We sometimes elect to breed carefully planned dual-sired litters. If you have any questions about dual-sired litters, please feel free to contact us! 

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Here's a good article from the AKC on dual-sired litters with additional information.

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What is a dual-sired litter?

Female dogs can conceive from more than one male per litter.  A dual-sired litter is when a female is bred with two males, rather than with a single male. 

 

Are dual-sired litters planned?

While there are accidental breedings that happen when fertile males and females aren’t properly supervised and housed that can result in a dual-sired litter, the type of dual-sired litter we are talking about here is PLANNED.

 

In some instances parentage can be obvious from traits, such as color or pattern. In other cases, DNA testing is used. For dual-sired puppies that are AKC registered or registered with other registries, a DNA test is required.

 

Dual-sire litters are not used as frequently as single-sired litters, but are just as accepted by breed registries when DNA parentage testing is provided.

 

Why do some breeders intentionally use dual-sired litters?

Planned dual-sired litters are NOT the same as accidental breedings. Planned dual-sired litters undergo the same careful stud selection and screening process, just with two studs instead of one. 

 

There are quite a few reasons that would make a dual-sired litter advantageous.

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• You can get puppies from two sires in one breeding instead of 2. Producing puppies from two sires can allow a female to produce puppies with potentially different characteristics without having to do an extra breeding. This can reduce stress on the dam and reduce the length of her breeding career.

• A breeder has a less fertile or an unproven male they would like to use, and can use a second, proven sire as a “backup” to help ensure a pregnancy.

• A breeder can use two sires with the same dam and evaluate the quality of the sire’s puppies in a side-by-side comparison.

• A breeder can increase the genetic diversity in a given litter.

 

Are there disadvantages to a dual-sired litter?

For a buyer, there are no disadvantages to a responsibly bred dual-sired litter.

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For a breeder, there are added breeding costs, which can include DNA parentage testing, stud fees, additional veterinary costs if artificial insemination is used.  

 

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