Using a dog as Stud - Page 1

May I get some suggestions and information please. I have a beautiful 18 month old male with a great pedigree and am interested in studding him out once or maybe twice as I would like to have one of his pups. Is there a standard by which one operates in terms of fee, age etc? He is training in agility and has a wonderful temperment in addition to being a handsome boy (do I sound a little like a proud mom?) Any information will be helpful and appreciated

I offered my dog for stud once he had....
- DM test (clear/normal)
- thyroid panel normal (not a breed standard but important to me)
- brucellosis negative (done before first mating, often required by both parties)
- exam with a reproductive specialist (ensured he could be collected for AI, had a high sperm count and motile sperm)
- breed survey, which implies the following...
- hips and elbows through OFA or SV
- Schutzhund title (which implies BH)
- show ratings
- at least 2 years old (he was actually 4 once I achieved all of this plus almost 20 other performance/sport/working titles that are important to me but not really breedworthiness tests)
- at this age and with his level of training and titling I could accurately asses his overall health, temperament, and know a great deal about his siblings and littermates and how they've produced

My fee is (I think) very fair and on the lower end considering the dog's health and achievements, but I am not breeding to make money (first breeding was done for free for puppy back and the female did not take, only bred once perhaps too late) and I don't think it's fair to charge a higher end fee until there are a few litters on the ground and I can asses how the dog is actually producing.

Thanks for the input. I have had him tested for congenital stuff, etc that my vet suggested (I am a novice and do not know the test names just yet) so far he checks out healthy and strong. I will continue to follow any helpful advice as I would love to have a pup from him

Did you get actual certifications like OFA or SV hips and elbows?  Generally a vet's once over is not considered thorough enough for breeding.  You'll want hip and elbow x-rays (I do the spine as well since I work/train my dogs, but it's not required).  Often the other party (in your case, the owner of the female) will require this.  There are various labs that do the DM tests, they are not expensive and becoming more popular since this is such a devastating disease for our breed.  I used DDC Vet but a lot of people use OFA for that as well.

I use Animal Genetics for the DM test... it is $45 and takes 1-2 business days for the results.