He was returned to me, and rather than just rehome him I allowed him to go to people who had his litter brother. Because he was a rehome I insisted on my name being on his papers so that they couldn't breed from him without my say so. I have nothing to do with his upkeep, nor his vet bills. They understood this when they took him on. He is shown very rarely, but they didn't get him to show, and will not be used at stud.

In your case I think that you should get a contract made up by a solicitor. That way you both know exactly what is expected from either party. Verbal agreements can go wrong as you both may only hear what you want to hear :( So many people have fallen out because of this. In saying that there are many cases where it does work perfectly :) Make sure both parties understand from the beginning :D

I would say don't do it. Either sell the pup outright or keep it, I've known so many partnerships to end badly, there may be some that work but not in my experience. Also does this owner already show? If not 'pet' owners often don't raise, train and present your dog the way you'd want it to be, and he may not reach his full potential anyway.

The new owner does show and already has a pup of mine. They also live close to me and are really keen to show this pup. The lady is a judge as well though not in my breed and I like the way she keeps her dogs. I am thinking of just a partnership in name only and she will have the say over showing but all my pups carry endorsements and so she will not be able to breed unless i lift them anyway and she knows this. Being a dog pup the problem of overuse of a bitch is not an issue and she will need my signature to use the dog at stud so hopefully all is pretty well covered.
No final desission made yet but i'll keep you all posted. Thanks for your input, keep it coming!!