hi, I am new to all of this, i have owned my staffy for just over a year, he is 16.5 inch to the shoulders, so im presuming he is more or less fully grown and mature enough for breeding, he demonstrates it too whenever he is around a bitch, i and just seeking advice of experienced dog owners/breeders into whether i should stud my little man out. Please tell me all there is to know pro/cons risks etc. here is a picture or him and my other pets
Has he been pennhip vs ofa tested? Has he been tested for any genetic breed issues? Any show or working titles? If no to the above, then most likely no, to your question.
What are his results? I'll be quite honest with you, with the number of staffies being bred, unless he's been proven I personally would suggest you don't bother. Stud dog handling is not a matter of letting them get on with it, and actually, the fact that he's showing interest in all bitches shows inexperience, not that he is showing any promise as a stud dog. A stud dog will leave bitches alone unless they are at the point of their season where they are ready to mate. As well as getting hands on with the dogs, ie you may have to assist matings, should never leave the bitch and dog to just get on with it even if it does happen quite easily, they shouldn't ever be left alone. If a bitch is known to be ready (ie progesterone tested showing she's ovulating) and is reluctant, you may need to perform a brief internal to ensure there are no structures across the vulva, this is the responsibility of the stud dog handler, not the bitch owner. You should also know pedigrees inside and out, all lines will carry problems that we can't test for and you should know whether some lines put together are not a good idea, or if the bitch just isn't suitable for whatever reason to be covered by your dog. I note your boy is a dilute, this can be a problem with staffies, again, you will need a lot of knowledge as this can lead to problems with allergies and skin conditions. I don't have staffies, but you have to ask yourself why you want to breed, and what is it you are aiming towards. Without proving your boy you are simply producing more staffies which is what everyone and their staffy seems to be ding at the moment. So please think long and hard about it, how would you feel if you found out your boy's progeny ended up in rescue, were put to sleep etc?
Good for you to have the sense to come on a forum and ask for advice but I would seriously recommend that you just enjoy your lovely boy as a pet. There are far too many Staffs being bred and so many are homeless, please don't add to the problem. Unfortunately the staffy population has exploded in the past few years, and some people are now finding it impossible to even give puppies away, let alone sell them. Rescue centres are full to overflowing with them
i wasnt wanting to breed him for my own personal gain, i love my little man and i am happy with the dogs i have, it was that the other dogs that i do have are former breeders and thats all they were, i felt they weren't love and did everything in my power to get them, i wanted to stud him for his own benefit/animal instincts, but after reading all the advice ive been given, i think i will just enjoy watching him grow, also if i found out all of his offspring were in rescue or going to be possibly put to slepp, i would end up with a lot more animals in my home than expected haha. i am very cautious when it comes to my pets eg health, food, fitness etc and i was enquiring about being a stud, dont think im going to bother. seems its more of a burden than a blessing.
The problem is handling a stud dog means you don't really get a say in what happens to his pups, the bitch owner is the one who places endorsements etc with the KC to try and prevent pups being bred on from indiscriminately, or moved on without them knowing. There's no gain in allowing dogs to procreate, it's a risky business and dogs can change temperament once they've been used at stud, in fact just the once or twice is probably going to be a lot worse than a proven dog where they are used a number of times, so know what the game is, so to speak. I do breed on from my bitches, after full health testing, which is expensive and I know there's two or three dna tests for staffies as well as the hips and possibly bva eye test, can't remember if the last one is recommended, so it would cost several hundred pounds alone to do the tests, and you may find if he fails a test that you've lost your money anyway. My eldest girl came back with an elbow grade (recommended for Labradors) of 2:1, she's never shown a sign of problems but I never bred on, because that grade is too high really, and also as she'd injured her knee I didn't feel it was fair to put her through having a litter, there are plenty of Labradors available with better health test results. I had spent probably £450(ish) on her health tests. I know some do start out with handling dogs at stud, but really it needs to be done under mentorship from someone in the breed I think, otherwise there are too many mistakes that could be made to the detriment of the dogs. It's mind boggling breeding on from bitches I find! Lots of people who breed love their dogs and they are first and foremost companions, all mine are, and I have a rescue girl with me at the moment who has just been spayed. It is the breeders who don't care and pass on their ex breeding stock to make room for more or just breed from them literally to death that are the problem. It's very sad considering we're supposed to be a nation of animal lovers in the UK. Good luck with your boy, you'll have to post some more photos of him
Pennhip testing arrived in the UK Dec 4, 2009. OFA I thought was basically BVA in the UK, except the BVA included more than just HD and ED.
Tbh and putting it bluntly as another owner of a Staffie, absolutely not. most of the pups won't see their first birthday. They end up in rescue, or dumped, rescues can't cope and 90% are put to sleep. Just enjoy him don't add to the Staffie problem.
BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme HC-HSF4DNA L-2HGA They don't *recommend* hip testing on the KC website, but of the few that have been done in the UK, the mean score is above some breeds where they do recommend hip scores. I don't know why they don't recognise that small breeds are just as prone to hip problems as large and giant breeds.
I would say no as the pups regardless of what the bitch owners say could end up in the wrong hands & then be trained as fighting dogs or used as bait, at the best end up in a no kill rescue home
