I used to say yes too often. A bitch owner I liked, a sire that looked good on paper, a convenient location — and suddenly I was agreeing to a breeding I hadn't properly thought through. I don't do that anymore. After twenty-five years of breeding White Swiss Shepherds, I've developed a stud selection process that says "no" more often than "yes," and my breeding program is much stronger for it.
This is the process I use — both as a bitch owner choosing a sire, and as a stud owner deciding whether my dog is the right match for a bitch I’m being approached about. The criteria run in the same direction either way.
The Health Testing Bar
Health testing is the floor, not the ceiling. I won’t even open a pedigree discussion until I’ve seen full results from both dogs, and I mean actual certificates, not emailed claims.
For the breeds I work with and the breeds I’m most often asked about, my minimum requirements are:
- OFA or PennHIP hip evaluation (Fair or better on OFA; PennHIP distraction index that I can contextualise)
- OFA elbow evaluation (Normal)
- Full ophthalmic exam by a board-certified ACVO ophthalmologist, within the last year
- Breed-specific DNA panel covering the known disease mutations in the breed
- Cardiac evaluation by a cardiologist where the breed has relevant risk (not auscultation by a general practice vet)
- Thyroid panel (full, not just T4) where relevant
I understand why some breeders resist the cost. I also understand why some of them produce litters with preventable problems. The testing bar isn’t about covering yourself legally — it’s about the actual meaning of health clearances in the context of breeding decisions. A stud dog without a full workup isn’t a stud dog to me. He’s an unknown risk.
Beyond the Tests: Phenotype Tells You Things Pedigrees Hide
A dog with clean health paperwork can still carry issues that no current test will catch. This is where the phenotype of the dog itself — and the phenotypes of close relatives — does work that DNA panels can’t.
Movement. I want to see the stud dog move, ideally in person, on different surfaces. Videos help but they hide a lot. A sound gait at a trot tells me more about structural soundness than any single x-ray.
Body condition and coat. Lean, well-muscled, coat of appropriate quality for the breed and season. Dogs carried in heavy body condition at stud presentations concern me — both for what it says about the owner’s judgement and because chronic excess weight can mask structural deficits.
Temperament in a real situation. I want to meet the dog. Not at a show, where everyone is on best behaviour. In a normal setting. I’m looking for confidence without aggression, interest without compulsion, steady responses to novel stimuli. A dog that can’t be honestly displayed outside of a controlled environment is not a dog I’ll use.
Full siblings and close relatives. I ask to see the littermates, and the parents if possible. If three out of five littermates have anxiety issues and the one I’m considering is “the calm one,” that’s information about the genetic load in that line.
Pedigree Analysis That Actually Matters
Most stud discussions focus on the first three generations of pedigree — which parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. That’s reasonable but incomplete.
| Pedigree factor | Why it matters | How I evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| COI (10 generations) | Inbreeding coefficient predicts genetic load expression | Target <6.25% on a 10-gen calculation |
| Common ancestors | Concentration of a single dog’s genetics | Flag any ancestor appearing more than 4× |
| Longevity patterns | Predicts lifespan in offspring | Look at ages at death of 3rd-4th gen dogs |
| Health records on siblings | Catches recessive issues before your litter finds them | Ask for honest sibling updates, always |
| Known line-specific issues | Different lines within a breed carry different risks | Research the specific lines, not just the breed |
A pedigree is not a stud. A pedigree is a statistical prior on what a stud may produce. The dog in front of you is a sample of that distribution.
The Conversation That Either Makes or Breaks a Breeding
Once I’ve cleared the health and pedigree bar, the next test is the conversation with the stud owner. This is where I learn whether we share a philosophy or whether we’re heading for conflict.
Questions I ask every stud owner:
- How many litters has this dog sired, and what were the outcomes? Specific, not “most are doing well.”
- Have any offspring been diagnosed with health conditions? Which conditions, and how did you handle it?
- Do you place any restrictions on how offspring can be bred or shown?
- If something went wrong with this litter, what would your involvement be?
- What do you think this dog’s weakest trait is?
The last question is diagnostic. A stud owner who cannot name a weakness in their own dog is either not paying attention or not being honest. Either way, I’m out.
When I Say No
I say no when I like the dog but the owner’s communication is dishonest. I say no when the testing looks fine but the temperament of close relatives concerns me. I say no when the COI is too high or when the line concentrates ancestors I’ve already worked with heavily. I say no when my gut tells me something is wrong even if I can’t articulate it — and I’ve learned to trust that voice, because it’s saved me from multiple bad breedings.
Saying no is not a moral failure. It’s the essential act of ethical breeding. Every breeding I don’t do is a litter of puppies whose lives I am not responsible for. That’s a serious decision, and the default should be no, not yes.
When I Say Yes
When I say yes, I’m saying yes to a relationship, not just a mating. I expect to be in touch with the stud owner for the life of the resulting dogs. I expect them to notify me of health issues in offspring from other breedings that might be relevant. I expect to do the same for them. Good breeding is a community, and finding the mentors and peers who shape that community is as important as finding the right dogs.
If you’re considering a breeding and you can’t check every box above with confidence — don’t. Wait. A better option comes along more often than you think.