What is a TOP STUD DOG??????

[vicky payne]

My veterinary opinion is that ANY dog used for breeding should be health tested. I tested my young dog not because I expect to make thousands out of him, but because he is covering a few local bitches and I sleep better at night KNOWING he hasn't passed on anything we could have tested for! I look forward to the day when health tested spaniels are the norm as it is for labradors. Then I could choose from a much wider range of bloodlines than at present. There shouldn't be a choice between health tested OR FT awards- why can't we have both (or is that pain greedy?!)
I've read this thread wih interest as I am waiting for a new pup ...I have wrestled endlessly with whether to buy from a FTCH xFTCH litter or from 'normal' dogs that I like. Perhaps for a pro seeing and knowing the dogs personally is not as important as it is for someone like me who has one chance every 4years! I'm trusting the breeders of a line I really like, using a maiden dog (who I like on paper) so maybe this is a risk? But would a novice handler like me do any better with one from the FTCHxFTCH litter I saw last week?
It would help enthusiastic novices to know more about the sires of their pups. I'd love to see more video footage of dogs so I could see if I liked their hunting and maybe some 'vital statistics' as judging the size of a dog can be hard from a picture!
I think there is a risk if we only look at the number of winning pups hat a sire has produced that we fall into the popular sire syndrome that so haunts the show ring. Percentage of winners in the pups sired may be a better measure, but it's probably no substitute for getting out and seeing dogs; we each probably have a different 'Top Sire' depending on our aspirations, bloodlines and future plans.