stud service

Pictures of our gigolos on the bottom

Why use our stud service

With 48 years’ experience we can help guide your through the process from breeding to what to expect during the pregnancy to how to manage young puppies. We’d rather help you do this right than see you overwhelmed with this new ‘adventure’
Not to discourage you but if your main goal is to have the children see the miracle of birth – rent the video. Puppies are a lot of responsibility.
A lot of folks don’t wish to have a male on the premises – as simpler to avoid unwanted / unplanned pregnancy. Some folks only have room / time to care for a certain number of dogs and would prefer to have just the ladies.
Going to an outside male allows for more choices and offers genetic diversity in your planned litter. We have several males so can offer a selection. Our fellows are genetically tested mostly Embark DNA. The larger dogs and or their parents are OFA hips cleared. The smaller dogs are patella cleared. As part of a well-rounded dog, we are picky about temperament as dogs are large part of our hearts that non dog owners will never understand
We can offer more color choices depending on what you hopes are for having in your puppies.
Please feel free to ask any questions you do not find here or in our FAQ / blog pages.

Estrus cycle and stud service information. If you are new to this you may wish to look over our pregnancy page, that has been written as a guide for newbies. As always, edits, suggestions or questions are welcome.

We specialize in stud service as we are getting older. (we’ve been at this for 45 years) Our fellows offer their service to the lovely ladies. They are always up to earning some tennis ball and bone funds. Not that they mind the work..... As such we have more guys than gals as that is easier on us than having puppies.

AKC DNA OFA Golden retrievers – Buzz from our 100% Euro lines Isaac
The red golden retriever AKC DNA OFA Ranger from amazing championship hunting lines - mom even got an Excellent on her OFA hip score.

Toy poodle, Remus AKC DNA red toy at 9 lbs.

Our bigger fellows are OFA certified in addition to the DNA and or their parents are depending on the age of the fellows as OFA certification cannot be done until 2 years of age.

While we do not require genetic testing we do recommend you have your girl checked to help ensure the pups have the best chance at a long healthy pain free life. Our guys Fully DNA tested for eye PRA PRCD - DM nerve disorder and VwD bleeding disorder in addition to no history of epilepsy in our poodle lines.

fee $500 or possible pick of litter if we like your girl and the logistics work as we have had folks drive up from as far away as Florida since our guys are so wonderful in looks and temperament.

We try to avoid chemicals of all kinds for the first three weeks of pregnancy, although we may be overly cautious I'd rather err to the side of caution in the first trimester

So if your girl is coming into heat and is due for heartworm, vaccinations or worming soon, you should consider shifting the schedule and taking care of that now or holding off for a couple extra weeks to be out of the more hazardous timing.

Dogs have two phases to their heat cycle. During the first phase (called proestrus) there will be a bloody discharge from her vulva. Her vulva will become swollen and prominent. Male dogs will begin to show an interest in her. She may become aggressive toward male dogs during the first part of this phase. As this phase progresses, she will stop being aggressive toward male dogs but will sit down when they approach her. Proestrus lasts an average of nine days but can be as short as three days and as long as 17 days.

During the second phase (called estrus), the discharge from her vulva will become straw-colored but may have a hint of brown or red color. When approached by a male dog, she will stand and lift her tail over her back or held off to the side (this is called “flagging”). Her vulva will decrease in size but will still be swollen. When she is ready, she will allow a male dog to mount her for mating. Estrus lasts an average of nine days and can be as short as three days and as long as 18 days.

The total time of both phases of “heat” is about two to three weeks. The female dog will discontinue having discharge from her vulva by the end of the second phase and her vulva will slowly return to its original size.

Normally they 'spot' bleeding a little starting off - this may or may not be noticeable as you have already discovered. This period is about 10 days with continued enlargement of the vulva. About day 10 the 'color' changes more to a straw or thin mucus like discharge. At this time the swelling of the vulva will start to recede or be less turgid. At this time she will 'flag' her tail to either side and project the vulva backward with what looks like she may be trying to stand on her toes so to speak. You can scratch just above her tail on her back and get this reaction.

PLEASE do not use perfume on your girl. It really throws the fellows off. a non scented bath is ok but not needed as she will need a bath after their horizontal tango. toenails trimmed would be good as the courtship dance can involve a lot of bouncing and playing. for the longer haired ladies please trim around the vulva to facilitate - well... that should be obvious.

This is the receptive time which typically lasts about 3 to 4 days but can be from 1/2 a day to 7 days.

We like to have them dropped off about day 9 or 10 or when the flagging begins and have her stay a few days so we can witness a couple breeding's minimum over a couple days to ensure the best litter for you. We'd rather have them early and stay longer than miss the cycle for you. If you are unsure or where she is in her cycle or your schedule deems it necessary please do bring her early.

The girls should come to the male. on their 'home turf' they may be more defensive of their home to a stranger than interested in breeding. Further male would be off his 'game' away from home and while hormones normally take over it is better for the girls to come to him. We can then assist as needed and witness the breeding. We have over 40 year experience with this and want to ensure the best litter for you as well as the comfort of both dogs.

Some folks have opted to bring her and wait around which is fine if you hit just that perfect timing. Then to be sure of the breeding, bring her back the next day or wait one day in between. That would be up to you but certainly not the ideal.

Our breeding 'pen - aka - the love shack' is concrete 'floor' with 6 foot tall chain link topped by a metal roof for rain / shade as well as anti-climbing. We are on hand to assist with breeding as needed to keep your girl safe as she is in an unfamiliar place. We have at least one camera on them also for those that are fine left with your chosen male. For the ladies that are more accustomed to being a 'house' dog we have sleeping facilities inside with great dane sized crates and blankets away from the other dogs. they will get visits with their fellow several times a day so we can witness at least three matings over three days.

If your girl is on a special diet please bring a supply of her food. If she has a special blanket or toy that will make her more comfortable during her stay, bring that. We will not need her leash but do leave her collar on. She will NOT need a bath beforehand just be flea free please. She will need a bath when she goes home after they have bounced all over each other.

We have great dane size crates in a quiet room and clean blankets for guest so she is safe when not spending time with her 'boyfriend'.

For those not used to traveling. Withholding all food and water at least 4 hours before a car trip can help or if needed Dramamine child sized dose - full to 1/8 tablet for smaller dogs - does works for dogs.

Our warranty is no charge for re- breeding if no pups but we will require a statement from your vet when she is about 8 to 9 weeks along thus due to have pups as you should know by then if there are not going to be pups. We've had to add this requirement as some folks have tried for a free re-breeding only to have the kids or someone let it slip how nice the last litter of pups were or we found out otherwise. I guess this goes along with all the scammers that have come out of the woodwork for about anything. I truly hate this request....
if you only have 1 the next re-breeding is half price. This needs to be for one more breeding since some females may only have a pup or two every time and that is her egg production or she is getting on in age. The female determines the number of pups by her egg count with normal breeding. Part of why we like to have at least two witnessed 'ties' to ensure all available eggs are fertilized.

Please note fee is due when you pick up your girl not before as we want to witness the breeding as fair to you.

Cash please unless we have agreed on pick of litter beforehand.

We will re-breed a dog twice past that it is likely something is wrong with the female. for the 2nd try we may ask you to get a brucellosis test beforehand just to eliminate that concern. Our guy have been tested for brucellosis and herpes as a precaution.
Please note warranty is on best effort basis as in life things can happen to dogs or people. We will do our best to offer you an alternative if something has changed to our or the dog's status.

Typically dogs are 6 months between cycles. Some individuals may be 8 months to a year between. For dogs that had pups the last cycle it can be the normal 6 months to 6 months from whelping or from weaning. Once she has established her 'cycle' that will likely be her routine for life

At times we have more requests for pups that we can help folks with. With your permission we can let folks know you have pups

For those new to breeding we can help walk you through what to expect during pregnancy and rearing of pups

moving on now that you have pups - what ??

We’ve had folks availing themselves our stud service who are first timers at having pups. This is not a complete treatise on raising pups by any stretch. Inasmuch, I will merely touch on some of the nitty gritty for your edification and consideration.

Assuming all went well with delivery (whelping) we give moms extra ‘potty’ runs – supervised at least first day as we have seen one last pup delivered up to a day later. Not the usual nor out of the realm of possibility.

Mom will not want to leave pups so we provide ‘room service’ food and water close but not where pups could possibly get into a water bowl. Another reason we like ‘rabbit water bottles – available in a dog version that has a heftier tube ‘

Expect extra clean up of mom’s nest as she will leak fluids for a while during and after delivery.

About day three most breeds should have dew claws removed. You do not need a vet for this.small pair of dull scissors (sharp leaves a clean cut which takes longer to heal – think paper cut on you) some styptic powder – blood clot. Like a man’s shaving stick except in powder form. I.E. Styptic Blood Stopper Powder for Dogs & Cats - amazon has it for one

I prefer two people for this – myself and a helper to hold the pup on its side with one leg pro-offered to me at a time. One person can remove dewclaws if a 2nd is unavailable or unwilling…lol, it just takes a little more finesse with your grip. I grasp the dewclaw with my fingers or forceps if small pups, lifting enough to cut close to the leg. With gentle pressure the scissors will ‘slip’ into the joint between bones. Remove dewclaw and apply styptic powder. Don’t return pups to mom immediately so she will not lick and cause further bleeding. 10 to 15 minutes is adequate. Just keep pups warm – a box with some towels is fine.

We don’t dock tails on our usual breeds – if you need instructions email me…. This can be needed for a deformed tail which is rare but can happen.
At about 3 weeks old we give the pups their first de-worming. I prefer Pyrantel Pamoate Suspension, 50mg / ml – follow dosing instructions on bottle. Adjust accordingly for pup’s weight. Worming schedule can be every 2 to 3 weeks until pups leave home. Usually, at 7 to 9 weeks old as they are well weaned and socially ready to go be the boss (err – provide puppy love) in a new home.
Give the pups a chance to eat without mom. Pups will usually start eating real food at about 4 weeks of age even though they are still wanting to nurse. Mom will he happy to finish off what they don’t eat as a treat. Some youngsters are more precocious than others. All should be eating well by 6 weeks old. Most moms will be drying up milk production by then as well as being tired of teeth and toenails.
– which brings me to the nail trimming part, we start trimming nails by 4 weeks old as part of protecting mom and getting pups used to being handled for this procedure.
we soak puppy food ahead of time for perhaps 15 minutes with hot water to soften and make a gruel of sorts. Options are adding a few spoonsful of canned food for the ‘taste’ as well as being soft for little teeth. For the initial weaning a little puppy milk powder mixed in. NEVER cows milk. Goat milk is fine if you have a willing goat to donate some. Milk as pups grow older is not a good idea as dogs are basically lactose intolerant. Another option we like is cooked chicken livers – so nutritious… and since we raise chickens a nice farm fresh egg mixed in. there are many ways to make soft food, you’ll need to choose your preference.

As pups get older mom will clean up after them less so there is point at which you’ll need to decide what to do with the excrement and what surface you want to clean. Here it is newspapers many times a day as we set them out of their crate / playpen area onto newspapers as the beginning of crate to paper for the transition to outside house breaking. Other breeders we’ve seen you towels – pine chips – tiled surface and a lot clean up - play pen with special wire floor allowing debris to fall through to a pan below without hurting little feet. Many options here.

Vaccinations – you can do or see your vet. This is at 8 to 9 weeks old. Not 6 weeks as some older vets had learned and still do. We go by the latest protocol and veterinary school recommendations. Giving the shots yourself is up to you. Mostly I will recommend NOT getting leptospirosis on the first shot as younger or smaller pups could have a negative reaction. You can order shots online or acquire them at your local farm store should you choose this option. Your veterinarian can do a well puppy checkup and listen to their hearts, evaluate a stool sample for parasites – etc. something I can do although not everyone is versed in this. As such I am not discounting the vet’s role in a pup’s life just giving some basic into for your consideration.