[Buster]

i am the prowd owner of a 4 1/2yr old male french/ bordeaux mastiff. he is healthy and has a beautiful golden coat. we are on the sunshine coast in queensland, and were wondering how we would go about studing him out to other owners. please do help, all comments are valid and appreciated. if you are interested in studing him out, or would like some pictures, please contact me on my email account,tos_brandon@hotmail .com

[cigwyllt]

Owning/managing a stud dog can be a difficult and risky business - and I guess the bigger the breed, the bigger the dangers. If a chihuahua bitch tries to bite when you are holding her you certainly would know about it. If a mastiff did the same you could lose your hand - or your dog lol! Reason enough for me to have my Jack Russell neutered as a pup!

But if you really want to use your dog as a stud: first of all get a really thorough understanding of the breed. What makes an excellent example? What diseases are prevalent in the breed? Are tests for genetic disease that your dog should have? A full health check including blood work and genetic testing from your vet is essential.

Supposing everything is in order healthwise you need to know that your dog is an outstanding example. In order to do that you should get the opinion of people who know the breed inside out - the most obvious way to do that is through showing. It isn't a cheap past time but you need to get him known and judged by people who know what they are looking for and can see past his handsome features and great personality to see if he has the genes that would benefit the breed.

Alongside the health and breed standard criteria you need to learn about breeding. Although many, many litters are conceived accidentally as owner of a stud dog you need to take responsibility for the bitch entrusted to your care (that is the usual routine - the bitch visits the stud) and you will need to be able to recognise the signs that show she is ready to stand - a very small window in what could be a month long season. A maiden bitch and a first time stud will often need assistance to mate and you will need to hold the bitch and keep her steady throughout the process, especially during the tie as any sudden movement could injure your dog, possibly fatally. The only way to do that is to get hands on experience from a mentor who will pass on their knowledge to you and allow you to watch and assist at matings.

When you have done that you can start to advertise as the owner of a stud dog. Take advice from your mentor on how to choose the bitches you allow to mate with your dog - STI's are on the increase amongst dogs so you do not want to breed too often and without full background checks on the bitches you choose.

Don't forget that after mating sometimes something may go click in your dog's head and he will suddenly be aware of what his equipment is for! He will be able to sniff out a bitch in season a couple of miles away and many dogs then become focussed on mating to the exclusion of anything else. He may be harder to handle, become an escape artist, more aggressive to other dogs. You need to be prepared for that as well.

Finally, think long and hard about whether you are prepared to add to the problem of unwanted dogs in shelters and rescues all over the world. Some research has shown that one in three pups will not stay in the home to which they are originally sold. Many of these end up in pounds and shelters and are PTS. Is your dog of such benefit to the breed that you are prepared to be a part of this?

I am by no means anti breeding but I truly believe it has to be done responsibly and ethically, for the good of the breed and not for financial gain. You breed to produce good examples and carry on the line, not because you have a wonderful pet and can make a few bucks out of him.

[Yogi]

ditto, cigwyllt's comments. You do not state if the dog has been tested or if in anyway what using it for breeding will bring to the table as far as bettering the breed. I suggest you get a book on your breed and read up on all the health issues, then have the dog tested to be sure there is no inherit issues that will or can be passed on to offspring. Then contact locally not internationally a breed club in your area for help in this.

[Deafdogsrule]

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

Owning/managing a stud dog can be a difficult and risky business - and I guess the bigger the breed, the bigger the dangers. If a chihuahua bitch tries to bite when you are holding her you certainly would know about it. If a mastiff did the same you could lose your hand - or your dog lol! Reason enough for me to have my Jack Russell neutered as a pup!

But if you really want to use your dog as a stud: first of all get a really thorough understanding of the breed. What makes an excellent example? What diseases are prevalent in the breed? Are tests for genetic disease that your dog should have? A full health check including blood work and genetic testing from your vet is essential.

Supposing everything is in order healthwise you need to know that your dog is an outstanding example. In order to do that you should get the opinion of people who know the breed inside out - the most obvious way to do that is through showing. It isn't a cheap past time but you need to get him known and judged by people who know what they are looking for and can see past his handsome features and great personality to see if he has the genes that would benefit the breed.

Alongside the health and breed standard criteria you need to learn about breeding. Although many, many litters are conceived accidentally as owner of a stud dog you need to take responsibility for the bitch entrusted to your care (that is the usual routine - the bitch visits the stud) and you will need to be able to recognise the signs that show she is ready to stand - a very small window in what could be a month long season. A maiden bitch and a first time stud will often need assistance to mate and you will need to hold the bitch and keep her steady throughout the process, especially during the tie as any sudden movement could injure your dog, possibly fatally. The only way to do that is to get hands on experience from a mentor who will pass on their knowledge to you and allow you to watch and assist at matings.

When you have done that you can start to advertise as the owner of a stud dog. Take advice from your mentor on how to choose the bitches you allow to mate with your dog - STI's are on the increase amongst dogs so you do not want to breed too often and without full background checks on the bitches you choose.

Don't forget that after mating sometimes something may go click in your dog's head and he will suddenly be aware of what his equipment is for! He will be able to sniff out a bitch in season a couple of miles away and many dogs then become focussed on mating to the exclusion of anything else. He may be harder to handle, become an escape artist, more aggressive to other dogs. You need to be prepared for that as well.

Finally, think long and hard about whether you are prepared to add to the problem of unwanted dogs in shelters and rescues all over the world. Some research has shown that one in three pups will not stay in the home to which they are originally sold. Many of these end up in pounds and shelters and are PTS. Is your dog of such benefit to the breed that you are prepared to be a part of this?

I am by no means anti breeding but I truly believe it has to be done responsibly and ethically, for the good of the breed and not for financial gain. You breed to produce good examples and carry on the line, not because you have a wonderful pet and can make a few bucks out of him.

brilliant post! Breeding dogs is not to be taken lightly, it requires alot of knowledge, and as there are soooo many unwanted dogs out there, by people who dont know/dont care about what happens to the offspring, do you really want to get into breeding? I am also not anti breeding, but I really believe that a dog must be as perfect an example of the breed as you can get, both temperamentally, and conformationally, before undertaking such a responsibility... It is very expensive to do the proper health testing on dogs, and it has to be done, what if your dog is a carrier to a disease or health problem that doesn't affect him, but he could pass on to puppies? only testing can reveal those issues... please make sure you do your homework.