Here's the age old question: Is temperament the result of heredity or of environment? You have already done your homework into the backgrounds of the sire and dam; you've checked on temperament, trainability and stability. The job does not stop here. do you want to take a chance that the greatest factor is not environment? In a litter, you are lucky to get one or two good show dogs. You may get a couple of good field prospects, maybe even a future top obedience or agility dog. Every pup should have a super temperament because 90 percent of the litter will end up in pet homes. Their owners will not care about how many titles the parents won, at what age they got their first major, or how many tries it took them to get their SH or CDX titles. These people care that their dogs will be wonderful additions to their family.

When I plan a breeding, I take time off from my full time job to start another full-time job-- the one of raising a litter. It does not matter how wonderful and independent a mom your brood bitch is, you still have a full-time commitment with each litter.

I start working with the pups when they are 3 days old. I take each one and put it through a series of five exercises known as the Bio-Sensor method. (see the May 1995 AKC Gazette for an article on this) In brief, this is a series of exercises that stimulates pups in a way they would not otherwise experience at this early age.

Once the pups have their eyes open and start to venture out of the whelping box, the fun begins! Over the years, I have developed a "puppy playground." This is designed to introduce the pups to sound, texture, movement, vibration and music. It includes "swings" made from carpeted milk crates that hangs from the ceiling. The pups quickly find these and they are not bothered by the swinging movement when they are in them. Often I will find the swing jam-packed with pups sleeping and gently rocking! I also have low, padded and carpeted seesaws. The pups first reaction to these is usually to be startled when they walk up the low ramp and it moves under their weight. however, the puppy urge for exploration gets the best of them and soon you see 6-week old pups trying out their "sea legs" and balancing on the middle of the sea saw like expert agility dogs.

The playground also includes a variety of tunnels made of tall kitchen trash containers with the bottoms cut out. The pups race through these, roll them around, and then all pile in for a nap. There are also ramps of various materials and textures, milk jugs, hanging fleece toys and short steps made by stacking large wooden blocks. One object that the pups love is a fleece octopus with four squeaky arms. It hangs about five inches from the ground, from a rope that has a long line of sleigh bells attached to the top. The noise it makes! There are also low mirrors on the walls and an assortment of balls, toys and chews in the puppy room.

At about 6 weeks, the pups are introduced to water, under supervision. I take an extra large Vari-Kennel bottom, line it with rubber bath mats, and fill it with three inches of warm water. I place this in the puppy room, with a couple of rubber balls floating in it. The boldest pups are soon in there! There is no pushing or forcing; I just let them go at their own pace.

Each puppy also gets individual attention every day during which they experience a variety of activities. They may drag around a short leash, be introduced to wings and birds, go for a ride in the car, or have their toenails trimmed.

The playroom setup enables me to sit and watch the puppies for hours to see which are the most adventuresome which have the quickest recovery time, and which are more hesitant. This helps me decide on the homes that will be best for each one.

Article written by Cathy Lewandowski for the Curly Coated Retriever breed column in the AKC Gazette

How many times have your gone to the National or a large regional dog show to check out prospective studs and been disappointed in the lack of choices? Sometimes nothing you see complements the bitch you have. With today's shrinking world, there are more options open to breeders. One of those options is using an over seas stud. With the improvements in storing frozen semen, collecting and shipping fresh chilled semen, and newly lifted quarantines; your breeding choices don't have to be confined to your geographic area.

When using an overseas stud, you must often rely on pictures, video and word of mouth of people who have met the dogs in person. But this is the case with many US studs where you may not have had the opportunity to meet the dog in person. Or even the case of having only seen the dog as an adolescent and you do not know how he has matured. I was fortunate to deal with breeders and owners who were very helpful in supplying whatever I wanted to do my research on potential overseas studs. This included pictures of the dog, his parents, siblings, and any offspring he may have had on the ground. Videotapes of the dog and relatives. Talking with other breeders overseas who have used the particular dog, or close relatives of his in their breeding programs.

I have had experience sending a bitch overseas for a natural breeding. This can't always be done if the country still has quarantine laws in effect. My latest litter was a result of fresh chilled semen sent from overseas. You can still run into problems with customs and language barriers resulting in delays. Timing is everything when using fresh chilled semen. Even a day's delay can mean the difference between having a litter and not. It did take a bit more planning to make sure it all came off smoothly. With fresh chilled, you should decide before hand on what kind of extender you will use, and what type of shipping container it will be transported in. A test collection and storage of the stud is a great idea. That way you know how many days his semen will live. Not all dogs are alike, and not all dogs semen react to the extender and chilling the same.

Everything you need to register such a litter is clearly explained on the AKC website. I am currently bringing in frozen semen from overseas to store in the US. This has its pros and cons. With Frozen semen you don�t have to worry about the timing of shipping, as you can have it on hand months or years in advance of the breeding. One of the drawbacks of frozen semen is with the shorter life span, either surgical or transcervical insemination is recommended over vaginal insemination.

With the use of fresh chilled and frozen semen, you do have the potential for higher breeding costs with the addition of progesterone testing, collection, storage and insemination fees. You also have the potential for decreased litter size in some cases. Finding and using the right stud for your bitch isn't about producing a huge litter. Its about producing a few quality dogs that fulfil the goals you have for the breeding and the resulting offspring.

Article written by Cathy Lewandowski for the Curly Coated Retriever breed column in the AKC Gazette

Back to SoftMaple