Dogs at Stud and other information
Stud fee is paid after the first tie,
stud contract providing details needed to register pup, invoice and pedigree is provided after the stud fee is paid, not before.
If no pups a free return is always offered,
This is not a “try before you buy” service, once the bitch has been mated what happens then and her care is completely out of my control and there are any number of things that would prevent pups.
All my stud dogs are proven, regularly fertility tested to make sure everything is how it should be and no infection present, all have a vet certificate of good health, correct teeth/bite and 2 testicles present.
I recommend that bitches are progesterone or cytology tested prior to mating, and this is particularly important for maiden bitches or bitches that have missed in the past or have irregular seasons.
In my experience bitches can ovulate anytime from Day 9 to Day 28, and therefore the traditional method of mating on Day 12 and 14 can easily go wrong and wouldn’t produce any pups or worst a singleton which can cause massive complications for the bitch.
This is why there is an average success rate of 70% with natural matings, as opposed to over 90% when progesterone tested by a reputable laboratory.
Bitches are often nervous and stressed when being brought for a mating (particularly maidens), and react defensively and refuse to stand. Without progesterone testing it is impossible to establish whether the bitch is behaving like this because she isn't ready, or just because she is nervous, in which case it is obviously worth persevering!
Some of the many benefits of numerical progesterone testing are as follows:
- Over 90% success rate (as opposed to 70% for untested bitches)
- Less stress for the bitch - re likely to stand and get a 'natural mating'
- Higher litter size
- Saving in time and fuel costs with wasted journeys when the bitch isn't ready
- It is possible to just do one mating instead of the usual two, so just one journey
Each numerical progesterone test costs between £40-£50, and around £20 for Cytology.
The first test would typically be done on Day Nine. This can be very helpful if you aren't sure if you accurately identified Day One!
There are several types of progesterone test available;
- The swab test that looks at the cells from a smear test
- Pre-Mate tests (a colour swatch) offered by most vets
- Numerical testing in a laboratory
I also always jab my bitches for canine herpes and a course of antibiotics, if you are wanting to do this I recommend speaking to your vet for advice.
