Well it looks like the race is on to find tailless litters...All this was predicted by Pierre Willems. Not sure we have got to the bumper puppy prices as yet?
So now we have to deal with working ability from parents proven in the field and retrieve too a good looking dog, a good temperament -some are getting grumpy- and no tail! well for some...
Let's not forget about health too. When picking a puppy, make sure you know some history behind it, hip scores, (which the club demands to join the register) .. -Information now on the Breed database- slipping patellas, history of fitting, etc..etc..
Some of the people who have been in the breed a long time will know anything dubious in the pedigrees. And if you think, the law of probabilty that nothing nasty will crop up, think again.
So before tails, bear all in mind.
I should know the heartache of buying dogs with bad hips. as well as small. I discarded them all. But your average pet person won't do that.
It is the responsability of the breeder to do its best and also stand by what they have brought into the world???
And don't forget...if you don't know or have a worry, you have the likes of your President who I know has often helped me and advised when I needed it.
Make use of the Senior members, they will more often than not know the dogs you are on about or everything behind them. Right to the early days...
Annie as admin
This is not just the responsibilty of the big Breeders either - it is the responsibility of everyone who breeds a litter or uses a stud dog to ensure that the stock behind their dogs is as free from hereditary disease as possible. That means not just Hip scores (they should be below the breed average of 17 in my opinion), but checking back for other problems - no-one wants a retriever with a bad mouth, or a working dog that starts limping after a few hours.
Pups should be reared in a warm, comfortable environment, with good food. It has been reported recently that food and exercise also have a large part to play in hip dysplasia, as well as inherited factors.
My whelping box is already in place in my ensuite close to my bed. When the pups are weaned there is a clean, warm and cosy puppy shed and run awaiting them.
Annie
Patricia
Good luck with your babies...The start they get in life mentally and physically will follow them for life ( I know that too)
The food you put into them, the correct amount of exercise, the fact they are like toddlers and must be allowed to be babies... the socialising, the experiences etc...
Mine are reared in the house until I can no longer stand the smell in the house They play in the garden, meet the cats, investigate. My friend even has a paddling pool to introduce them to water!
They are on vet beds, infra red, ( I hate the look of cold puppies who develop a fluffy coat) newspapers on floor over tiles. Wormed every 2 weeks, fed on Arden Grange or Proplan now, but they love some rice pudding and meat sometimes too.
Of course, the parents are hip scored, the pups wormed regularly, tattoed, 6 weeks insurance, and puppy packs. Endorsed and docked for working...Nothing complicated in rearing a litter. Lots of TLC, Brittanys are not difficult to rear when you care.
Annie as admin
Patricia wrote:
Mine are reared in the house until I can no longer stand the smell in the house They play in the garden, meet the cats, investigate. My friend even has a paddling pool to introduce them to water!
They are on vet beds, infra red, ( I hate the look of cold puppies who develop a fluffy coat) newspapers on floor over tiles. Wormed every 2 weeks, fed on Arden Grange or Proplan now, but they love some rice pudding and meat sometimes too.
Of course, the parents are hip scored, the pups wormed regularly, tattoed, 6 weeks insurance, and puppy packs. Endorsed and docked for working...Nothing complicated in rearing a litter. Lots of TLC, Brittanys are not difficult to rear when you care.
Absolutely teh same as me. But the paddling pool might not be needed - I have a littel burn that runs through the front garden. The hens and ducks might see them off though!
Annie
Victoria
Pierre also warned of the dangers of bob to bob matings. I am still trying to find some literature on the potentiality of trauma to the endometrium with repeated absorption of foeti.
Patricia
Having done such matings, I cannot say I had any problems. I will say however that one usually had a short bob opposed to nothing at all.
It is my plan to use such dogs in order not to dock a whole litter.
But, most importantly the quality of the said animals, their health and pedigree will feature first...
Annie as admin
I've just done a bob to bob mating, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I went ahead on the strength of the information given to us by Dr Bruce Cattenach at his lecture to the Club in 2006. I just hope Belle and her pups will be healthy.
Annie
The Plum
The thing that concerns me about mating no- tails to no-tails is that this condition is actually a deformity. The tail is part of the spine - just how far up the spine does this deformity extend ?
If I were breeding Brits I would hate to discover maybe 10 -15 years down the line, that I was breeding in something potentially harmful to the dog.
I would not breed for deformed hips , why would I want to breed for a deformed spinal column ?
The Plum
yarak
I knew it would only be a matter of time before the effect of the docking ban kicked in, and if we as breeders are not careful we could be on a very slippery slope.
People seem to be making choices, that they may not have made if the docking ban had not come into force.
Just recently their has been some very nice well bred litters bred from quality sire and dams, with working lines with excellent working ability, but because they have been docked and are not tailless, I bet very few have gone for show.
I chose to legally Dock my litter as I cannot and could not live with Brits with tails my choice I know,
but to my knowledge their are only 3 championship shows with CC that you cannot show legally docked dogs at, so more that you can show at than cannot.
I myself have bred bob to bob and think people have got it wrong, in my opinion it just reduces litter size as malformed puppies are absorbed.
I got much better results with tail to tailless ie: 11 pups 5 tails 6 without, and 9 pups 4 without and 5 with, bob to bob same bitch 5 pups 1 tailless. I am sure only time will tell as people experiment and draw their own conclusions.
Lets hope people don't compromise on breeding, lines and quality just for the sake of the tailless gene.
Annie as admin
I agree entirely with Joanne. I have mated bob to bob but I'd have done that mating anyway even if they had both been docked, and I have done it in the full knowledge (such as is available), of what problems I might have.
Belle won the TAN overall in 2006 and is a super little hunter, she also has two 1st Excellents from Pierre Gaudin, and you all know what my Allez has done in the showring and in training, and continues to do.
Both have good hips - Al is 4/3 and Belle 7/7. I haven't compromised on health or achievements just to get bobtails, and I wouldn't expect any other sensible breeders to compromise either, just to breed bobs. Apart from anything else, a bobtail to either a docked or another bob can produce ANY length of tail - not just more bobs. And some of these shorter tails do look weird.
Annie
a good looking dog, a good temperament -some are getting grumpy- and no tail! well for some...
