I found this on another website:
Quote:
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Stud dogs are at their prime between 18 months and 4 years old (or 5), after that, the quality of the sperm starts to lessen, and the ability to penetrate eggs, lessens. By 10 years old, most stud dogs do not produce sperm that will impregnate a bitch.
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The oldest male I have used for breeding sired pups when he was 8 years old. The main thing is to make sure the male is in excellent health. I think most breeders retire the males around 5 or 6 years old but I do know of some show breeders that use their males much longer than that. Some will even freeze the sperm for later use.