Stud dogs

[Moobli]

For anyone who has bred or is considering breeding, when looking at a stud dog is it more important to you to like the pedigree behind the dog, the dog itself or a combination of both?
I am still considering my options with my bitch and am loosely looking at potential dogs if I did decide to breed a litter when I want another myself. The dog I am considering at present has a pedigree I like, has excellent health test results and an exemplary temperament by all accounts (albeit a little soft) but is longcoated with quite high set ears. I like his ancestors more than himself as a standalone dog if that makes sense.
As it isn't more than just the seed of an idea at the moment I am in no rush to decide, and have made plans to meet said dog some time over the summer.
Just interested in other's experiences.

 

[druid]

For me performance of the stud (not necessarily in competition but I want to see him hunt) and a strong dam line are key. I can get over looks (My best dog isn't my most handsome - in fact the most photogeneic is a useless muppet!). I do need good structure - no queen anne legs, no straight hind limbs, no good hunting like a demon and going lame at 2. I also look at the stud's own sire. If I don't like him then I won't use as they often pop up like the grandsire in looks and type ime.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Pedigree. You don't just breed the sire and dam, but all the dogs behind them.
Both parents have to carry the longcoat gene to produce it in the litter. Just because he's a coat doesn't mean he'll produce it.
Same with health tests, look at them back through the generations, not just the dog in front of you.
I like a show grade (you say high set ears - the grade will reflect any serious faults against the standard rather than opinion, or it should, anyway ) and a working qualification, ideally.
There's a popular stud dog throwing very large/soft ears but his own are fine, another throwing white patches but he doesn't have them himself, one of the most used sires of recent times has a question mark over elbows but his are fine, etc etc etc.
Agree a good dam line is a must, the bitch is the one who does all the hard work.

 

[Moobli]

Thanks both for your good and very valid points.
I was aware about both parents needing to carry LC gene to have LC pups but I don't think I will bother having her tested for the gene as I know a lot of people like the longcoats (I do too, just not the extra grooming) so no problem with a mix of coats in any potential litter.

 

[P3LH]

I call it the Jurassic park affect - for me, it’s all about unlocking what’s hidden behind them. Not everything we see before us produces offspring it’s own image and sometimes, particularly with the right dogs in the pedigree - you can almost ‘go back and unlock something’. A strong dam line is important too. The corgi is the definition of this, her sire has really marked all of his offspring but when mated to her dam (who is of a very old and very strong bitch line) his impact was lesser.

Far too many get caught up on popular sire syndrome. When we were considering taking a litter from madam we had lined up a US import (who went back to similar likes as madam) who hadn’t been used yet as, bucking the trend of the breed, he isn’t a flashily marked dog and isn’t as huge as some dogs. The premise of this was again, looking to breed back to certain dogs in the pedigree. As it is,she will be speyed.

My eldest rough collie goes back to CH jasand young Winston, who his one of my favourite roughs of all time. His sire went back to this dog on both sides of his pedigree. His sire’s parents looked nothing like CH jasand young Winston, yet his sire was almost a dead ringer in every sense.

breeding does fascinate me.

 

[Moobli]

Thanks Luke, that is a good analogy. Breeding and genetics are fascinating.

 

[satinbaze]

I have to look at pedigree as well as the actual dog for my bitch. She herself is 17% COI so I really need an out cRoss to reduce the COI . However this isn’t my only criteria as I need to like the stud dogs conformation, his health results and those behind him and also his temperament. Thank goodness I have almost a year to look at what maybe suitable

 

[druid]

Health results are a given for me - and not this "fully health tested" bollocks on stud adverts where you look and it's had one DNA test done

 

[Moobli]

I have to look at pedigree as well as the actual dog for my bitch. She herself is 17% COI so I really need an out cRoss to reduce the COI . However this isn’t my only criteria as I need to like the stud dogs conformation, his health results and those behind him and also his temperament. Thank goodness I have almost a year to look at what maybe suitable

Good luck in your search.