So you'd like to own a stud dog? Good income, dog does the work, you sit back and collect the fat fees with a big smile on your face? Let me disillusion you.
The first rule of stud dog ownership is that all the faults in the puppies come straight from you-know-where: your pride and joy, Ch. Nevermiss. Even if the bitch has a wry mouth and all her ancestors for 12 generations had wry mouths, woe unto you if her pups have wry mouths. That will indisputably be Nevermiss' fault. No amount of argument, no track record of 100 wry-free litters, no amount of genetic research proving the contrary will dissuade the bitch's owner from the belief that Nevermiss consistently sires wry mouths.
Puppies do not have mothers. And if one of the offspring in the litter escapes all dreaded problems and goes on to finish its championship in a blaze of glory, you can be sure that someone at ringside will point out the slightly low tail set with a smug, "Nevermiss had that tail set, too."
A less public aspect of stud dog ownership is the care of visiting bitches, which may often be difficult and frustrating. The darlings may refuse to eat in their strange surroundings. They may be shipped for pickup during rush hour on Memorial Day weekend. They may elect to savage the poor stud dog in the very act of procreation. Until you, and perhaps your non-doggy spouse, have had the pleasure of wrestling with a bitch desperate to escape the tie and keen on annihilating both you and the dog, you will have missed out on one of the consummate pleasures of stud dog ownership.
You may discover that the bitch's owner fails to fill you in on a few minor details: She really loves to go out at 4 a.m., or no fence has been invented that can hold her. I relate the following true story as an example. Some years ago, a bitch was shipped to us. She was very sweet. The breeding went easily. The bitch was placed in her shipping crate in our kitchen. We locked up the house and went out for several hours to do errands. Upon our return to our property, we noticed a Boxer bitch in a neighboring driveway. In amazement and shock, we realized it was her! Luckily, I leashed her without difficulty, and we approached the house with considerable trepidation, fearing robbery or worse. Our fears were unfounded; the kitchen door was locked tight, the dogs were okay and no evil spirits lurked about. But Poopsie had broken out of, and demolished, her securely fastened crate, climbed up on the sink and broken through the window screen to drop to freedom in our garden below. For 63 days, we waited to be sure that the resulting puppies would be Boxers and not Boxer crosses! Luckily (very luckily) all was well. But Poopsie's owner did mention, much later, that she forgot to tell us that her "baby girl" really resented confinement!
Stud fees are normally paid for as a service, not as a guarantee of live pups, let alone show quality ones. Try telling that to the pet bitch owner who wasn't really sure what day his beloved canine came into season but who was very sure it was Nevermiss' fault when she came up empty. It's essential to put all of the terms in writing at the time of the breeding. As a courtesy, it is common practice among stud dog owners to offer a free return service if no pups are forthcoming, but this is usually not an obligation. Often, the bitch's owner wants his money back, never mind that the dog performed and that you boarded the bitch for two weeks while her family enjoyed a seaside holiday. If you could do without repeated phone calls from agitated owners, you will heed well my advice to put all the breeding terms in writing, no exceptions, least of all among friends.
Ah, the pleasures of the stud dog. It takes a special kind of breeder to own and promote one---the kind that takes pride in what his dog can do, and who sees the sire in the clean, smooth look of the son and knows that Nevermiss will make a lasting contribution tothe betterment of the breed. That pride may make all the aggravation worthwhile, long after Nevermiss has gone to his reward, and his offspring are producing the stars of tomorrow.
I am delighted to be your Boxer columnist once again. Please don't hesitate to write to me with ideas and comments; they will be most welcome.
Stephanie Abraham
P. O. Box 346
Scotland, CT 06264
