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Archive for February, 2013

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover!

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover!

I think the important thing to most people is they like what they see!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so we all may be looking for something different in what we think is a nice looking pup.

Things to consider

Breed
Colour
Health screening
Sex
Big or small
Can you see mother of the puppies

When I look at a litter, I would have done my home work regards health screening to parents before hand. I’m looking for a bold pup not scared and willing to be handled, but also a nice looking puppy!

If you are looking to buy a puppy to breed from you should check to see if there are any breeding restrictions on the puppy, and whether these can be lifted.

You can’t buy your dog’s health!

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

You can’t buy your dog’s health!

When looking at different breeds one of the first things you should consider is what health issue’s that breed suffers from and whether there are current health tests which can be obtained from governing bodies such as the British veterinary association.

There are now D.N.A test’s that can be obtained before breeding which can guarantee the offspring would be clear of the said disease which had been tested for.

Clear x clear = clear
Clear x carrier = clear and carriers
Clear x affected = carriers

Carrier x carrier = normal, carrier and affected
Carrier x affected = carrier and affected.
Affected x affected = affected

So the main note is that as long as one of the parents is clear the offspring will never be affected by the disease. If your dog is a carrier please remember this isn’t a health risk your dog still can’t become affected.

However, there are health tests out there which can be obtained in certain breeds which should be obtained but doesn’t clear the next generation even though both parents can be clear.

Hereditary cataract is one of the biggest eye diseases which affects a few breeds which we have little control over. As there isn’t a D.N.A test available for this disease we cant be sure if our breeding stock is clear, carrier or affected.

There is an eye test which can be obtained from a B.V.A eye panelist for hereditary cataract this test will tell you if your dog is clear or affected at the time of the test. I can hear you say so what is the problem?? Well, your dog can be unaffected and obtain a clear eye certificate but your dog could be a carrier of the gene.

As we have already noted a carrier to carrier mating can produce clear, carrier and affected dogs. So the affected dogs keep creeping in to our dog population and keeping the disease alive!

Even though the disease then affect’s more puppies I must stress this hasn’t been done knowingly.

The same thing happens with hips and elbow score’s.
Hips are scored out of 106 in most breeds allowing 53 points on each hip. 53 being the worst score you can get and 0 being the best. We know from past results a 0/0 hip score on both parents won’t produce 0/0 hip score’s on every puppy born.
Unfortunately if truth be known if your dog score’s even 1 point it has hip dysplasia as this is a scoring system to score the onset of hip dysplasia.
There is a huge amount of stress put on dogs from environmental factors such as exercise, food and living conditions. There are breed average hip score’s available to monitor potential dogs for breeding stock.

Elbows are very similar however, do have a different scoring system. Elbows are scored in grades 0,1,2,3
If your dog score’s 0 / 0 it becomes a grade 0. If your dog scores a 1 / 2 it then becomes grade 2. Your dog takes the grade from the highest point on either elbow. The B.V.A have a leaflet explaining elbow scores and what they mean and the B.V.A do stress that dogs with the elbow grades 2 and 3 should be avoided for breeding if possible.

Does size matter!

Friday, February 15th, 2013

Does size matter!

Small
Medium
Large

Depending on what you want to do with your dog.
Very Active family
Moderate active family
Low active family

What type of coat
Age of children if any.
Do you have other animals
Size of house.

If truth be known it doesn’t really matter the size of your dog for a family pet as long as it is well trained and obedient.

As far as a working dog in concerned size can come into it, i wouldn’t suggest a working cocker for wild fowling! Not to say a cocker spaniel couldn’t retrieve a goose but some of the creaks can be deep and wide.

What sex is best!

Tuesday, February 12th, 2013

What sex is best?

We think this comes down to personal choice. There are some differences between dogs and bitches. Most of the differences are the same as in the human race for instance dogs take longer to mature and bitches have monthly cycles on a regular basis.

Old wives tails tell us a dog will stray for a bitch in season but in my experience bitches have a tendency to try and get to a dog rather than the other way round. Others say the trouble with a dog is they ” scent mark” all the time. If truth be known this will only happen if you allow it. I personally think the worst mistake people make is understanding castration of dogs. I think we castrate dogs far to young not allowing dogs to mature past hormonal feelings which may  lead to further problems. Dogs are loving, trustworthy and honest.

Bitches on the other hand are normally further forward in life at a much younger age than dogs. They are normally more driven for work and carry more of an edge to there work leading to style and drive.

This is not to say there hasn’t been any driven stylish dogs in competitions but if we look at past years within the working gundogs and competitions, there lies some truth.

Since 1990 there has been 23 Cocker spaniel championships held with 13 winners being bitches so just over half.

Since 1990 there has also been 23 Springer spaniel championships held with 20 of the winners being bitches.

Since 1990 there has also been 23 I.G.L Retriever championships held but only 7 of the winners have been bitches. Does this mean that the theory that bitches hold better potential for competition is wrong or are retrievers just more popular, so it would be commercially viable if you were to win the championship with a dog for stud duties.

Over 200 breeds of dog to choose from!

Monday, February 11th, 2013

There are over 200 breeds registered with the kennel club to consider when looking for a life long companion.
These breeds are divided into 7 different groups to which they fit into from what they were originally bred for.

Gundog – these are typical breeds which would have been used to flush, retriever or point game alongside the gun. The breeds are split between Retrievers, Spaniels and Hunt point and retrieve (HPR).

Hound – these are breeds typically used to pursue game by scent or sight. The breeds are split between sight hounds and scent hounds.

Terrier – these are breeds typically used to hunt vermin above and below the earth.

Working – these are typical breeds that work along side ourselves as guard, search and rescue dogs.

Pastoral – these are typical breeds associated with herding livestock.

Utility – this group consists of dogs that are hard to place in any of the other groups as most of these breeds were bred for other reasons than work so classed as non – sporting.

Toy – these are typical breeds bred to become lap dogs but over the years breeds have been added purely due to their size.

Things we should consider when choosing a puppy.

Monday, February 11th, 2013

What to consider when buying a puppy.
1. Breed.
2. Sex.
3. Size.
4. Health screening.
5. What you are looking for from your puppy.
6. Your lifestyle.
7. Cost.

Fallowfen’s Silver Cairn.

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

Hi there Amanda & Philip,

Just thought I would give you an up date on Cairn “wow” its been a really quick three years.

Cairn has matured into a very loving member of our family. she just wants to do what ever you ask, showing, obedience & agility.

Agility is her favourite she has advanced into grade 6 this is just 1 bellow the top grade in only just over 1 year competing she is a bit small so she measures a medium.

We are in the special good citizen final at Crufts again this year now she is older I hope she will not be as overwhelmed this year as she was 2 years ago just to keep us busy she is in the breed ring on the same day and YKC obedience with Callum on Thursday.

This is just to say a big thank you for giving us this perfect little Toller. I have attached some photos, will send video separate.

Janet, Michael & Callum.


Dog Microchip Date set for England.

Wednesday, February 6th, 2013

Every dog owner in England will have to microchip their animal by April 2016 under government plans aimed at cutting the growing number of strays.

To read the full story on the new Law regarding microchipping click here.

 

For more information on getting you dog microchipped please contact ourselves.

Cost for microchipping is £11.50 per dog or if you have a litter to be microchipped  the cost is £8.50 per puppy.

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