Information for those considering breeding from their male Labrador - So you want your Labrador to be a stud dog
Re: Labrador breeding: should you breed from your male dog Really good article Pippa A couple of people at training have suggested using Riley as sire for a litter with their bitches not with any degree of certainty but they seem to be exploring the possibility. I think it's highly unlikely that we'll do that for several reasons. 1. The cost of the health tests (without which I would NEVER offer him as a stud dog) considering he won't stand at stud very often 2. I'm not convinced Riley has sufficient drive or will ever have the kind of success that one might want from a sire (although both bitches are high drive so maybe that's not what they're looking for) 3. I have absolutely no experience of mating dogs and very little knowledge about breeding (everyone has to start somewhere but the deep end is probably not it!) 4. I have no plans to have another lab (yet!) and wouldn't want to be partially responsible for a litter of pups On the plus side Riley is a sweet dog and not bad looking (to my eyes ) with a great temperament and has a pretty decent retrieve on him so maybe with some experienced help we might. Not making any plans yet though ;D
Re: Labrador breeding: should you breed from your male dog Gosh, I though your article on breeding from your bitch was daunting, but so many pitfalls with the boys too.
Re: Labrador breeding: should you breed from your male dog [quote author=bbrown link=topic=6230.msg81690#msg81690 date=1401040438] On the plus side Riley is a sweet dog and not bad looking (to my eyes ) [/quote] He is not bad looking to any eye - even mine, while I love the working boys, my next lab (there will be one ) will still be from show lines. I'd have Riley though! (he is taken, you cry!).
Re: Labrador breeding: should you breed from your male dog Unfortunately , there do seem to be an awful lot of people who dont realise what it means to be a responsible stud dog owner and just go ahead, offering their services . I wouldnt ever have used Sam as a stud, mainly for the same reasons as Barbara gave . Despite his wonderful nature and good lineage, he really is too big to ever make the grade , we love him to bits though
Re: Labrador breeding: should you breed from your male dog A man in our village has just mated his Springer Spaniels without any health checks at all. He just wants to make money and hasn't got a clue what he is doing
Re: Labrador breeding: should you breed from your male dog Thats bad Helen , many in the terrier world do just the same
Re: Labrador breeding: should you breed from your male dog The people who put their bitches to a dog without appropriate health checks are just as bad
Re: Labrador breeding: should you breed from your male dog [quote author=charlie link=topic=6230.msg81765#msg81765 date=1401046934] A man in our village has just mated his Springer Spaniels without any health checks at all. He just wants to make money and hasn't got a clue what he is doing [/quote] It's his bitch and dog that are his pets and this seems just too odd to me ??? The bitch isn't even 2 years old yet
We would like to breed Goose, he' a 90lb black lab hunting dog, he's 4 years old and, of course in our eyes, is an exceptional animal. He lives on our horse farm and spends his days running with his 2 rescue dog sisters and a bunch of other dogs swimming in ponds and pools. Come hunting season he is an excellent retriever, as well as pointing and flushing. He's an avid and fearless swimmer. He's a great family dog, loves all people. We would like VERY much to find a bitch with some hunting back round to breed with Goose. We would happily purchase a 2 to 3 year old girl about 60lbs or make other arrangements with the bitch owner. Goose is somewhat of a hunting legend at our hunting club, we would like to have all of his puppies for our kids as well as other fans of Goose. We are pleased to have all heath certifications done and would need the bitch to be certified too. Goose does not have papers. What is the best way to accomplish a good outcome? How do I find a suitable female for Goose? any thoughts appreciated~ JaniceHM
Hi Janice and welcome to the forum Yours is not an uncommon situation. When you own a wonderful dog it is only natural to want a puppy from them. However, it is very challenging, as the owner of a dog without papers, to find a female dog owner willing to let an unregistered dog parent her puppies. From the female dog owner's point of view, they can for the price of a single puppy, buy the services of a fully registered, health tested, titled and beautiful stud dog. And while you might be willing to purchase all the puppies for your friends and family, you'd probably need to provide some kind of written legal agreement to do so to have any chance of success, because if you backed out, the female's owner would be left with a lot of unregistered pups which they might struggle to sell. It would also be challenging to find someone willing to sell a two or three year old good quality female hunting dog, though you might find one that didn't quite make the grade in Field Trials. Contacting your local retriever clubs might be a place to start, but a well trained retriever won't come cheap. Your best chance of finding a dog very like yours is probably by going back to the breeder and tracking down another litter by one or both of his parents, or a close relative.
Thank you Pippa~ I've started with local retriever clubs and am continuing to reach out. I appreciate your advice!
I recently read your great article on this subject Pippa simply because, although we have never considered this for Hero, we have been asked by many people if we are intending to use him for breeding. I never realised how much was actually involved. I find it ridiculous that someone out walking their female Labrador would actually approach and ask if we would be willing to partner him with their dog when he is mature, when all they have to base it on is his look and temperament when out and around other dogs. In fact my husband has become so fed up with being asked this question he now becomes very blunt with his answers. More concerning to me though are the registered breeders we know, who have also asked because they know his bloodlines. And I thought they were supposed to be responsible people. It has shown me that breeding dogs of any type is obviously a veritable minefield and for anyone considering putting their male up for stud needs to be extremely careful for why they are doing so, that they know what they are doing, that they have experience of problems that may arise, that the dogs health and well-being is paramount and finally that the owner of the female is likewise. As well as all the financial input required. Think with how often we've been asked, will get him a vest saying ' I may look like a stud but don't bother asking...you won't like the answer!!'
Good evening all. I am due to get my first Labrador puppy. I made contact with a breeder at the start of the year and have been on a waiting list since. She contacted me last week to say that her bitch is expecting 9 puppies end of November. I am so excited. She has told me that the hips scores of her bitch is 6_6, the studs hips are 0_4. elbows 0 on both, eyes clear both, Gpra clear both. Optigen clear. I have read that the total hip score should be less then twelve and that two hips should be balanced or ideally no more than two or three points difference. Therefore should I be concerned with the hip score results? Should I still proceed with this puppy or wait? Any advice and help will be much appreciated.
While I obviously don't know about this case, uneven results can be due to poor positioning when the xrays are taken, or possibly and injury to the joint. Personally,I would be comfortable with the results you have.
