# Age of Stud Dog



## tbliss (Mar 26, 2009)

I understand that it is considered poor practice to breed a female dog under two years of age. Is the same true for males? Intuitively, I can see the rationale for waiting until a female is fully developed so that she is physically able to handle the pregnancy. What is the reasoning behind an age threshold (if there is one) from breeding a male?


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## nixietink (Apr 3, 2008)

You can't do final OFA clearances until 2 years of age.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Clearances. Clearances are not obtained until the age of 2. Additionally, males are not fully mature physically until 18-24 months, _minimum._


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

#1 cannot get all clearances until 2 yrs of age
#2 Males are a dime a dozen. Yeah there are special ones, but there are a plethora of stud dogs out there to choose from. Until they get infirm, generally fertility in males stays quite constant throughout their life. There is no physiological advantage to breeding to a young male. Now, why would you bank on the 2 yr old who's never been bred, when you can choose an older guy with a proven track record of producing nice puppies, puppies with clearances, puppies with titles, and oh yeah -- the fact that he's still alive at 5, 7, 9, 11 years old is a BIG advantage over that two year old guy. 

Not saying 2 year old males should never be bred. They gotta start somewhere. In my opinion they should be used on either #1 their owner's own proven bitch or #2 by an experienced breeder with great knowledge of her lines.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

K9-Design said:


> #1 cannot get all clearances until 2 yrs of age
> #2 Males are a dime a dozen. Yeah there are special ones, but there are a plethora of stud dogs out there to choose from. Until they get infirm, generally fertility in males stays quite constant throughout their life. There is no physiological advantage to breeding to a young male. Now, why would you bank on the 2 yr old who's never been bred, when you can choose an older guy with a proven track record of producing nice puppies, puppies with clearances, puppies with titles, and oh yeah -- the fact that he's still alive at 5, 7, 9, 11 years old is a BIG advantage over that two year old guy.
> 
> Not saying 2 year old males should never be bred. They gotta start somewhere. In my opinion they should be used on either #1 their owner's own proven bitch or #2 by an experienced breeder with great knowledge of her lines.


 
Yup. If ya like the son, go to the father.


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

Pointgold said:


> Yup. If ya like the son, go to the father.


 
Ditto. I know a few breeders who don't like to use any stud under the age of 7-8, that way they have a good idea of what the dog has produced, how long lived that dog's parents are (usually) and so on. There was a very popular show dog here who died quite young, after being used for breeding, and there are a lot of dogs from that line/kennel that have had early cancer issues. Nice dogs but....

Lana


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

tbliss said:


> I understand that it is considered poor practice to breed a female dog under two years of age. Is the same true for males? Intuitively, I can see the rationale for waiting until a female is fully developed so that she is physically able to handle the pregnancy. What is the reasoning behind an age threshold (if there is one) from breeding a male?


 
In addition to what Anney and PG have already said, you could cause long term confidence problems. Young inexperienced males can be put off if they encounter a snippy, snarley female. If the mean ol witch is his first experience, it may negatively effect his behavior as a stud dog for life. 

Wait until the boy has fully grown and matured in all aspects of life.


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