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. This can be done with live cover or via artificial insemination. A multiple-sired litter is a litter of puppies born from the same mother but have different fathers. A stud double is a multiple-sired litter having two fathers and a single mother.

Are dual-sired litters planned?

While there are accidental breedings that happen when fertile males and females aren’t properly supervised and housed which 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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• One can get puppies from two sires in one breeding instead of one. Producing puppies from two sires can allow a female to produce puppies with potentially different characteristics without having to do extra breeding. This can reduce stress on the dam and reduce the length of her breeding career.

• A breeder has a less fertile or unproven male they would like to use and can use a second, proven sire as a “backup” to help ensure a pregnancy. At Stokeshire we will use AI with one of our Studs as a backup.

• 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. This is one of the main reasons we like to use a dual sire for our litters.

• As a breeder or even a pet parent, if you are confused about whom to mate your dog with, amongst multiple purebred dogs, multiple siring helps a lot. You can simply compare the puppies of two potential sires, side by side, and decide which father you prefer for future matings. It becomes your trial run for the many years to come.

• However, if your beloved dog doesn’t have many fertile years left in her, multi-sired mating is the best choice.

• Multiple siring is also a surefire way to ensure that the female’s ovulation does not go waste. Siring with two dogs ensures that you will definitely get a litter, even if one male has fertility issues.

Are there disadvantages to a dual-sired litter?

For a buyer, there are no disadvantages to a responsibly bred dual-sired litter. There are added breeding costs for a breeder, which can include DNA parentage testing, stud fees, and additional veterinary costs if artificial insemination is used.