Starting a new thread on stud dogs, semen quality issues to with HOT /HIGH temps

It's real simple , put the family jewels in the house, if you are selling semen, it is an obligation.

Thats where mine are. Chillin.

Testicles are located low outside of the body in an effort to keep the semen at a good tempeature. There are dogs who are sterile because of being in the heat. Heat kills sperm. There was a little thing going around during WW 2 where the sailors discussed sitting in a hot tub of water to make sure they didn't pregnate girls when they had sex. That is a little far fetched, but they believed it.

There is a Standard Bred farm near here who had a very famous stud horse. My older daughter worked with the yearlings. The horse named Bye Bye Birdie had a separate small building that was air conditioned and had cushioning on all walls and had calm music to keep in in the best conditioning as he was used by horses from all over the world. The farm is Hempt Farms and they take special care of their studs as well as the Hanover Farms horses. Just a bit about keeping cool.

Once they become sterile, can they regenerate sperm, in time? Just curious.

Don't laugh yet, there is validity to this. Keep reading.

The main thing for normal fertility in the male is, keeping his testicles from being too close to the body. In heat or hot weather, a dog's testicles will drop down as far away as they can away from the groin and body.

Even with that happening in nature, any male dogs sperm counts can drop lower than usual. It can lower in the winter, snow and very cold weather too. The testicles pull upward towards the body to keep them warm in cold weather. You don't want too much of any *good thing*.

If it were my stud dog, I would be sure the dog was comfortable, the same as my bitches for good health! If the dog gets too cold, the testicles go too close to the body. Keeping him and *her* comfortable in this weather is the right thing to do, not too hot and not too cool. Too cool can cause the same problem in it's own way.

This is why human repro doctors have told men with low or border-line sperm counts or who are trying to impregnate their wife, to wear boxers not briefs and to stay out of hot-tubs. Seriously, no joke! Briefs, especially snug briefs or men's bikini undies bring the testicles a little too close to the heat of the body when it's not necessary.

We also need to keep all of our dogs out of the heat. If breeders are worried about fertility, who knows how too much heat can stress a bitch also. I worry about their well being so they're in no higher than 78-82 degrees in this weather. I don't want them in 40 degrees constantly either. A friend keeps her boys of another breed in her large wine cellar. I told her she's nuts.

I keep their indoor area warmer then I keep the heavily used human areas of the house. Too much of either heat or cold isn't a good thing for fertility and most important, overall health. Jmo

How funny to be reading this thread today of all days. We are in the midst of the warmest (and most humid) summer in a while. One of my boys, 4 yrs of age does in fact live outdoors in the kennel and the heat.

A call came down for a bitch owner needing a shipment - today.

I was a bit nervous and reported he was seldom used and he has been outdoors all Summer long.

Collected him at 4pm - got a surprisingly good collection with fabulous motility and very nice volume. Looked like it did when he was 2.


So much for boxers.

There is a difference between the 2. Infertility can or might be treated in a dog or bitch depending on what it is. Sterility is often and usually permanent, also depending on the cause. Sterile in a male dog is usually a 0% sperm count or severely abnormal sperm or testicles. Sterility in a bitch or dog could be from a variety of conditions. That's what we have repro vets for, to determine causes and a prognosis.

All the more reason to clean out a boy once every month or 2 if he hasn't been used in that time frame. Do take a quick look under the microscope. Checking a girls fertility isn't as easy. Doing LH or Progesterone testing on a bitch if for example, you're waiting years to breed her is something you might want to do. It gives you a good idea if she's ovulating at the least.

Brucellosis testing in both sexes is also a good idea on occasion.

Then you missed the point. He *is* in boxers or naked, not in briefs! His testicles have been *hangin' low* due to the heat, away from the body.

He's only 4, I would hope heat or cold doesn't severely effect his sperm count. I'm glad to hear you got a good collection.

I hope he gets quality time with his owner outdoors although he doesn't live indoors at all. A nice steak for his great collection today would be appropriate.

Boxers or Briefs: You explanation makes perfectly good sense. Thank you.

This just brougt to mind a male that I used to see in the show ring years ago. He was not a very old dog, but he lived in the desert. I don't ever remember seeing a dog hung so low. Whenever I watched him move, his balls were just a swinging out behind him. It had to have hurt as it was just painful to watch

Yes, I agree with just wait, don't brag too soon. It will not happen right away but affect in a month or so. Thats why someone said wait until Fall and we may see how much the heat has hurt the stud boys or not. I would be going and having semen checked by Fall before I shipped out. Only fair to breeders who have paid big money to test girls for shipping and stud fees.

If all this were totally true I guess I won't be seeing any more stray pups born in a couple of months running up and down the highway, seeing as their multiple sires can in no way sire pups since they live in the heat and must be infertile!

"If all this were totally true I guess I won't be seeing any more stray pups born in a couple of months running up and down the highway, seeing as their multiple sires can in no way sire pups since they live in the heat and must be infertile"

Strays can go dig holes, even dens under the porches of vacant houses, and they can lie in swift streams to keep cool. Dogs in kennels, not so much! Even livestock gets fans.

Hmmmm...you are comparing two completely different scenarios.

Keep in mind that we are also collecting/shipping on alot of these boys. These are not natural breedings happening in a backyard where reduced fertility might not have as large of an impact.