A practical starting point for a written stud service agreement, covering the terms most breeders need. Adapt it to your situation, and have a lawyer (solicitor) in your jurisdiction review it for high-value or unusual arrangements.
The most important first
- This template covers the core terms discussed in Mating agreements and practical planning — fee, non-conception terms, health testing, and paperwork responsibility.
- It’s a starting point, not a substitute for legal advice in complex cases.
- Both parties should sign and keep a copy before the mating takes place.
Template sections
1. Parties and dogs. Full names and contact details of both owners; each dog’s registered name, registration number, breed, date of birth, and microchip number.
2. Health testing on file. A list of the health tests completed by each dog, with dates and results (or attached certificates) — for example hip/elbow scores, eye certification, cardiac screening, and relevant DNA tests, plus a dated Brucella canis serology result for both dogs, taken within an agreed window before mating, and what happens if either tests positive. For example: both dogs negative and current at the time of mating, with the bitch tested ahead of this cycle and the stud within the last six months. If a result is missing or positive, the mating does not go ahead; state how any fee already paid is handled.
3. Fee and payment terms. The agreed fee structure (flat fee, pick of litter, combination, or other), the amount if applicable, and when payment is due.
What the kennel clubs say
Under the FCI’s International Breeding Rules (Articles 11–12), which apply in all FCI member countries unless the parties agreed otherwise in writing:
- A puppy as the stud fee only counts if it was agreed in writing before the mating, including when the puppy is chosen and collected, who pays for transport, and what happens if puppies are stillborn or there are too few.
- A correct mating earns the stud fee even if the bitch does not conceive. A free repeat mating or partial refund must be agreed in writing before the mating, and a free repeat lapses if the stud dog dies or changes owner, or the bitch dies.
- If a semen analysis shows the stud dog was infertile at the time of the mating, the bitch owner gets the stud fee back.
Source: FCI, International Breeding Rules. National kennel clubs may set stricter rules.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
Rules change, so always check with your own kennel club.
What the kennel clubs say
Some kennel clubs require their own forms. The Swedish Kennel Club (SKK), for example, requires members to use sales contracts with content set by SKK, to attach a veterinary certificate no more than seven days old on the day of delivery, and to hand over the registration certificate at the sale.
Source: Swedish Kennel Club (SKK), Basic rules (Grundregler), in force from January 1, 2026.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
Rules change, so always check with your own kennel club.
4. Mating arrangements. Planned timing method (e.g. progesterone-timed natural mating, or artificial insemination with fresh/chilled/frozen semen), number of mating attempts included, and who covers associated costs (travel, shipping, veterinary timing costs). Record the date and place of each mating or insemination and who was present. The stud owner agrees to use only the dog named in this contract, and to inform the bitch owner immediately if any other dog mates her. If the bitch boards with the stud owner, state who pays for her food, care and any veterinary treatment, how she returns home, and what happens if she becomes ill, is injured or dies while away.
Semen (for AI). For chilled or frozen semen, record who owns the semen, how many doses are supplied, how they are identified and where they are stored, who pays for collection, storage, shipping and insemination, and what happens to unused doses. Kennel clubs such as the AKC and CKC have specific rules on semen ownership, sealed containers and DNA profiles, so check your registry’s requirements before shipping.
5. Non-conception and small-litter terms. What happens if the bitch does not conceive (repeat mating offered, fee refunded in full or in part, or neither ). Unless agreed otherwise, a correctly performed mating is often treated as earning the stud fee — under FCI rules, any free repeat service or partial refund must be agreed in writing before the mating. Write out the terms here: how many repeat attempts, by when, and that the offer ends if the stud dies or changes ownership, or if the bitch dies. You may also include a refund if a later semen evaluation shows the stud was infertile at the time of mating. Also state, if relevant, how a smaller-than-expected litter is handled under a “pick of litter” arrangement.
6. Registration and paperwork. Who is responsible for submitting mating/litter registration paperwork, and the agreed timeframe for doing so. The stud owner agrees to sign the registry’s mating or litter forms promptly once puppies are born (the RKC model uses seven days from a written request) and to provide any DNA profile or AI certificate the registry requires. For example, the AKC requires a sire DNA profile once a sire has seven or more lifetime litters or more than three in a year, and for chilled and frozen-semen sires.
7. Liability and limitations. A statement that the stud dog owner does not guarantee puppies will result from the mating (under the FCI’s rules, a correct mating earns the stud fee even if the bitch does not become pregnant, unless something else was agreed in writing before the mating), and how any disputes will be handled. This is separate from whether the fee is due without conception, which belongs in section 5.
8. Signatures. Both owners’ signatures and the date, with each party keeping a signed copy.
In practice
A breeder adapts this template for a mating with an outside stud, filling in both dogs’ health testing details and agreeing a “pick of litter plus one puppy back” fee structure, with a written clause covering a repeat mating at no extra cost if the first attempt doesn’t result in a pregnancy. When the first mating doesn’t take conception, the written agreement — not memory or goodwill — is what confirms a second attempt was already covered.
(Illustrative, composite scenario.)
(Illustrative, composite scenario.)
Talk to your vet when planning: make sure both dogs have a current Brucella canis result before the mating date, and do not go ahead until your vet advises on any positive or unclear result.
Work on it
A few minutes here will teach you more than re-reading the article.
Ask yourself
- Does my current template cover non-conception terms explicitly, not just the fee?
- Have I attached or referenced actual health testing documentation, not just described it in general terms?
Find out & check
- Find out whether your breed club has an approved or recommended contract template you should use instead.
Do one thing
- Adapt this template for your next planned mating and send it to the other party for review before the mating date.
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Sources & further reading
- The Royal Kennel Club — Guide to Content of Stud Dog Contract (PDF). royalkennelclub.com
- FCI — International Breeding Rules (amended 2022, PDF). fci.be
- American Kennel Club — Artificial Insemination (registration requirements). akc.org
- American Kennel Club — Frequently Used Sires Requirement. akc.org
- Canadian Kennel Club — Policy & Procedures Manual, Chapter 4: Registration. ckc.ca
- Dogs Queensland (Dogs Australia member body) — Litter Application Guide (PDF). dogsqueensland.org.au
- Cornell University Riney Canine Health Center — Canine Brucellosis. vet.cornell.edu
- BVA/RKC Canine Health Schemes and Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA/CHIC) — Health screening schemes. bva.co.uk
This is general information, not legal advice. Where evidence is limited, recommendations rest on established practice and expert judgment, and may be updated as knowledge develops.
Next steps
- Related: Mating agreements and practical planning.
- Return to the area hub: Reproduction and fertility.
- This completes Area 4 — Reproduction & Fertility (14/14 articles).