Using your dog at stud
Allowing a dog to sire a litter is a big decision & needs a lot of thought about the responsibilities involved & the amount of knowledge needed.
The responsible owner of a potential stud dog must have in depth knowledge on a range of subjects including:
The owner must know what hereditary problems exist in the breed & which lines have produced problems in the past to be able to make an educated decision about whether their dog should be used at all & if so, which bitches he would suit. It is never just a case of letting any bitch mate any dog – this could lead to disaster! The owner must have the knowledge and discipline not to allow their dog to cover bitches who are closely related to their dog and they must be able to assess the health and temperament of the bitches that are mated.
Knowing what hereditary problems exist in the breed, it is strongly recommended as a minimum that the stud dog must be DNA clear of von Willebrands and hip scored under one of the recognised scoring systems.
The owner must be confident that the dog is of good breed type and construction. The dog must be of sound temperament – not aggressive not shy. The owner must be confident that the dog has no faults -be they constructional, temperamental or health wise.
The dog must have a good natural ability as a working dog and must not show tendencies to be for example gun shy, hard mouthed or difficult to train. Thus the owner must be confident that the dog possesses the necessary attributes to produce sound tempered, biddable working GWPs.
The Bitch’s Cycle
The stud dog owner must be able to advise novice bitch owners when to bring their bitch for mating as all bitches differ. The stud dog owner must know from just looking at a bitch whether she is receptive to mating or not – introducing a stud dog to a bitch who is not ready for mating could lead to the dog being injured as bitches may be aggressive to males if they are not ready. The stud dog owner must also be prepared to board an in season bitch for a few days or longer if she arrives before she is receptive to mating.
Mating Techniques
Contrary to popular belief, not all male dogs know instinctively what to do with an in season bitch – many need careful tutoring & the stud dog owner must know how to do this & how to assist a dog to achieve a successful mating. Some matings can be technically difficult for example if the dog & bitch vary in size too much or if the bitch is reluctant to stand still to be mated. Again, the stud dog owner needs to know what to do to achieve a good result without injury or distress being caused to either party.
Managing the Stud Dog
Once a dog is used at stud, it is not unusual for his personality to alter to some extent. Some have a tendency to mark their territory indoors (cocking legs on furniture etc) and may be more likely to wander off the lead in search of in season bitches. Once a dog has been allowed to mate one bitch, they will generally want others! Some may also become more aggressive to other male dogs (due to sexual competitiveness). The potential stud dog owner needs to decide whether they can cope with these possible behavioural changes.
Responsibility for Puppies
Once a dog has been used at stud, the owner cannot just take the money & forget about it. The stud dog owner must be prepared to give advice on rearing puppies to the bitch owner (if a first time breeder) & must also take responsibility for any hereditary defects produced by their dog. They are also morally responsible for helping with the re homing of any of their dog’s offspring should the need arise at any time. This responsibility also means the stud dog owner must vet bitch owners that contact them to ensure that the breeder is reputable (not a puppy farmer for instance!) & that the bitch is old enough to be mated (or not too old) & has passed all the recommended health tests.
If after reading this, you feel you can undertake the responsibilities of offering your dog at stud, then you need to get him seen by reputable breeders. This means Showing him or competing at Field Trials and Working Tests. If other breeders can see that he is an excellent example of the breed, then they may ask to use him at stud, but the key word is “may” – there are already a number of experienced GWP stud dogs in the country for the reputable breeder to choose from. It goes without saying that your dog should also have had the recommended health screening tests as outlined in the GWPC guide to owners.
As you can see, owning a stud dog is not for the fainthearted – it’s not an easy way to make some extra cash & is never just a case of putting together any dog with any bitch & leaving them to get on with it – doing this could cause one or both parties to be injured and could also result in pups with health or temperament problems. If you would like to offer your dog at stud simply because you would like another puppy with his personality & looks, then it would be easier to buy another puppy from your dog’s breeder!
Adapted from an article written by Jane Simmonds (Shenmore Cocker Spaniels).
