stud dogs

Question
Can I own a stud dog for breeding and how do they act when they breed.

Answer
Hi Mern

Researching Stud Dogs
If you cannot visit the prospective studs in person contact the stud dog's owners and ask for a video of him in a natural setting. You want to see him running around and from every angle. Photographs are second best, they can be very deceptive. Do your homework well in advance of the breeding. You will need months or even a year to gather all of the information you will need. Inform the stud owner about when you will need the stud. Do not wait until the bitch is in heat to contact potential stud owners. They don't like last minute breedings either and they will need time to receive information from you about your bitch.

Open, honest discussion is very important. Talk to each stud dog's owner about your bitch, her strengths and weaknesses. Ask the owner to tell you about the stud's strengths and weaknesses. Determine if he would be a good candidate for your bitch. Discuss both the bitch's and the stud's temperaments, habits, attitudes, etc. Determine what traits the stud puts on his offspring and what the offspring seem to get from the bitch. Is he dominant in any particular traits such as mask, angulation, bite, etc. Ask if the stud owner has kept any pups from the stud. If not, why not?

Determine Health and Soundness
Ask for copies of any tests that have been done. An absolute must is OFA certification for hips and elbows. Ask for a copy of his CERF EXAM sheet. Do not accept the CERF certificate as proof of having normal eyes. Also, request a copy of his thyroid test, preferably done by Michigan State University within the last year. Lesser, but still important considerations are the vWD and patella registrations. If the stud you are considering is not tested, ask the stud owner to have the tests done. Many will be willing to do the things that you request. If finances are a problem, offer to pay for the testing yourself and you can either deduct them from the stud fee, or if the tests are poor, consider it money well spent to avoid potential problems. I would much rather spend $200 now, than have an entire litter with problems later. Often the only test(s) that are missing are the least expensive like CERF, thyroid or vWD. Most stud owners that agree to test will pay for it themselves. It benefits them now and in the future to have a stud cleared of potential genetic defects. They can make wiser breeding decisions when armed with more knowledge. Have a brucellosis test done on the stud within ten days of breeding to your bitch. If he has serviced another bitch with a natural breeding just prior to breeding your bitch, then do it after that breeding. This is extremely important. Brucellosis is a serious venereal disease that causes abortions, still births and sterility, among other problems. It is also transmissible to humans and other mammals.
Temperament
Since most dogs are not formally temperament tested, you must determine this by other means. A Ch, CD, TDI, or CGC title is a big help. It generally indicates that the stud can be in close contact with people and other dogs without hurting anyone or getting nervous or scared. If you can't meet the stud in person, then go by his titles, or ask people that know him or have bred bitches to him what they think. A perfectly wonderful stud may not have any titles for a variety of reasons. First hand experience, and talking to others, is the best way to determine the temperament of any stud.
Relatives
Try to see as many relatives, especially offspring, of each potential stud as you can. Ask the stud owner for a list of owners of bitches that have had pups sired by the stud dog. Talk to the bitches owners and ask for their opinion of the offspring produced. Determine if he puts his good qualities on the offspring. Does he throw himself? Does he throw better than himself? Worse? If he produced well with one bitch and not another, look at the pedigrees to see if the good one is comparable to yours. He may "click" with one bloodline and not another. Usually an experienced stud dog's owner will know which bloodlines go well with their stud. If no offspring are available, look at the stud's parents, grandparents, siblings and the siblings' offspring. Is the stud similar to his relatives, or is he unique? In general, traits that are similar across relatives are more likely to appear in his offspring than traits that are unique.
Pedigrees
Look at the pedigree of the bitch and all of the potential stud dogs. A pedigree is useful only if you know about the ancestors. What did they look like, were they sound, what did they produce, etc. A nice, tight line breeding is great if all of the dogs in the pedigree are exceptional, and you can have some assurance of getting those qualities that you most desire. An outcross may be what you need. All Mastiffs are very much related if you go back far enough in the pedigree. Sometimes an outcross produces exactly what you want, sometimes not, just like a line breeding may not turn out as expected. I personally put pedigrees low on my list of things to worry about.
Strengths and Faults
Make a list of all the strengths and faults of the stud as you did for the bitch. Narrow the list down to the three worst faults and the three best features. Decide if you can tolerate the faults and if the strengths are what your bitch needs. Make a list of all of the studs that have the single best attribute that corresponds with your bitch's worst fault. If your bitch has a poor head for example, but is correct in body, look for studs with outstanding heads whose offspring also have outstanding heads. Of course you must still look at the total stud. You wouldn't want to breed to a dog with an outstanding head that, for example, has straight stifles and a poor top line. Use your judgment! Remember, a serious fault in your bitch will not be corrected by a stud that is overdone in that area. Typically, you will get pups with traits of each, not a blend. It is always best to breed to a male that is better than your bitches faults, and is correct and balanced over all.

warm regards
patt