Thinking of using your dog as a stud?
This year for some reason, we have been inundated with enquiries from no doubt well intentioned but novice owners asking if we would allow their pet dog to be mated to our girls. These enquiries have been from both owners of show bred cockers & the working strain.
We realise that for those owners outside of the world of showing or working dogs that their request is bona fide and for that reason, we thought we should address some of the issues.
The pitfalls involved in putting your dog at stud:
No matter how much an owner loves their dog it does not mean that he is:
- suitable to be used at stud (is he of sufficient quality, proven in the show ring or field & fully health tested)
- that he should be turned from a loving family pet into a stud dog based on an owners desire for him to procreate
Secondly, traditionally it is the owners of bitches who look for a suitable mate for their girl & not the owners of stud dogs touting for stud work for their boy which dictates the manner in which planned breeding's are undertaken.
When a breeder plans a breeding they are looking to improve on their lines or enhance their lines working ability. Therefore, one of the many factors they would consider is the potential stud dogs worth i.e. his merits and whether they would help a breeder achieve their objective. Therefore owners of pet dogs (males) will find that breeders are not usually interested in using privately owned 'pet' dogs for stud purposes, unless the dog has demonstrated his worth in the show ring or in the field.
Another factor to be considered is the dog's welfare. As a much loved pet he is not deprived of a fulfilling life by not being a stud dog, what he has never experienced he will never miss!
Once a dog has been allowed to mate a bitch he will generally want to repeat the task which for the reasons already mentioned is unlikely to occur. In addition to this, many boys who have been used at stud have a tendency to mark their territory inside the house (cocking legs on furniture/curtains/sofas etc.); could you live with this aspect to your dog's behaviour? They may also wander off the lead or attempt to escape the garden in search of in season bitches. Finally, some boys may become temperamental & aggressive towards other males (either at home or out on walks); once again could you live with this aspect to your dog's behaviour?
Ethics of using a dog at stud
As the owner of a stud dog you must be prepared to not only support the owners of bitches who have used your dog (give advice on all matters related to breeding, delivery and puppy care) but also to take some responsibility for the future health and welfare of the puppies your dog produces. If your dog is purely a pet, how knowledgeable are you in these matters? Do you have the experience and facilities available to help re-home one or more of your dog's offspring?
Health testing
Anyone contemplating breeding from their dog should ensure that the dog has passed all relevant health tests. These include: KC/BVA eye screening, OptiGen prcd-PRA DNA testing, Antagene FN DNA testing and KC/BVA hip-scoring. To breed from untested dogs is foolhardy as there is a great risk of producing affected puppies. This is clearly not good news for the pup concerned or his owners and MAY lead to a breeder and stud dog owner being sued by a new owner via the courts for damages (compensation).
Other information
In addition to being a knowledgeable stud dog owner, you also need to have a good working knowledge of pedigrees, health problems and hereditary conditions known to occur in the breed. As the owner of a stud dog, you must also take responsibility for any hereditary defects produced by your dog. Breeding dogs is not as simple as putting two dogs in a room and 9 weeks later finding a litter of pups in your kitchen!
Breeding's should be planned so that the resultant puppies have the best chance of living a long and healthy life and secondly ALL dogs used for breeding should be fully health tested. As the owner of a pet dog would you know what tests are required, if you do, has your dog been tested with good results and has any bitch coming to your dog been similarly tested? You should also know at what age a bitch should be mated and when she is too old to be mated.
The final point relates to the welfare of both the stud dog & the bitch. Contrary to popular belief, many males do not know how to mate a bitch! Stud dogs are trained from an early age, therefore using a pet dog at maturity is likely to be a stressful experience for all concerned with a high risk that either the dog or the bitch will be injured or greatly distressed in the process. There is also the risk of your dog being injured by a bitch that is not ready for mating, as the owner of a pet dog would you know whether a bitch was ready to be mated?
If you are offering your dog at stud to attempt to make a few pounds you should be asking your self whether that is the right reason to breed and whether the significant number of reasons why you shouldn't use your pet dog at stud are worth the money?
Likewise, if your breeding plans are aimed at adding a new pup to your own family then it would be kinder for your dog and for the welfare of the breed in general to purchase a puppy from your dog's breeder than to undertake breeding a litter yourself.