My husband and I are new at studding and breeding. I've got a dark brown year and half old male, Ace, that is AKC registered and I have papers on 5 generations of his blood line. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to find someone who wants him for breeding, how much to charge or anything. Can anyone help?

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well,
first of all you will need to have a health evaluation done when he turns 2..this will tell you if he has any genetic predisposition toward certain health problems...You will want to have his hips ofa'd and eyes cerfed and also you will probably want to do a PRA test. These would be considered the bare minimum tests to be done.

Some people also run a thyroid test, and soon there will be a test for EIC (exercise induced collapse). Also it is generally becoming more popular to have elbows xrayed for elbow dysplasia and that can be done when you have his hips xrayed.

Also - you may want to be sure that he is within the breed standard..coat and structure are very important. Also any disqualifying marking (excessive white) may hinder your ability to stud him out (depending on if you are going for a 'dual' purpose dog - one that does well in both show and field).

DOn't forget too that temperment is also a big factor for deciding to breed a dog. No one likes a surly or shy dog.

THen there is the matter of 'proving' to the bitch owners out there that your dog is capable of doing the work for which he was bred; and not only capable, but even excells at it.This is generally done by entering the dog in hunt tests or field trials and gaining some sort of higher title (sh, mh, qaa, and of course people will be knocking at your door if you have an fc or afc titled dog)

There are a good number of stud dogs out there with field titles and/or conformation titles. So if your boy does not have any such titles, you might not be able to attract many bitch owners - not saying that is necessarily right, but it is a fact...

A bitch can only breed so many times in her life, someone looking to breed will likely try to find the best stud for his/her girl. And, whether you agree with it or not, that usually means a dog with titles. For one, it is easier for a litter owner to sell the pups if at least one parent has been 'proven' - not only as a producer, but also as a breed representative.

Also - if/when you do put your dog out there for stud, there are a number of ways to go about it. Several forums online offer advertising - either free or at a cost. Some forums have requirements such as health requirements or working titles.
some other sites to check out:
www.cbrs4me.com
www.chesapeakesunlimited.com
www.retrievertraining.net/forums/
www.workingretrievercentral.com

hope this helps!
Juli

Nicely said Juli, I agree with everything you said. You can also put a ad in the ACC bullentin if you are a member. If you don't already have a website you should build one and you can advertise on it, alot of people surf the net looking for stud dogs and puppies.

Everything that Julie mentioned above also applies to the owner of the bitch seeking your dogs stud services out. As the owner of the stud, you have the responsibiity to make sure the bitch has all of her health checks and falls with the AKC standard for our breed. You also need to obtain a brucellosis certificate on both the bitch and the dog just prior to breeding to make sure that neither dog carries the possibility of reproduction diseases, ie. Canine VD.

Another important factor to consider is the number of pups every year that go into the rescue system because the homes, ie. people who purchased them, couldn't handle them but thought they were so cute as puppies that they bought them. In this day and age of throwaway dogs, both the stud owner and the bitch owner must be responsible for taking these puppies back and doing the responsible thing with them, whether it be retraining the dog so it can be placed, or euthanizing it if it comes back with major bite issues dangerous enough that the dog cannot be placed in a new home. I've had the latter occur with three pups I sold and this comes from my line that has exceptional temperament. Chessies are not a dog for just anyone, and especially the faint at heart. They take not only a responsible owner, but one who talks dog and also has the alpha personality needed to be a leader. For whatever it's worth, I probably turn down 9 out of every 10 people who contact me for a puppy as I feel they just don't have the personality or saavy to own a Chesapeake.

It's usually the responsibility of the bitch owner as the seller of the pups to take any pups back that don't work out, but if they don't want to, then this should also fall back to the stud owner.

So, between the required health checks, performance ability, structure, genetics which at best may be a crapshoot, and the breeder/stud owner responsibility for the pups, breeding your dog is not something to be taken lightly even though he has AKC papers and a 5 generation pedigree.

Just my 10 cents worth.

Kathy Miller
Sandy Oak Chesapeakes

Besides wanting to have a STUD DOG what else are you planning to do with your 5 generation chessie - hunt, hunt tests, field trial, conformation, or just stud pet dog???