You have a wonderful male Chesapeake ~ who is a great gun dog/ family companion/ water dog/ etc. ~ and you want to find a female to breed to him so you can get a puppy!
Local Females
You might find someone locally who owns a female Chessie, and would like to find a stud dog- but these combinations are risky. Neither you nor the person who owns the female normally has any idea what the pitfalls are in the pedigrees (family trees) - and combining these dogs can lead to very big health problems for the puppies. Most of the time the female does not have any health clearances nor is she registered with AKC (has papers). So taking a puppy from a breeding like this may lead to long term heart ache for you.
Breeder's Females
Most breeders take care to breed quality animals together in order to improve their breeding stock. Breeders who have a quality female will want a quality male. Most breeders have high expectations for male dogs, as he must prove he is a worthy stud candidate for the female.
If you would like to have your male considered by breeders, here is a list of things you will have to do or have for your dog:
- He must look like a Chesapeake Bay Retriever
- He must have a good temperament
- He must have a correct bite- either scissors or level
- He must have an Unlimited/Breeding AKC Registration number
- He must fall within the American Chesapeake Club Breed Standard
- He must have an OFA or Penn Hip Certification Clearance for his hips
- He must have an Eye Certification from CERF
- He must have a PRA Certification from Optigen (non tested parents)
* Total costs for these clearances should run between $300- $400
** Before you decide to spend the money to get his health certifications we suggest that you have his semen checked
Titles
To improve his chances of being used for stud work, most breeders will want a competition title such as a Show Championship (CH) or field or working title to prove worthiness for breeding and trainability.
Help
We are always willing to help, so you can begin by sending us your male's four generation pedigree. We also need to see photographs of your male. The photos should be of his head and one of him standing to the side to show his complete profile. Please take the photos in the sun light. DO NOT send us large email files.
If all of this seems over whelming, we would be happy to chat with you about what makes your boy so special, and perhaps we will be planning a litter that might produce a similar type of puppy for you.
Questions? email us ~
Laura@longmeadowchesapeakes.com
