Having made that important decision to breed a litter of puppies with your bitch you should now decide what you require from your stud dog in your respective breed. Here at Breedadog.com our aim is to give general help and advice from our comprehensive information on breed profiles that give you the details you need to choose the correct breed for you and what you should expect from your prospective stud dog.

Our gallery of stud dogs from home and abroad, together with our genetic advice should help you to draw up a short list of chosen sires. Armed with this information you are now ready to make your initial enquiries to the owners of these dogs.

Make an Initial Enquiry about a Stud Dog

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It is polite and courteous to contact the owner of your chosen stud dog in plenty of time to check availability, to exchange pedigrees and check compatibility.

You should ensure that the stud dog you are wishing to use is also registered with the Kennel Club as puppies cannot be registered without both parents having a KC number. Under no circumstances should a mating take place without this.

Check that your bitch is registered with the Kennel Club of your country, that worming and vaccinations are up to date, and that you also have her pedigree to hand. These are all things that any reputable stud dog owner will want to know. Looking at your bitch's pedigree will help the dog owner to double check that both dogs are indeed compatible with each other.

Fees

Once both parties are satisfied that all is well, make sure you enquire about the stud fee and or any relevant terms and conditions, which should all be put in writing and a copy given to both parties. It is usual to pay the stud fee when your bitch is mated and not once the litter of puppies have been born, as you are paying for the services of the stud dog not the puppies.

Most kennels and reputable breeders will offer you a free service for your bitch if she unfortunately misses the first time, but this is at their discretion and should be agreed in advance of the mating. A stud fee may be returned if the stud dog was found to be sterile. Another example might be if the stud dog owner thought that your bitch was of outstanding quality and wished to forfeit the stud fee in lieu of a pick of the litter. Once again any agreements should be documented to avoid any future problems.

Forms to keep

After the mating has taken place you will receive a stud form from the stud dog’s owner. This must be kept in a safe place as it is your puppy registration form and has all relevant details regarding the stud dog and his owner on it.

(Free Pedigree puppy packs are available to Breedadog.com members).