# Putting my dog to stud



## outwest

Nobody has answered you.  
I think having an intact male around can be more work than having a neutered male around, but it depends on the personality of the dog. Heck, I have a friend who has a stallion (intact male horse) and he is as sweet as pie. He is the only stallion I have ever seen who could live peacefully amongst a lot of horses. So, to answer your question I think having an unneutered male around can carry some added concerns, but most of those issues can be ironed out with training.

The first thing to do is to show your boy. Most people who are looking for a male want a title on them.


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## Vibrant

I have a 4 year old intact male standard who has been bred naturally twice and collected for AI once. I have found that in the two to three weeks following a breeding he is extra interested in ANY girl (and neutered boys, for some reason!) and can be a bit distracted. I take great care when he is around other intact males because though he is not an aggressive dog he can be dominant and you never know what the other boys will do. I haven't found his behaviour in the house changes around breedings and he has never marked in the house. I do have friends with intact males (not poodles in these cases) who find their boys really lose their minds, especially around breedings. I think I'm pretty fortunate with my guy.


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## Sookster

I agree with Outwest. Keeping a male intact and using him for breeding can mean that your dog will be more distractable around female dogs, more likely to run off, etc. You have to be extra vigilant. Dogs that run off are more likely to get stolen or hit by cars. If you want to do any type of performance, if someone brings a female in or near heat to a trial it can throw your whole day off because your male is going to be distracted. 

Before you even consider breeding, you need to do a few things. Do you have full registration on the dog? I'm honestly kind of concerned if you do. Most good breeders will not sell an inexperience owner a dog with full registration. If your puppy did not come from a reputable breeder, then he may not be breeding or show quality and should not be bred. If your puppy did come from a reputable breeder on limited registration, breeding is NOT an option for that puppy. If your puppy came from a reputable breeder AND you have full registration, your breeder should be willing to mentor you into the showing and breeding community. The breeder can point you in the right direction as far as handlers go, can let you know what health tests you should have done and when, etc.

All of this said, I don't promote early neutering either. I wouldn't neuter until 18-24 months old for a male, and that's plenty of time to see how he matures, get health clearances done, see if he can finish his championship, and then decide whether to breed or neuter him.


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