I am currently looking for a stud dog for my next litter, I have a small breed, I have found a stud that I'm wanting to use, he is a champion, he is just over 7 years old, would this put off other breeders? He is still siring litters but not as many as he was a couple of years ago. The other stud I have lined up is a son of his, that is currently being shown and is doing very well, but I would much rather use the father.

Any friendly advice welcome.

Lois

I don't know if it would depend on breed but i've just had a litter of 9 by an 8 year old sire(large gundog breed)

Definitely wouldn't put me off using him LoisLane. I prefer using well proven older dogs whose stock can be seen and they are fit and able into their Veteran years. I had a litter sired by a dog of a large athletic breed when he was well over thirteen years old.

Hi Lois, I used a champion dog I have admired for a while he sired 9 pups born on his 8th birthday (in a breed 4/5 pups is the norm) Its good to see the stud dogs progeny at 3/4 years with clear health tests, but think its important to avoid 'popular sire' syndrome in order to avoid limiting the gene pool.
Angela

A dog I bred was 6 1/2 before siring his first litter, then had a happy 18 months and sired 5.

The sire of my current litter didn't sire his second litter until he was 7 (in numerically small breeds often good males are too closely related to the girls their own age and need to wait for the next generation of bitches), he is 8 now, and I am sure is not done yet.

A friends Champion male mated his first bitch at just turned 7 and they are 6 weeks old and hopefully he will be the sire of my next litter.

So no I would consider a dog of 7 in his prime, especially in a small breed.

There shouldn't be a problem in my opinion, as long as he has been used & has been productive.

There is a saying with some of the older folk in my breed along the line of 'if you like the dog use it's father'. So if you like the son then you wouldn't be wrong to use the father, especially if that is the dog you really want to use anyway.

> 'if you like the dog use it's father'. So if you like the son then you wouldn't be wrong to use the father

Sooooo glad that rule isn't applied to humans!!!

> Sooooo glad that rule isn't applied to humans!!!

That rule aside humans would do well to emulate responsible dog breeders though wouldn't they, only breeding from those that have had all health tests, have excellent temperaments etc

Can you imagine how many health tests would be required for human breeding though LOL. Seriously, we as human beings are predisposed to so many health issues that there would be no-one deemed healthy enough !
On a serious note, my husband's father died age 51 of heart disease, so perhaps my husband shouldn't have used for breeding - and my wonderful children would not be here !