Keris
22-09-08, 09:09 PM
FINDING THE RIGHT STUD DOG
Written by Andrew Brace
Presented & Printed By petplan.co.uk
Just because you own a dog that happens to be female, it is not essential - contrary to popular rumour - that she should have puppies "for her own good". Many bitches live long, healthy and happy lives never having experienced the joys of motherhood.
However, should you contemplate breeding from your bitch,
there are many things to be considered beforehand, and a litter of puppies should never be bred on a whim.
It will be assumed for the purpose of this article that your bitch was obtained from a reputable breeder,
is in good health and has been registered with the Kennel Club.
Some breeders will only sell bitches with breeding restrictions, so the first thing is to check with your bitch's breeder that no such restrictions have been placed on her.... if there are, you have been made fully aware of them when you purchased your puppy. There is nothing sinister about this practice; many breeders these days feel they would like to maintain some level of control over their bloodlines and this is one way of doing so. If an owner can convince their bitch's breeder that they are breeding for the all the right reasons, most breeders will be happy to lift any restrictions previously placed on them.
Kennel Club registrations of both parents is essential if you wish to register the puppies with the governing body. If all the puppies are destined to go to loving companion homes, this may not seem to be a priority, but is advisable because further down the line one of these puppies owners may wish to breed a litter and register them, and would then encounter insurmountable problems. Furthermore the registered will invariably help with selling them.
SO YOU WANT A LITTER?
Do you have the facilities to whelp your bitch in comfort, free from the hustle and bustle of the household and do you have the financial wherewithal to rear the puppies responsibly until good homes are found for them?
DO YOU HAVE THE TIME TO DEVOTE TO REARING THE LITTER?
Puppies are demanding, and will not be done justice if everyone in the household is in a nice-to-five job.
DO YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT HOMES LINED UP?
Unless you are a family well established breeder it is unlikely that puppy buyers will be beating a path to your door, so think long and hard about the implications of being left with up to ten hungary puppies long after their ideal re-homing age.
Vital to breeding a litter or quality puppies from your bitch is choosing the ideal stud dog and here several factors should be considered. If you are a regular show-goer you should have some idea as to how your bitch compares to the average dog in the show ring, and should be aware of her major virtues and her major faults.
Consulting your bitch's breeder is again advisable and they would be in a better position to give you an educated assessment as to the bitch's merits.
If you bitch has certain shortcomings, you should be looking for a male who excels in those areas, but that does not mean looking for a dog that is extreme. For example, if your bitch has to short a next, do not go searching for a stud dog that has the neck of a giraffe... rather, look for a dog that has the correct length of neck for the breed.
The first consideration when looking at a stud dogs should be the physical properties of both dog and bitch, and they should compliment each other. They should be of the same basic type or stamp, and therefore it is likely that you will be looking at males who come from vaguely similar breeding and bloodlines.
Before deciding on a stud dog, do look at your bitch's pedigree and try to ascertain which ancestors are the better specimens of the breed. It is then advisable to try to find a stud that has a similar background. For example, if your bitch's grandsire was a famous Champion who was known for producing high quality children, you may to consider finding a son of his.
REPUTABLE BREEDERS
Most reputable breeders will be quite honest about their own stud dogs and those of other kennels. Your bitch's own breeder should be the starting point of all enquiries, but be a little wary if you are told that the only possible stud dogs are theirs, and that no other breeders would have anything suitable! Do not be tempted to use a local dog just because it is local, and avoid the pet dog who has never been used at stud, but whose owner is desperate for it become a father. Inexperienced stud dogs and their owners can be a nightmare. Far better to use a proven dog whose owner is familiar with the mating game. Another great advantage of using a proven sire is that invariably, its owner will have a waiting list of puppy-buers and will usually be happy to pass on enquiries to a breeder who has used their stud dog. In many breeds there are several long established health schemes that are supported by the Kennel Club and the veterinary profession and responsible breeders always put their breeding stock through such schemes. It may well be, for example, that the owner of the stud dog of your choice will only accept bitches who have minimum hip score and so you will need to have your bitch x-rayed and scored well in advance of her season. This is another not inconsiderable expense.
Do not be tempted to rush off to use the breed's latest Champion, just because it is a Champion. Not all top winners become great stud dogs. Indeed, it has often been the case that some top winning males have litter brothers who become better sires. Sometimes it is the "prettier" brother that wins in the show ring, but the brother who lacks the intense quality and may be considered slightly overdone that goes on to be the better sire.
CHOOSE CAREFULLY
Do study the progeny of a short-list of stud dogs you have selected and try to establish what kind of puppies they are producing to different bitches, especially bitches of similar breeding to your own. Is this the kind of puppies you would like to breed?
Dog breeders can be very preoccupied when showing their dogs, so if you decide to approach a stud-dog owner at a dog show, choose your moment carefully, and always wait until the judging is completed. Many novice breeders report stud-dog owners being short and snappy when approached at a dog show, but they are merely hyping themselves up for the day's exhibiting ahead. Given the right moment, most will be as helpful as possible.
Breeds will vary, basically because of the their physical size and the rate at which they mature, as to when a bitch should be mated for the first time. As a general rule of thumb few bitches are rarely ready until their third season, but here again the stud dog owner should be able to advise.
Traditionally a stud fee pays for the actual stud service, and is not a guarantee of puppies, though customarily most stud dog owners will provide a free return service if your bitch "misses". However, this is not a right and should not be taken as such.
Breeding a litter is a huge responsibility and is not to be taken lightly. Hopefully sufficient time spent planning a wonderful litter will prove to be successful, but if it is not, please do not blame the stud dog - as so often happens - remember that the litter has a mother too!
Written Permission kindly given by Mr Andrew Brace & Petplan to reproduce this article on lhasaworld.org.
Written by Andrew Brace
Presented & Printed By petplan.co.uk
Just because you own a dog that happens to be female, it is not essential - contrary to popular rumour - that she should have puppies "for her own good". Many bitches live long, healthy and happy lives never having experienced the joys of motherhood.
However, should you contemplate breeding from your bitch,
there are many things to be considered beforehand, and a litter of puppies should never be bred on a whim.
It will be assumed for the purpose of this article that your bitch was obtained from a reputable breeder,
is in good health and has been registered with the Kennel Club.
Some breeders will only sell bitches with breeding restrictions, so the first thing is to check with your bitch's breeder that no such restrictions have been placed on her.... if there are, you have been made fully aware of them when you purchased your puppy. There is nothing sinister about this practice; many breeders these days feel they would like to maintain some level of control over their bloodlines and this is one way of doing so. If an owner can convince their bitch's breeder that they are breeding for the all the right reasons, most breeders will be happy to lift any restrictions previously placed on them.
Kennel Club registrations of both parents is essential if you wish to register the puppies with the governing body. If all the puppies are destined to go to loving companion homes, this may not seem to be a priority, but is advisable because further down the line one of these puppies owners may wish to breed a litter and register them, and would then encounter insurmountable problems. Furthermore the registered will invariably help with selling them.
SO YOU WANT A LITTER?
Do you have the facilities to whelp your bitch in comfort, free from the hustle and bustle of the household and do you have the financial wherewithal to rear the puppies responsibly until good homes are found for them?
DO YOU HAVE THE TIME TO DEVOTE TO REARING THE LITTER?
Puppies are demanding, and will not be done justice if everyone in the household is in a nice-to-five job.
DO YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT HOMES LINED UP?
Unless you are a family well established breeder it is unlikely that puppy buyers will be beating a path to your door, so think long and hard about the implications of being left with up to ten hungary puppies long after their ideal re-homing age.
Vital to breeding a litter or quality puppies from your bitch is choosing the ideal stud dog and here several factors should be considered. If you are a regular show-goer you should have some idea as to how your bitch compares to the average dog in the show ring, and should be aware of her major virtues and her major faults.
Consulting your bitch's breeder is again advisable and they would be in a better position to give you an educated assessment as to the bitch's merits.
If you bitch has certain shortcomings, you should be looking for a male who excels in those areas, but that does not mean looking for a dog that is extreme. For example, if your bitch has to short a next, do not go searching for a stud dog that has the neck of a giraffe... rather, look for a dog that has the correct length of neck for the breed.
The first consideration when looking at a stud dogs should be the physical properties of both dog and bitch, and they should compliment each other. They should be of the same basic type or stamp, and therefore it is likely that you will be looking at males who come from vaguely similar breeding and bloodlines.
Before deciding on a stud dog, do look at your bitch's pedigree and try to ascertain which ancestors are the better specimens of the breed. It is then advisable to try to find a stud that has a similar background. For example, if your bitch's grandsire was a famous Champion who was known for producing high quality children, you may to consider finding a son of his.
REPUTABLE BREEDERS
Most reputable breeders will be quite honest about their own stud dogs and those of other kennels. Your bitch's own breeder should be the starting point of all enquiries, but be a little wary if you are told that the only possible stud dogs are theirs, and that no other breeders would have anything suitable! Do not be tempted to use a local dog just because it is local, and avoid the pet dog who has never been used at stud, but whose owner is desperate for it become a father. Inexperienced stud dogs and their owners can be a nightmare. Far better to use a proven dog whose owner is familiar with the mating game. Another great advantage of using a proven sire is that invariably, its owner will have a waiting list of puppy-buers and will usually be happy to pass on enquiries to a breeder who has used their stud dog. In many breeds there are several long established health schemes that are supported by the Kennel Club and the veterinary profession and responsible breeders always put their breeding stock through such schemes. It may well be, for example, that the owner of the stud dog of your choice will only accept bitches who have minimum hip score and so you will need to have your bitch x-rayed and scored well in advance of her season. This is another not inconsiderable expense.
Do not be tempted to rush off to use the breed's latest Champion, just because it is a Champion. Not all top winners become great stud dogs. Indeed, it has often been the case that some top winning males have litter brothers who become better sires. Sometimes it is the "prettier" brother that wins in the show ring, but the brother who lacks the intense quality and may be considered slightly overdone that goes on to be the better sire.
CHOOSE CAREFULLY
Do study the progeny of a short-list of stud dogs you have selected and try to establish what kind of puppies they are producing to different bitches, especially bitches of similar breeding to your own. Is this the kind of puppies you would like to breed?
Dog breeders can be very preoccupied when showing their dogs, so if you decide to approach a stud-dog owner at a dog show, choose your moment carefully, and always wait until the judging is completed. Many novice breeders report stud-dog owners being short and snappy when approached at a dog show, but they are merely hyping themselves up for the day's exhibiting ahead. Given the right moment, most will be as helpful as possible.
Breeds will vary, basically because of the their physical size and the rate at which they mature, as to when a bitch should be mated for the first time. As a general rule of thumb few bitches are rarely ready until their third season, but here again the stud dog owner should be able to advise.
Traditionally a stud fee pays for the actual stud service, and is not a guarantee of puppies, though customarily most stud dog owners will provide a free return service if your bitch "misses". However, this is not a right and should not be taken as such.
Breeding a litter is a huge responsibility and is not to be taken lightly. Hopefully sufficient time spent planning a wonderful litter will prove to be successful, but if it is not, please do not blame the stud dog - as so often happens - remember that the litter has a mother too!
Written Permission kindly given by Mr Andrew Brace & Petplan to reproduce this article on lhasaworld.org.