How to pick a stud dog???

Coach529 · Post by **Coach529** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 11:33 am

I have a 1-1/2 year old female Gordon I would like to breed eventually and was wondering how one goes about picking a stud dog.

I am really green to this whole concept, and was just curious what you more seasoned dog owners/ breeders decide which stud to use.

Post by **kninebirddog** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 11:48 am

Wth being new and wantingto breed..First thing is to make sure your female has the desired traits for the breed..hunt biddabilty even style Does she have the indepence to get out in the field ..it is easier to reel a dog in to desired hunting pattern but harder to get them out

Speak with breeders as to what lines they have had that works for them...

then Same with the stud...does that dog have the desired traits which will up the odds for the pups to be the fine hunting or even trial companions

wannabe · Post by **wannabe** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 12:19 pm

If I were looking for a stud dog, I would go see and get my hands on as many dogs as I could, then I would make a list of the best dogs that I saw, then I would go see their daddy.

Crystal kennels · Post by **Crystal kennels** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 1:03 pm

When I am looking at a potential stud dog I look at many things.....one being the pedigree. Am I looking to linebreed (most of the time) or outcross (very rarely). I look at all the traits that are important to me....desire, nose, search, pointing style, biddability, temperament, health(OFA, CERF ect) and conformation. I look at my dogs strengths and weaknesses and then I look at the potential stud's strengths and weaknesses and what he has produced. I'll talk to people who have bred to him....did they like what they got? What were they looking to improve and did they feel they got it? Then I look at what my bitch may have produced so far....is she consistent in one area or another or needs improvement? If at all possible I'd like to see the dog work. Then I try to think where am I going in the future with the potential offspring of the considered mating.

Judy

www.crystalkennels.com

Post by **Kiki's Mom** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 10:02 am

The first step is to decide whether your bitch meets the standard for you, both the written breed standard and the standard which YOU have in your mind that makes a Gold Ret a great dog & sets her apart making HER a great dog worthy of breeding.

Next you will want to be sure that she is healthy and free from any of the genetic traits that you will not want to be passing on to the puppies, such as hip and elbow dysplasia, heart problems, eye problems, thyroid and brucellosis ( which is a STD in dogs that is VERY contagious) to name some off the top of my head. Require the same health screenings that you did for your girl of any stud you have up for consideration.

Once you have done all of the health screening on your girl, you will want to look at her pedigree and familiarize yourself with her lineage and begin your search armed with all of your information. The more you know about your dog, the more willing stud owners will be to listen and consider your girl as a mate for their boy. You should pick boys that compliment, enhance or strengthen whatever weaknesses you preceive your girl to have. For example if your girl has a shoulder payback that is a tad straight up you will want to find a stud dog with a correct 45degree shoulder lay back. If your girl is on the lower side of the standard, height wise you will want to pick a stud dog that will ad a bit of height. If your girl has a beautiful light chamois coat and you want to keep that in the pups, be sure to pick a stud with the same coat type/color. Whatever faults you see in your girl, pick a boy that will hopefully help correct those faults in the resulting pups.

Look to the Golden Retriever Club of America as a starting point to find breeders and start from there and work outward. Visit the dogs if you can, get your hands on them, see them in action if possible and see for yourself how they are in person. General rule of thumb is to pick the very best stud dog you can afford at the time.

Karen · Post by **Karen** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 10:08 am

Kiki's Mom wrote:Look to the Golden Retriever Club of America as a starting point to find breeders and start from there and work outward.

This might work if he had a Golden Retriever

Post by **Kiki's Mom** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 10:12 am

OOPS.....sorry...I'm not awake. I read Golden not Gordon................but the basic theory behind what I said........I'm going back to bed now....

Post by **kninebirddog** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 11:16 am

Well only problem the "Written" about the setters may not be what one desires to have in the field until they get some more Hunting and Field description in to the breed

Might try getting a subscription to American field..there are gordons clubs which you can start to watch some performances of field bred gordons to give you more of an idea what lines are doing what.

highcotton · Post by **highcotton** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 2:51 pm

[quote="kninebirddog"]Well only problem the "Written" about the setters may not be what one desires to have in the field until they get some more Hunting and Field description in to the breed

CherrystoneWeims · Post by **CherrystoneWeims** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 7:16 pm

kninebirddog wrote:Well only problem the "Written" about the setters may not be what one desires to have in the field until they get some more Hunting and Field description in to the breed

Might try getting a subscription to American field..there are gordons clubs which you can start to watch some performances of field bred gordons to give you more of an idea what lines are doing what.

Knine,

I've judged and run with quite a few Gordons in hunt tests and field trials. In fact we had several at our hunt tests this weekend. I've been pleasantly surprised at what I have seen regarding field ability! We have several breeders in my area who are breeding dogs who are quite nice conformation-wise AND have very good field ability to boot. I went to a walking trial hosted by the Gordon Setter club down in Cedartown, GA last Feb. and there were lots of very good dogs there.

Coach,

As quite a few other people stated you first need to evaluate your bitch and make sure that she is worthy of breeding. Remember you want to further the breed not just make pups.

After that you really must honestly look at her and see where her faults lie. Would you like to see a better topline, tail-set, range, more ability to back another dog (one of the things I looked for when I selected a stud for my last litter as my bitch hates to back so I found a dog who is a natural backer), etc. Look for a stud dog who has these qualities that she is lacking. Look for any health issues, what are his health clearances.

As far as line breeding I don't like to do much of it. My breed is rife with health issues and health is of utmost importance to me. I feel that line breeding too much weakens a dog's immunity. I outcrossed both times when I bred Pearl and I will dip back in when I breed her daughters.

It took me TWO years to find a stud dog this last time that I bred my bitch. I knew what I wanted and took my time. But it was well worth the search.

Don't just breed to the convenient dog. Go to the best that you can go to.

phermes1 · Post by **phermes1** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 7:31 pm

First - talk to your breeder. Many breeders will want to at least know if any of the females out of their kennel are being bred. Many times they'll also serve as a good source of knowledge regarding what's behind that dog - faults, strengths, weaknesses, what to breed away from, etc.

Other than that, know what your dog needs improvement on, and find a stud that has shown the potential to help in that regard.
After that, do research and ask questions to make sure that that stud doesn't have any skeletons in his closet. There are rumors swirling about just about any line; the hard part is figuring out which rumors hold water and which ones are just people looking for things to gossip about.

Cora's Shadow · Post by **Cora's Shadow** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:58 am

This might be a little premature, but if you want to start looking for a good stud dog, Clearcut Kennel might be a good place to start (http://www.clearcutkennel.com/page3.html). Their website has some pretty impressive hunting shots. I'm not sure where you are in North Dakota, but their kennel in Minnesota is worth looking into.

Coach529 · Post by **Coach529** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:21 pm

Awesome information everybody, I truely appreciate it!!!!