[grace90]

Hello,

I have an 8 year old Chocolate Labrador "Mofz Finnegan by Treburrow".

 

[Guest]

how long have you had him?

 

[Sleeping_Lion]

On what agreement did you take him on from Treburrow, ie did you buy him or was he rehomed with the knowledge that you would perhaps like to breed? What health tests has he had done, and what do you know about Labradors and breeding? There's a lot of responsibility attached to owning and handling a dog at stud, your dog has the propensity to bring many more lives into the world than by breeding a litter of pups with your own bitch, and unless you know what you are doing, and know your dog and their lines, I would suggest you don't go ahead at least until you are satisfied you've done enough research.

 

[grace90]

We have had him for about 5 years. We had no desire to breed from him initially but we would just like to continue his blood line. We have been asked to breed off him before but we have no knowledge of dog breeding and had no real desire to do so as he has always been just a pet.

We would just like to own a pup by him. He is a full pedigree and has competed and sired litters in the past. Whats the likelihood of a breeder (who knows what they are doing) being interested in him as a sire?

I obviously realise that question is extremely contextual but is it ridiculous that dog breeder would breed with a dog like mine? As in because we are not experienced.

 

[Shrap]

You would need to have his elbows x-rayed and scored by the BVA. He only has hips done.

It is unlikely a good breeder would want to use him unless he has done well in the show ring or is a good proven worker.

 

[grace90]

I would never do anything irresponsible. We also don't own a bitch and would never breed him with someone who didn't know what they were doing!

 

[Guest]

looks like this dog has been tested pretty good hipscore too , how often do the eye tests have to be done or is it just the once ? see this is how much i bladdy know!

 

[dexter]

looks like this dog has been tested pretty good hipscore too , how often do the eye tests have to be done or is it just the once ? see this is how much i bladdy know!

IF an AB wants to use a dog the eye test certificate has to be up todate.

 

[Guest]

IF an AB wants to use a dog the eye test certificate has to be up todate.

it's not a recent one , if op is happy for me to put the test results up i will

 

[Kinjilabs]

I doubt very much if anyone would want to use him now at 8, if he's a family pet now why not just keep him as one, once he's had a taste of bitches again he's likely to want more and that could cause you and him frustration

 

[Linden_Tree]

If he has already been used at stud, then his bloodlines already continue.

If all he has had done is hip scoring, he would also require his elbows scored which would require sedation/GA (not something i would risk in a dog hitting his senior years) plus Optigen PRA testing. I also believe there are also now tests available for both MRD and CNM.

In a breed as numerically common as the lab, only the very best should be bred from; from the sounds of it, yours is not and should be left to enjoy his twilight years in peace.

 

[Sleeping_Lion]

I'm posting and dashing but he's only had hips and eyes done from the looks of it, which is what a lot of people did around the time he was done, elbow grades were just coming in, and we now have a few more genetic tests which are pretty easy to have done, involving either a blood draw or cheek swab. Whilst you don't necessarily *need* health tests to breed, it would be irresponsible obviously to breed not knowing whether your dog could produce pups that might be affected for some sort of hereditary condition that could have been prevented.

My first port of call for you would be to contact the people who sold him to you, and explain your intentions, there may have been a reason he was sold on to a pet home, and they stopped their breeding plans with him.

You would struggle to find an owner of a bitch who would want to use him, except the type of owner you don't probably want to attract. Have you thought about researching his lines and buying in a pup from similar breeding, it would be a lot easier, and less worrying for you personally knowing there are pups out there you are responsible for bringing into the world. And they may possibly be bred on from etc, etc.

I'll be very honest with you, he looks a lovely boy, but his pedigree contains dogs that aren't uncommon, so his lines are already out there, and being perpetuated with plenty of other dogs. So I wouldn't worry he hasn't contributed towards the gene pool overall

If you did go ahead, there's no guarantee you would get what you want, I have a bitch pup here, and I planned long and hard about which direction to take and whether or not indeed to breed at all. I have (so far) ended up with the type of character I was after, she isn't like her mum, she's more outgoing, now it's just a matter of waiting to see how the rest of her turns out as she grows.

One thing to think about as well, if you did decide to go ahead, I had a financial disaster with my one litter, and ended up £3k out of pocket, after all the health tests, progesterone tests, emergency out of hours c-section, losing two pups following vet treatment. How would you address a similar issue if you went ahead, found a bitch owner, and something similar happened?

From your posts you seem like you want to do what's right after researching thoroughly beforehand, good luck with the research for now. One website to have a look at is lab health, if you google it it should come up, lots of information on there about the health tests.

 

[rocco33]

We have had him for about 5 years. We had no desire to breed from him initially but we would just like to continue his blood line. We have been asked to breed off him before but we have no knowledge of dog breeding and had no real desire to do so as he has always been just a pet.

We would just like to own a pup by him. He is a full pedigree and has competed and sired litters in the past. Whats the likelihood of a breeder (who knows what they are doing) being interested in him as a sire?

I obviously realise that question is extremely contextual but is it ridiculous that dog breeder would breed with a dog like mine? As in because we are not experienced.

If he'd already been used at stud then there is no need as his bloodlines will already be out there. Does his breeder/prevous owner know that you would like to use him at stud? Do you have his Kennel Club papers? are they endorsed? If he was rehomed to you as a pet I would think his breeder/previous owner would be very upset if you suddenly decided to use him at stud.

In addition, stud work is not as simple as it sounds. All sorts of things can go wrong including internal damage to the bitch or your dog - as stud dog handler you really need to know what you are doing and be experienced in handling stud dogs to prevent injury which it doesn't sound like you are. I would just enjoy him as the wonderful pet he is. If you are looking for another puppy from his lines, then as he has already been used, it shouldn't be too difficult to track one down.

 

[Sled dog hotel]

Hello,

I have an 8 year old Chocolate Labrador "Mofz Finnegan by Treburrow". He has only ever been a pet to our family but has sired a few litters previously with his breeders Treburrow Labradors. We love this dog and wish to continue his blood line and are interested in studding him. I know there is a thread about studding your dog posted already but is the protocol different when he has already fathered litters?

On checking Guide Dogs for the blind retire their stud dogs at the age of 8 which is the age he is now, so their must be a reason for this. Also if you have had him for a total of 5 years his breeders too must have had a reason to considering retiring him at 3 years old I would have thought too.

FAQ for becoming a brood bitch holder or stud dog holder

When does a Brood Bitch or Stud Dog retire?

Broods will normally retire at 7 years of age. Studs will normally retire at approximately 8 years of age.

 

[tra23dog]

I would be wondering why he was placed in a pet home - if he was shown and has good health tests and used at stud before, he must have been sold to a pet home for a reason. I would contact Gordon and ask him.

Also stud work is not all a bed of roses. You should have ideally bred a couple of litters as it is your duty to give the Bitch owners advice on pregnancy, whelping, raising the pups and help with selling them. In my experience, Bitch owners don't always ask their Bitches owner - they rely on the stud dog owner for help and advice. You will need to know about a Bitches reproductive cycle and how to tell if she is ready for mating. What to do if she objects but is premate tersted ready. It can be physically demanding, trying to protect the Bitch and your stud dog during a tie when the Bitch is struggling and trying to bite in some cases!

There are plenty of breeders with similar lines, so I would get a pup from them and enjoy your boy as a pet.

 

[grace90]

Yeah maybe we should just leave it. A vet once told us he's gay, he not interested in bitches on season and he's a peculiar character. I doubt a pup of his would ever emulate his personality.

 

[Owned By A Yellow Lab]

Yeah maybe we should just leave it. A vet once told us he's gay, he not interested in bitches on season and he's a peculiar character. I doubt a pup of his would ever emulate his personality.

I totally understand that you adore your boy and would like one of his pups but have to agree with what others have said. Also there are SOOOO many lovely Labs in rescue, might be an idea to find yourself another quirky personality that way....?

Great that you're approaching all this using common sense, so many people don't!

 

[emmaviolet]

If you want his line to continue see if he has produced any litters in the past where those pups have gone on to have pups of their own and you could see if you could purchase from those lines.

 

[Werehorse]

I think your best option if you want a pup would be to look what has happened to the dogs in the previous litters he sired, see if any turned out well and have been bred from and see if there are any litters being planned out there where he features in the pedigree (you could find a litter of great-grandchildren out there - how sweet would that be? Much better than the stress of studding him yourself!). And if not a direct relative something from similar lines.

Personally I think 8 is a little old for stud duties (he might disagree himself though JOKE, seriously a joke!) - as someone else said he'd have to go under GA to have his elbows scored and that wouldn't be great at his age.

 

[dexter]

why do you think 8 is to old for stud duties?