Recently I was reading through an excellent book, The Joyous Havanese, written by our friend, Kitty Braund. In it, Kitty reviews what she considers those things that a good andresponsible Breeder does and, with her permission, I'm going to share those things with you here and add my own comments in italics.
1. Puppies purchased and/or chosen to be future brood bitches or stud dogs should show potential in both structure and temperament. (We would only breed if our bitch exemplified both which is why we breed maybe once a year).
2. A quality diet should be a standard requirement for a potential breeding dog, beginning with the puppy. (We currently feed all our dogs Fromm's enhanced by those things we cook each day and add to their dry food).
3. Socialization of the puppy to people and environment must be an on-going, everyday endeavor. (Those that know us and have been following our lifestyle know that we not only frequently visit our "dog" friends but quite regularly have them over to visit us both to visit or to stay for a few days or a few weeks. We are very strong on socialization, helped out not only by the various dogs and puppy's that come to visit or vice versa but also by our two remaining adult children at home and our oldest daughter and two grand daughters when they come to visit).
4. Good mannering obedience classes are essential for the future brood bitch or stud dog; also classes for learning how to present your dog in dog shows are desirable. (All our dogs are graduates of obedience school. We have Canadian Champions, others taking theur turn in the show ring towards their championship and all have taken Obedience training courses starting after their puppy shots. We also have two that are pets. They will all live with us forever, equally loved and treasured). In 2009 we will be breeding Wasabi and in 2010 we will be breeding, Wasabi, Abigail and Fiona. The year after we will be retiring Wasabi and breeding our youngest addition, Treasure along with Fiona and Abigail. We lok forward to every moment that we will totally treasure.
5. You should join a local or national breed club. (We belong to the local Havanese Club as well as the Canadian Kennel Club. All our dogs are purebred and registered with the CKC).
6. You must complete genetic testing (CERF, BAER, OFA for hips, patellas, front legs). (We not only do all such tests but will continue to do them throughout the life of our dogs so that we help establish a medical history of the breed. This is something we take very seriously indeed).
7. You need to exhibit the dog at dog shows under Judges to ascertain quality and obtain the dog's championship before entering the dog in a breeding program. (As mentioned above, the dogs that we breed are Canadian champions.
8. Peruse books on genetics, canine structure and temperament; acquaint yourself with the various performance events. Note: Havanese excel in obedience, agility and tracking. (My wife and I have read just about every book we can get our hands on about dogs in general and Havanese specifically. We also communicate regularly with experienced and responsible Breeders from all over Canada and the United States. By the way, every Havanese we have ever taken to Obedience class has finished at or near the top of his or her class. Havanese are very intelligent and very agile).
9. Conduct research into the pedigrees of your puppy's background and conduct a thorough investigation of the pedigree of the stud dog you intend to have your bitch mate with. The stud you choose should help you breed away from your bitch's faults. If you own a male, the same studies should be conducted on bitches you choose to have him mate with. (We did background research for months before deciding on the sire for Wasabi. And when we settled on Rockhurst's Buster is wasn't so much because he was an American and Canadian champion but because he was such an excellent match for Wasabi in terms of producing a litter of puppies that might excel even over their beautiful parents). This tiem around we are breeding her to our own male who can be found in many of the videos playing with the pups and jumping in our pool.
10. Follow through with necessary veterinarian care. (We do it all and we will insist that anyone that gets a puppy from us continue to do so because it is the right thing to do on so many levels).
11. Be able to travel with your bitch to the stud's residence and/or work with a reproduction Veterinarian if chilled or frozen semen is going to be used for mating. If you own a stud dog, be sure you have the ability to house and care for the bitch for the length of her estrus and be able to supervise the mating. (We traveled to St. Louis, Missouri so that our Risa could mate with Wincroft's Buster. I drove to Wakefield, a bit north east of Ottawa, to breed Wasabi with Rockhurst's Buster etc).
Some of the content quoted above was from Kitty Braund of Our Joyous Havanese fame. She also does a must have magazine called 'Our Havanese' The mission of the magazine is as follows: A bimonthly celebration of this beautiful Companion Toy Dog - Information, education and pictures galore."
"Great articles by their talented staff of Contributing Editors, fascinating interviews and Havanese photos galore. Each issue contains the AKC and CKC Havanese standards. And sometimes judges (we send to Havanese judges) respond with critiques! U.S. Subscriptions for one year (6 issues) $36.95; Canadian $47.95 (U.S. Funds); Overseas $65.00. Click here to contact Kitty Braund directly and let her know where you found her.
No comments:
Post a Comment