Labrador Retriever Forum
Each Breeder who competes in conformation shows should have goals, and a plan to get there with detailed actions, and evaluation of progress on a regular basis. These are long- term and the truth is most "breeders" aren't arround long enough to see results.
One of the important parts of the plan is stud dog selection criteria.
#1) Is the dog championship quality (does not mean all that are champions) of the type you desire? Has he won under judges you respect, with the best competition at the shows we all know have the best entries every year? If the record is not there do you have the expertise to look at him and make that determination. Do you have a history of producing dogs that win at this level? If he can't win there is a reason and that is probably why I won't breed to him.
#2) Can he produce? Are his progeny filling the requirements in #1. How much has he been used? what type bitches is he producing the best pups ? How many Ch. Quality offspring has he produced? Is his Pedigree stacked with championship Quality that has produced?
#3) Temperment, no matter how good they are you have to live with them.
#4) Health considerations.
FACT. The more traits you select for the harder it will be to reach your goal.
FACT. The more you change directions the harder to make progress, these are long term 20 plus year projects that often involve many $10,000 invested and countless hours.
The Truth, most use the stud dog of convenience ie their own(cheap), a friend will give it to them or he is close. Let's face it a small % of Lab Breeders have an extra $1000 for a stud fee unless they have planned for it. The money spent on stud fees should be the top priority to obtain you goal. There are many other important ingredents to breed quality labs this has to be part of the plan.
Once that pup is bred it has to be raised right, trained,...........
if it was easy everyone would do it.
Don't assume convenience is only the reason breeders use their own stud dog. Sometimes their own stud is the right match for their bitch with regard to pedigree, clearances, type and more. It could be their own stud is the champion who is producing. Or the breeder could have planned breedings to create a stud to match with their own bitches from several generations of breeding. Their are so many variables that come into play with breeding you can't just draw a line in the sand.
Well put, especially this part: "Or the breeder could have planned breedings to create a stud to match with their own bitches from several generations of breeding."
It's quite a judgment to say they use their own studs because it's cheap. Years of planning and breeding are behind many breeders studs.
Some people use their own stud dogs because they understand what he is himself and what is behind him. Going to an outside stud dog requires trust that the stud dog owner is going to be forthright about what is behind their boy. This is getting harder to do as many people enjoy their cloaks of secrecy.
My stud dog choices are further limited because I want to see proven working ability/good work ethic (not just minimal instinct) behind the stud dog and there aren't a whole lot of them out there. Judges I respect are breeder judges who have experience working dogs in the field who have also consistently produced working dogs that are nice representatives of the standard. Again, these people are few and far between and are a "dying breed". It is hard to find dogs that have won under these breeder judges because I rarely see people with these qualifications judging at shows. I often have to settle for showing to breeders who once did obedience 20 years ago. I might as well show to an all-breed judge.
Because of this, I either go off of proven pedigrees or I breed to dogs I know personally because I have seen their work ethic first-hand.
What "Not so easy" said!
It is very hard to find dogs with the health and working credentials I want and a pedigree I know and trust. I bred to a dog I co-own for my last litter for those very reasons. You know what lurks in the pedigree both health-wise and type and structure-wise.
