Stud Fees

Fees for use of stud are low; there owners have no trade union, so it is hard to know what can be done about the matter.

The dog with nothing to offer the breed is put at stud. The work does not come in, and the fee is cut and cut. The successful kennel must hold out for the correct fee and teach those proposing to breed that it pays to use a good sire because the quality of the puppies produced and their selling price.

Any dog whose stud fee is lower than those of the rest of his breed should be, whatever his qualifications, viewed with suspicion.

Puppy prices have increased so much; while some breeds the stud fee have remained constant. In a breed where numerically small litters are usual, the stud fee should be equal to the price of the puppy, but where litters of five and over are usual, the top dogs in the breed should demand one and half times the price of a puppy as there fee.

A custom of trade exist whereby owners of stud dogs agree to accept the first choice from a litter in lieu of a fee. Even when dealing with the closest of friends, such agreement should be put down in writing and signed over a stamp by the owner of the bitch.

It is also customary for a free service to be offered if the bitch fails to conceive; again, put the matter on a correct basis. This should also be put in writing, together with any special relevant conditions. For example, the owner of the stud dog cannot give a free service if the dog had died or left his possession, though of course there may be another suitable stud dog available in the kennel.

Douglas Appleton (The Dog Business Book)