A few things to know about managing a stud dog ....
Once a dog has been mated, their personality will change. They become much more interested in other dogs and less interested in their people. Are you willing to give up your mama's boy for a sex crazed dog that is drooling after any female he can smell? Stay up all night listening to him whine and pace? Watch him stop eating for days because he is only thinking about mating and nothing else?
His humping a pillow really doesn't have anything to do with his ability to mate and tie with a female. Usually that is stress relief or dominance or boredom. He may or may not be able to successfully mate a female. Often dogs that are babied by their owners are unable to complete the act.
Typically the stud dog is smaller than the female. But even if he is smaller, if he has larger dogs in his pedigree, he could throw bigger pups which would make a c-section a very strong possibility for the bitch owner. You need to know his pedigree frontward and backward to make a decision on whether he should be used at stud or not.
Be prepared for marking (urinating) in the house. If he isn't doing it already. An intact male dog WILL mark. Your furniture. Your curtains. Your walls. Your clothes. Even people.
After he has been used as a stud dog, he will mark even more. It is hormonal and almost impossible to stop once it starts. Neutering MIGHT help, but once marking is a habit, you will likely be putting him in a belly band so your house doesn't smell like a urinal.
Health tests and conformation - I know you said your vet looked at him, but its good to have him evaluated by someone very familiar with a breed. You can find a local kennel club and see if there's a chihuahua breeder who might be interested in helping/mentoring you. He should fit the standard for the breed. This takes a trained eye because, to be honest, most people think their pets are beautiful. That does NOT mean they should be reproduced. Before he was bred he should be tested for patellas, eyes, and cardiac (heart). Our breed is OVER RUN with badly bred dogs with bad knees that require extensive surgery and rehab. Any bitch he is mated to should be tested for brucellosis which is a sexually transmitted disease that she can pass on to your dog.
Canine Brucellosis
Stud fee is agreed up on before mating. Stud owners don't guarantee conception, but will give a repeat service if there's no puppies. A stud owner is also responsible for the pups produced, although this usually falls to the dams owner. You permitted these puppies to be born, you are responsible for them. If someone can't keep a puppy, are you prepared to take it back? What if one of the puppies comes up lame at 10 months old and needs a $2000 patella luxation surgery? Are you prepared to pay for that? No? Then don't breed.
There are enough pets in the world. Good dogs are euthanized every single day. Go to petfinder.com and type in chihuahua. There are thousands of dogs needing a home. Why bring more into the world?
Does that mean chi's should never be bred? Of course not. But they should be bred by conscientious people who are willing to put in the time/effort to create dogs that are excellent and HEALTHY representatives of the breed. It is not a money making effort. It is time consuming, often heartbreaking, and expensive.
You could check out this thread if you are interested in more info .....
http://www.chihuahua-people.com/chihuahua-breeders-breeding/48665-you-thinking-about-breeding.html
And for more information on health testing that is required in chi's before breeding ....
Health Testing
Finally (sorry to write a novel) here is a great simple flow chart which shows whether or not your dog should be bred ....
![]()
I hope this post helps you!
Once a dog has been mated, their personality will change. They become much more interested in other dogs and less interested in their people. Are you willing to give up your mama's boy for a sex crazed dog that is drooling after any female he can smell? Stay up all night listening to him whine and pace? Watch him stop eating for days because he is only thinking about mating and nothing else?
His humping a pillow really doesn't have anything to do with his ability to mate and tie with a female. Usually that is stress relief or dominance or boredom. He may or may not be able to successfully mate a female. Often dogs that are babied by their owners are unable to complete the act.
Typically the stud dog is smaller than the female. But even if he is smaller, if he has larger dogs in his pedigree, he could throw bigger pups which would make a c-section a very strong possibility for the bitch owner. You need to know his pedigree frontward and backward to make a decision on whether he should be used at stud or not.
Be prepared for marking (urinating) in the house. If he isn't doing it already. An intact male dog WILL mark. Your furniture. Your curtains. Your walls. Your clothes. Even people.
After he has been used as a stud dog, he will mark even more. It is hormonal and almost impossible to stop once it starts. Neutering MIGHT help, but once marking is a habit, you will likely be putting him in a belly band so your house doesn't smell like a urinal. Health tests and conformation - I know you said your vet looked at him, but its good to have him evaluated by someone very familiar with a breed. You can find a local kennel club and see if there's a chihuahua breeder who might be interested in helping/mentoring you. He should fit the standard for the breed. This takes a trained eye because, to be honest, most people think their pets are beautiful. That does NOT mean they should be reproduced. Before he was bred he should be tested for patellas, eyes, and cardiac (heart). Our breed is OVER RUN with badly bred dogs with bad knees that require extensive surgery and rehab. Any bitch he is mated to should be tested for brucellosis which is a sexually transmitted disease that she can pass on to your dog.
Canine Brucellosis
Stud fee is agreed up on before mating. Stud owners don't guarantee conception, but will give a repeat service if there's no puppies. A stud owner is also responsible for the pups produced, although this usually falls to the dams owner. You permitted these puppies to be born, you are responsible for them. If someone can't keep a puppy, are you prepared to take it back? What if one of the puppies comes up lame at 10 months old and needs a $2000 patella luxation surgery? Are you prepared to pay for that? No? Then don't breed.
There are enough pets in the world. Good dogs are euthanized every single day. Go to petfinder.com and type in chihuahua. There are thousands of dogs needing a home. Why bring more into the world?
Does that mean chi's should never be bred? Of course not. But they should be bred by conscientious people who are willing to put in the time/effort to create dogs that are excellent and HEALTHY representatives of the breed. It is not a money making effort. It is time consuming, often heartbreaking, and expensive.
You could check out this thread if you are interested in more info .....
http://www.chihuahua-people.com/chihuahua-breeders-breeding/48665-you-thinking-about-breeding.html
And for more information on health testing that is required in chi's before breeding ....
Health Testing
Finally (sorry to write a novel) here is a great simple flow chart which shows whether or not your dog should be bred ....
I hope this post helps you!
