Stud service questions

[Deweybagger]

I had a guy that uses his dog for guiding hunters watch my dog work, after he approached me and asked how much I'd charge for a stud fee.
I had full intentions of studding him out if everything came together as he got older, so this is exactly what I eventually wanted, BUT.....
How do you go about doing something like this and actually get a proper fee for the service when we don't have any titles on him yet? I don't want his value to be low when we will be putting some titles on him this year, he has won 3 first places and two 2nds in 6 runs in tournament hunting but that doesn't do anything for his papers.
I will have X-rays, eyes and all that stuff checked and I will require the same of his female so it won't be an irresponsible breeding.

Should I pass on this opportunity and title him first, if I go ahead with this how do you know what's fair? I feel like he's trying to add to his line and keep a pup for himself, which is fine, he's offering cash and a puppy back or half the litter value after they are sold....that sounds really good, but with no titles are they $250.00 pups or $1000.00??

My dogs pedigree is stacked, his is pretty good on the females side and not so much on the males.

Any help would be great, I don't have a lot of time to get things in line with the vet etc.and don't want to jump into something I don't have much knowledge about.

 

[Gatzby]

Tough question. I have a 3 1/2 year old with his MH, and UH. His pedigree is really stout. Ive decided against breeding him until he's QAA.
The couple requests I've recieved have been unproven bitchs with weak pedigrees. I'm guessing pups would sell for $200-300. Most people shopping for this type of breeding probably don't want or need what my male brings to the table. I don't want to add to the unwanted dog population. Plus with health cert's I doubt I could charge enough to recoup costs with just a couple breedings.

Pup prices have recovered a bit the last year or so. For reference I bought a FC/AFC X MH pup 4 years ago for $900. A few weeks ago I bought a Pup from QAA with a couple open placements bred to a MH for $1200. Honestly on paper the second breeding isn't near as good.... But I'm betting this might be the one!

Good luck with your decision if you're unsure skip it. Plenty of good breedings out there!

 

[Deweybagger]

Tough question. I have a 3 1/2 year old with his MH, and UH. His pedigree is really stout. Ive decided against breeding him until he's QAA.
The couple requests I've recieved have been unproven bitchs with weak pedigrees. I'm guessing pups would sell for $200-300. Most people shopping for this type of breeding probably don't want or need what my male brings to the table. I don't want to add to the unwanted dog population. Plus with health cert's I doubt I could charge enough to recoup costs with just a couple breedings.

Pup prices have recovered a bit the last year or so. For reference I bought a FC/AFC X MH pup 4 years ago for $900. A few weeks ago I bought a Pup from QAA with a couple open placements bred to a MH for $1200. Honestly on paper the second breeding isn't near as good.... But I'm betting this might be the one!

Good luck with your decision if you're unsure skip it. Plenty of good breedings out there!

Thanks Gatzby, I worry that it could hinder his ability to have a good name down the road when the right female comes along, also don't want his name on a weak pedigree.
I know what I have into him and his abilities, the way you put it that someone looking for a $200 pup doesn't need what your male brings to the table is exactly how I feel about my boy.

Thinking title him up and wait for the right female that I'll actually keep the pick of the litter for my next pup is probably the smartest thing.

 

[Kevin W]

I'll go at the question a bit differently, when you do find the female you want to let your stud breed make sure the female gets a current Brucellosis test. Brucellosis in a male can not only be painful but also render him sterile.
I have a male yellow that we breed with our female yellow and he has also sired two litters with other females. Both litters outside of ours we got the first choice male and sold them with pick up being at the litter owners place. Pretty much hassle free and straight forward.
I also pretty much try not to judge other peoples females as worthy or not pedigree wise. Everyone is proud of their dog regardless of pedigree, far be it for me to judge their dog based on pedigree alone. I will look over the pedigree and health testings to help the owner determine realistic pricing though.
The most important for me in order of importance is the Brucellosis test, the females owner and the female herself (I wouldn't breed my male to a mean female or an owner I had a bad feeling about or thought I couldn't trust). If the Brucellosis testing is ok and I feel comfortable with the owner going to have the litter and their female and they agree to my terms of first pick or monetary payment after a confirmed tie. I'll let them bring the female to me for a week. All breeding is supervised and a pic is taken for the females owner to confirm the tie.
One other thing to consider about using your male as a stud. After a set number of breedings the male has to be dna certified with the AKC for litters to be registered. I can't remember the exact number (I think 5 litters) but I had my male's dna certification done with the AKC last year. Just my thoughts above, your mileage and opinion may vary. Kevin.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

There are many things to consider when using a male for a stud. Kevin covered several of them. Breeding isn't a 100% thing. Sometimes the first lock up is long in coming. It is an experience thing and with the success your dog is having in tests/trials, he has shown he has some qualities worth owning. Protecting your stud is important, but you also have to use him. To a point, the more you use him the better he'll stay as a sire. Generally, the price of a stud fee is either first pic pup or the price of a pup. Understand, that some people will undervalue their pups to lower your stud fee. You set the fee representative of his quality and current wins/titles. Having all the heath tests should increase the stud fee accordingly. A return service for a failed breeding is usually also normal. Periodic brucellosis testing for your male should also be part of his annual health check if you're using him.